Activation lock for Iphone 6 problem

[EyesWideOpen]

I am trying to sort of a problem for my friend. He just bought a brand new

Iphone 6 at a small shop in Tukcom Pattaya. I will also add he is not very

tech savvy.... :-) So initially the phone worked fine. Then he made the mistake

of activating Find my phone on the device. Someone else had set up the phone

so he has no idea what the password is or the answers to the secret questions are.

After many calls to Apple, they demanded that he provide a receipt proving he

bought the phone. As it was a small reseller, she provided a handwritten receipt

to him, which he then sent onto to Apple. They decided the receipt was not acceptable,

and would not allow the activation lock to be bypassed. So the phone cannot be used

, and at this point is a paperweight on the desk. A very expensive one...

This phone is NOT stolen. If it was , it would have been reported as such, and Apple

would have bricked the phone. So the question is, how can the activation lock be

bypassed ? This is a common problem, but there is a lot of bullshit on the internet

about how to do it, and a lot of scam sites offering to do it for money. So what is the

solution ? Can it simply be jailbroken when it is in DFU mode ? I am a bit nervous

about bricking his phone....... Really appreciate any help from an Iphone expert.. :-)

[soumanioco]

If you're talking about the four digit passcode, then yes, it can be bypassed with a DFU restore.

[bubba]

With iOS 8, yes, you can do a DFU restore, but when you get to the activation screen, it will ask for the AppleID and password that was used to originally set up the device. If you do not have that, you cannot activate the device following DFU restore. You will not get past the activation screen. This is the "kill switch" that Apple designed into iOS and it has resulted in a large decrease in the number of stolen devices, since without the AppleID and password, they are bricks if they are stolen and restored. Hopefully you know the AppleID and password that was used during the original activation.

That said, I was talking to an Apple shop guy here in BKK who said he knew how to bypass activation lock. A few checks around MBK would likely determine whether that is true.

[MKAsok]

Chronicunlocks used to be able to remove iCloud locks, assuming the phone truly isn't stolen. They are a legit site. Drop them an email and ask if they still can - [email protected]

[soumanioco]

Was wrong. It's the activation lock you want to bypass. But let me tell you, the more I read your post the less sense it makes.

Anyway, your only chance would be to locate the guy who initially set up the phone.

And always remember the golden rule:

Don't take ownership of any used iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch until it has been removed from the previous owner’s account.

Also goes for "brand new" ones...

[EyesWideOpen]

With iOS 8, yes, you can do a DFU restore, but when you get to the activation screen, it will ask for the AppleID and password that was used to originally set up the device. If you do not have that, you cannot activate the device following DFU restore. You will not get past the activation screen. This is the "kill switch" that Apple designed into iOS and it has resulted in a large decrease in the number of stolen devices, since without the AppleID and password, they are bricks if they are stolen and restored. Hopefully you know the AppleID and password that was used during the original activation.

That said, I was talking to an Apple shop guy here in BKK who said he knew how to bypass activation lock. A few checks around MBK would likely determine whether that is true.

Hi Bubba: I am here in Pattaya, and the couple of shops I went to in Tukcom said

they could not do it. Apple says it cannot be done, as even if it is unlocked, Apple

will relock it as soon as the phone connects to the web. This phone is NOT stolen,

this whole issue is a matter of poor apple customer service, someone activating

the find my iphone feature without telling the password, and a hand written receipt

that Apple is not accepting as proof of purchase. Sort of a perfect storm of things

going wrong. If you could tell me the name of the shop or phone number that would be

great.

[EyesWideOpen]

Was wrong. It's the activation lock you want to bypass. But let me tell you, the more I read your post the less sense it makes.

Anyway, your only chance would be to locate the guy who initially set up the phone.

And always remember the golden rule:

Don't take ownership of any used iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch until it has been removed from the previous owner’s account.

Also goes for "brand new" ones...

Yes that is correct regarding the golden rule. But my friend is not very tech savvy, and certainly

did not understand about the removal from the account of the previous owner. As it looked new in the box, he was not even thinking it was a used phone. I have seen countless small retailers carefully reapplying shrink wrap around the box of a used phone to make it look new...And I suspect that most of the Thai people buying a iPhone from the endless small retailers do not know

about removal of a previous owner either .

Again , this phone is not stolen. If a phone is stolen, you report it to Apple, and they instantly brick the phone. End of story. Have had lots of conversations

with Apple trying to get the phone unlocked. They fully knowledge that phone is not stolen, but

for whatever reason have decided the hand written receipt for the phone is not valid enough.

