Dad gets locked out of iPad for 48 years after toddler types incorrect password

A notification says the dad has been locked out of his device for 25, 536, 442 minutes

If the thought of leaving your Apple device in the hands of a toddler leaves your sweating, prepare for some serious perspiration.

Over the weekend, journalist Evan Osnos tweeted that his three-year-old son had accidentally disabled his iPad for a staggering 48.5 years after repeatedly typing in the incorrect password.

The father posted a photograph of his disabled iPad screen which featured a message instructing him to try accessing the device in 25, 536, 442 minutes, which equates to almost half a century.

“Uh, this looks fake but, alas, it’s our iPad today after 3-year-old tried (repeatedly) to unlock. Ideas?” Osnos captioned the post, asking his 85,000 asking for advice on how to unlock the device.

The father’s Twitter followers soon offered some words of wisdom.

“Next time just give the kid the passcode,” wrote one user.

“I would just wait it out,” added another.

One joked: “Time travel seems to be your best bet.”

Another asked: "Did the 3yr old get his hands on the iPad just as the 12,000,000 minutes from the previous lock expired?[sic]"

One user, who goes by the Twitter handled @Byron_Mobley, tweeted a message exchange with a friend, who he claims to be certified by Apple and offered their view on the matter.

In a screenshotted photograph of the exchange, posted to Osnos, the Apple “expert” states the father will “never be able to use [the device] again”.

According to Apple, when a user enters the wrong passcode on an iOS device too many times, they will be locked out and a message will appear notifying them that their device is disabled.

However, the company’s guidelines state that the data on the device will have been erased if the device has not been backed up.

“If you backed up your device, you can restore your data and settings after restoring your device,” it explains.

If the data has been backed up, Apple advises users to connect their device to a computer, open iTunes, and opt to restore it. Once this has taken place, the user can then set up and use their device again.

To find out more information about what to do if your Apple device is disabled, click here.