Can't figure out how to get into the iPhone 5c

[TerryJ2]

I don't know my son's passcode, and he would rather die, or that I delete data than figure out how to get into his phone.
No, he does not have his phone back.
I am not even discussing it.
I've watched 3 videos now and most of them delete all the data. I do not want to do that. There seem to be two ways to get into the phone.
One is to plug it into the computer drive and then hit the two buttons, one at the top on the edge of the frame, and the other below the glass face, which looks like a circle. When the Apple icon appears, you let go of the top button.
Then you go to your computer and back up the phone.
But my computer doesn't give me a back up screen for the phone. I looked under "devices and printers" but it's not there. The ones on YouTube just pop up on the screen.

The other video says to slide the bar on the bottom of the screen, then press "emergency call," then hit the pound sign 4 times. Then hit the green button that pops up.
I am so confused.
I do NOT want to delete the data.
I want to retrieve the phone numbers and read the texts.
Meanwhile, I'm guessing at 4-combo digits ...

 

[Tanya M]

Is the phone under your contract? You are paying the bill correct?
I would think you could take it to Sprint and they would be able to help you.

 

[BusynMember]

Is the phone under your contract? You are paying the bill correct?
I would think you could take it to Sprint and they would be able to help you.

 

[BusynMember]

Why do u want to read it? U will only hurt yourself and u already knows he's in deep trouble. What is it goal?

 

[pasajes4]

There was a time that I would stalk my 18 year olds text messages and facebook page in order to find evidence that he was up to no good. I would at times confront him with this evidence. The end result was that I was even more miserable than before my snooping and he got better at being deceptive. He spent more and more time with these "friends", and it destroyed any line of communication we had.

My kiddo is so much like yours it is weird. You already know that he is up to no good. You do not need anymore proof.
You have confronted him about his antics. He knows you know. You do not want to believe that this is what your son is right now. You are fighting accepting the truth of who he is. Until you accept him for what he is right now, you will vacillate between giving in and holding to your boundaries. In the long run that prolongs the agony.

 

[LittleDudesMom]

Terry, I can't help but ask, "to what end?" At this point, will reading his messages really make a difference?

Sharon

 

[Nomad]

I don't wish to get into our daughter's msgs, etc.
We pay for her phone and have cut off services for approx a week, when she is very inappropriate. We don't physically take away the phone. She has it in her procession. We put it back on after the week and when she apologizes and agrees to the rules.
We haven't had to do this in a very long time, because as you know, the phone is like a life line to folks and for young people this goes double and diff. Children it is more like triple!
I probably would only check her FB or attempt to check her msgs. If I thought it was a matter of life or death. I would likely find it too disturbing and upsetting and life with her is already pretty disturbing and upsetting...I wouldn't want to add to it. "To what end?" is a good question to ponder in my humble opinion.

 

[InsaneCdn]

But my computer doesn't give me a back up screen for the phone.

What flavor of computer? Apple or Microsoft?
The iPhone works well with Mac computers. Not sure if it even works at all with Microsoft

 

[TerryJ2]

Nomad, I tried cutting off the svcs and discovered that Verizon is even more manipulative than my difficult child!

Insane, I've got a Microsoft.
I'm going to tell difficult child to give us the passcode or I wipe the data.

 

[DoneDad]

Were trapped in a Verizon contract for another year. There are much better options out there now. Looking forward to getting off Verizon, getting service for wife and I only. Son is off May 1, Difficult Child daughter in Oct - if wife is able to. She says Difficult Child needs it for safety. That's not she's ever used it for. Difficult Child will be 25 in Oct - are we supposed to provide a cell phone forever?

I guess you can tell this cell phone business is an area of contention.

 

[InsaneCdn]

I guess you can tell this cell phone business is an area of contention.

Done Dad... your family isn't the only one! We don't have a few generations of parenting history to fall back on in dealing with this cell phone stuff. It's too new. Learning as we go. And... really, no "right" answers that apply across the board.