I told one of the apple service guys I felt I had entered the twilight zone..... Internet boards are chock full of people with the exact same problem, whereas the phone cannot be activated .

Apple has made a serious mistake on this activation route. They should have done what

the American government wanted, which was simply a kill switch. Meaning report the phone

stolen, and apple bricks the phone.

[bubba]

With iOS 8, yes, you can do a DFU restore, but when you get to the activation screen, it will ask for the AppleID and password that was used to originally set up the device. If you do not have that, you cannot activate the device following DFU restore. You will not get past the activation screen. This is the "kill switch" that Apple designed into iOS and it has resulted in a large decrease in the number of stolen devices, since without the AppleID and password, they are bricks if they are stolen and restored. Hopefully you know the AppleID and password that was used during the original activation.

That said, I was talking to an Apple shop guy here in BKK who said he knew how to bypass activation lock. A few checks around MBK would likely determine whether that is true.

Hi Bubba: I am here in Pattaya, and the couple of shops I went to in Tukcom said

they could not do it. Apple says it cannot be done, as even if it is unlocked, Apple

will relock it as soon as the phone connects to the web. This phone is NOT stolen,

this whole issue is a matter of poor apple customer service, someone activating

the find my iphone feature without telling the password, and a hand written receipt

that Apple is not accepting as proof of purchase. Sort of a perfect storm of things

going wrong. If you could tell me the name of the shop or phone number that would be

great.

The guy I spoke with works at a proper Apple shop. He said he knew how to do it, but I do not think he would do it for someone who just walks into the shop asking to bypass activation lock.

So you commented "poor Apple customer service". What exactly was poor about their customer service? The activation lock has a purpose, and that is to make stolen phones useless. A dodgy handwritten receipt hardly proves that it is not stolen.

The phone had to be activated initially with an Apple ID. So when you set up the phone, didn't the guy set it up with your Apple ID? If he did, then no problem. If he didn't, he had to use his. If that's the case, then why don't you simply go back to the shop and ask the guy to remove it from his list of activated devices?

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201441

And for anyone thinking of buying a new iPhone from such a "shop":

When purchasing an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch from someone other than Apple or an authorized Apple reseller, it is up to you to ensure that the device has been erased and is no longer linked to the previous owner’s account.

You can check the current Activation Lock status of a device by visiting icloud.com/activationlock from any Mac or PC.

Or you can follow the steps below to make sure that you can use the device you purchase:

1. Turn the device on and slide to unlock.
2. If the passcode lock screen or the Home screen appears, the device hasn't been erased. Ask the seller to completely erase the device by going to Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings. Don't take ownership of any used iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch until it's been erased.
3. Begin the device setup process.
4. After choosing a language, choosing a country, and connecting to a network, the device will begin activation. If you're asked for the previous owner’s Apple ID and password, the device is still linked to their account. Hand the device back to the seller and ask them to enter their password. If the previous owner isn't present, they can remove the device from their account by signing in to icloud.com/find. Don't take ownership of any used iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch until it has been removed from the previous owner’s account.

You will know that a device is ready for you to use when you're asked to “Set up your iPhone," “Set up your iPad," or “Set up your iPod” during the device setup process.

[maxtwo]

How did he activate find my iPhone without the password?Take it back to shop he got it from.

[RichCor]

There are a couple of iOS and Android features/settings that will force you to enable pinlock before you can use them. If you're not in the right frame of mind when you set those features I can totally see where you could lock yourself out of your own phone. Doubly so if you let someone else have access to your phone.

Still interested in who this person was:

"Someone else had set up the phone so he has no idea what the password is or the answers to the secret questions are."

They may as well smashed the screen for all the good they were doing.

So, why won't DFU Restore work for you? Didn't the owner set up the apple ID/iCloud account?

[bubba]

RichCor: It is not really a pin lock situation here – it is activation lock. Whoever set the phone up had to enter an Apple ID for the phone to activate, together with the password. That is stored on Apple servers and the iPhone calls home to verify that when an attempt is made to restore and re-activate it. If you cannot remember the screen lock code and Find My iPhone is on, then you need that Apple ID and password to restore.

You said it:

Still interested in who this person was:

"Someone else had set up the phone so he has no idea what the password is or the answers to the secret questions are."

If this is a new iPhone that was activated at the shop and Find my iPhone turned on, an Apple ID and its password had to be entered and that "someone else" is the person at the shop that sold it. They used either their own Apple ID (which would not make any sense at all) or the Apple ID of EyeWideOpen's "friend". Apple customer service would have told them that. But apparently neither know the Apple ID and password that was used.

​It is not surprising that Apple customer support would not assist with that story and a handwritten receipt. Bet they have heard that one many times before as well.

