The iOS 26.4 update left one unfortunate user locked out of his iPhone — and the reason is so obscure you'll never guess it

• One unlucky iPhone user has been locked out of iOS 26.4
• The issue relates to a special character on the Czech keyboard
• So far, no one has been able to figure out a workaround

The most recent iOS 26.4 update pushed out by Apple has brought with it some handy upgrades for iPhone owners — including new emojis and extra security protections — but it's also left one unfortunate user locked out of their device.

As The Register reports, US university student Connor Byrne has been unable to get into his iPhone since iOS 26.4 arrived last month. The reason? The update hides a special character that Byrne was using as his passcode.

The character in question is the Czech caron or háček (ˇ), and while it was available on the bottom row of the keyboard in iOS 18, it's been replaced by a different character in the iOS 26.4 software that Byrne just upgraded to.

Frustratingly, the character is still available via the main iOS keyboard, but not the version that appears on the lock screen. Byrne says he opted for an alphanumeric code rather than a numbers-only PIN for extra security.

Waiting on Apple

iPhone 13: Known Passcode, Can't Enter It from r/datarecovery

Multiple ideas have been put forward, but nothing has worked to get Byrne back into his iPhone 13. Writing out the passcode and scanning it, and connecting an external keyboard, are both options that don't work or can't be accessed after a restart.

Byrne says he doesn't consider Face ID secure enough to use, and in any case, a passcode is required after a software update even with Face ID enabled. The student has even visited a Genius Bar at an Apple Store, but they were stumped by the problem too.

Nothing on the iPhone was backed up to iCloud either, so restoring the data and settings on a different device can't be done. It's a reminder of the importance of always backing up your phone, as a safety net for scenarios just like this one.

Byrne is temporarily using an Android phone while he waits for some help from Apple (the company has yet to respond to him). "I don't anticipate a bespoke solution being provided, but I'm hopeful that the issue will be resolved in the next iOS update," he says.

Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.