And just a quick clarification:

It the original post, Eyes says:

I am trying to sort of a problem for my friend. He just bought a brand new Iphone 6 at a small shop in Tukcom Pattaya.

And then later:

But my friend is not very tech savvy, and certainly did not understand about the removal from the account of the previous owner.

So I am confused. Is the iPhone "brand new", or did it have a "previous owner"?

Edited March 10, 2015 by bubba

[EyesWideOpen]

RichCor: It is not really a pin lock situation here – it is activation lock. Whoever set the phone up had to enter an Apple ID for the phone to activate, together with the password. That is stored on Apple servers and the iPhone calls home to verify that when an attempt is made to restore and re-activate it. If you cannot remember the screen lock code and Find My iPhone is on, then you need that Apple ID and password to restore.

You said it:

Still interested in who this person was:

"Someone else had set up the phone so he has no idea what the password is or the answers to the secret questions are."

If this is a new iPhone that was activated at the shop and Find my iPhone turned on, an Apple ID and its password had to be entered and that "someone else" is the person at the shop that sold it. They used either their own Apple ID (which would not make any sense at all) or the Apple ID of EyeWideOpen's "friend". Apple customer service would have told them that. But apparently neither know the Apple ID and password that was used.

​It is not surprising that Apple customer support would not assist with that story and a handwritten receipt. Bet they have heard that one many times before as well.

And just a quick clarification:

It the original post, Eyes says:

I am trying to sort of a problem for my friend. He just bought a brand new Iphone 6 at a small shop in Tukcom Pattaya.

And then later:

But my friend is not very tech savvy, and certainly did not understand about the removal from the account of the previous owner.

So I am confused. Is the iPhone "brand new", or did it have a "previous owner"?

Correct. When Apple traced down the IMEI number of the phone , turns it was originally bought in the US in a big batch, and then shipped to Thailand to be resold by the small retailers. So at some point the phone was activated. After hours on the phone with Apple, the bottom line is the issue

is the hand written receipt. I told them the phone was not purchased at their New York store, and these types of receipts were common. At this point I told them I could photoshop up a perfect receipt if they wanted one, that got a big laugh. I also told them I had sent a letter direct to Tim Cook at [email protected] That certainly got their attention...... :-)

After internet research, the activation lock is pretty tough. Lots of scam sites saying they can do it for a fee, but I do not think that is true. Chronicunlock says they can do it for 129 British Pounds but I do not really believe that. So am still working with Apple to fix this issue. My friend is legally deaf, and a dyslexic as well. And not very tech savvy. A phone like his Iphone 6 is really a tiny very powerful computer, and when all the security is layered on top can be very confusing.... The old days of just grabbing your mobile and punching in a number are long gone... :-)

[bubba]

OK, so let's get this straight:

1. You bought a grey market phone at a shop in Pattaya. I am sure that got the Apple support staff's attention, not just the threat of an email to Tim Cook. From the IMEI, I wonder how Apple know that the phones were bought in a big batch and then shipped/smuggled to Thailand to be sold by unauthorised grey market shops? Wonder why they are not eager to help you with an activation code?

2. It was already activated and had a four digit lock screen code that nobody knows. In you post you said a "previous owner" had activated it.

3. You never checked the phone at the shop to see whether it worked, was real, etc.

4. And nobody ever even attempted to turn it on until you got home?

And I am still confused:

It the original post, you said:

I am trying to sort of a problem for my friend. He just bought a brand new Iphone 6 at a small shop in Tukcom Pattaya.

And then later:

But my friend is not very tech savvy, and certainly did not understand about the removal from the account of the previous owner.

Is the iPhone "brand new", or was it second-hand and had a "previous owner"?

Also this:

So initially the phone worked fine. Then he made the mistake of activating Find my phone on the device.

Activating Find my iPhone does not lock the phone. The only way that Find my iPhone can be activated is if you are signed in to an Apple ID. You need an Apple ID to switch off Find my iPhone, but even if you don't have it, the phone will not lock. Apparently there was no screen lock code since you were able to open Preferences in order to switch on Find my iPhone.

And if the phone was locked, how did you get the IMEI number to give to Apple?

[RichCor]

Anyone who is a first-time buyer of a smartphone will run into these issues.

One of the reasons I believe Apple decided to open their own retail shops and staff it with their own people.

OK, so if the "small shop in Tukcom Pattaya" set up the phone, then 'they' should be able to access it.

So what's the issue?

Can't the shop do what's necessary to 'transfer' the phone to an Apple ID/iCloud Account that your 'friend' owns (or gets set up)?