If you have an iPhone or any other Apple device, you may be familiar with the words iCloud Lock or iCloud Unlock. This feature is also known as iPhone activation lock. As a result, iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch devices are stuck to login to a specific iCloud account.
This iCloud lock feature is mainly provided to ensure the security of iPhone, iPad etc. devices. No one but the owner of a lost or stolen iPhone or other Apple device can use this feature.
But what if your iPhone is locked to iCloud? Let's find out the rules for unlocking iCloud lock for iPhone and Apple devices or how to unlock iCloud.
What is iCloud Lock?
For every new iPhone setup, it is better to have an Apple ID and login to the iPhone with it. Users need an Apple ID to properly use all the services provided by Apple. You will not be able to install any app without signing in with Apple ID on iPhone.
When setting up the new iPhone, turning on the "Find My iPhone" setting, the phone's unique details are stored on the Apple server. Then the iPhone is connected to the Apple ID.
Then if someone wants to steal or buy the phone and reset it, then activation lock will appear on the screen. Then you can't unlock that iPhone without Apple ID password or phone passcode. In addition, the owner of the Apple ID can remotely login to the iCloud site or use the Find My App to format the phone and lock the activation.
This condition is called iCloud lock. Before buying a second hand phone, you must remove the iCloud lock from the phone and reset the phone.
The cause of iCloud lock
Many people think that activating the lock means stealing the iPhone. But in reality it is not like that. Activation lock can be turned on in many ways. Reasons for iCloud Lock or Activation Lock on iPhone:
- If you do not turn off the Find My iPhone feature before resetting the phone
- If you forgot to log out of the Apple ID account before resetting the phone
- If you forget your iPhone unlock passcode and try resetting the phone in recovery mode
- When the Apple account is disabled
For the reasons mentioned, your iPhone iCloud may be locked. This problem is especially read when buying a used iPhone.
However, iCloud lock of a phone means that there is a possibility that the phone is a stolen phone. And if the person from whom you buy the iPhone actually owns it, then you can open the iCloud lock.
Before buying a used iPhone, you must log out of the iPhone seller's Apple account from that iPhone and reset the phone. In this case, the iPhone that you are going to buy, there is no possibility of iCloud lock. The phone will not be locked to iCloud if you are not signed in to Apple ID or if the Find My iPhone feature of the iPhone is turned off.
Ways to open iCloud lock
Activation lock is mainly used to prevent mobile theft. If the Find My iPhone feature is turned on in the iPhone, this activation lock feature is turned on. Once this feature is turned on, no one outside will be able to reset the device, activate the device with another account, or turn off the Find My iPhone feature without an Apple ID username and password.
If the iPhone in your hand is locked to iCloud and you know the login details of the account logged in to your device, then you can easily get rid of iCloud lock by logging in with email / phone number and password.
If an iPhone, iPad or any other Apple device locks iCloud, the word activation lock will be written on the screen of that device. If the iPhone is activated lock, then the text Activation Lock will appear on the screen. In this case, the activation lock can be released only by signing in with Apple ID and password. That means iCloud can be unlocked. It is a very simple process.
On the screen that says Activation Lock you will find another option under Apple ID and Password field where it says Unlock with passcode. In other words, if you know the passcode of the phone through this option, you can also open the activation lock with that passcode.
What if you don't know Apple ID, password or passcode?
If you do not know the login information of your Apple account, you can reset it using another device. You can also unlock iCloud by resetting the password using the same iCloud account logged in to another device. To reset iCloud password from logged in phone:
- Enter the phone's Settings app
- Tap on the account name
- Tap on Password and Security
- Click on Change Password and reset the password following the next instructions shown on the screen.
You can also change your Apple ID password by visiting the https://iforgot.apple.com/password/verify/appleid link through the browser from another device. Then you can unlock the activation lock.
What to do if second hand or old iPhone iCloud is locked?
Many people buy second hand iPhones from others. In that case, if the seller does not sign out of the Apple ID or turn off the Find My iPhone feature, then iCloud lock problem may occur. In that case, let's find out how to open iCloud lock.
In this case, the previous owner of the iPhone must know the login information of the iCloud account. In this case, the person who had the iPhone before should do it
If the owner of the phone is near the phoneঃ
Ask him to enter the iPhone's Settings menu. At the very top of the settings menu is the Apple ID option. See screenshot below.
Clicking there will open the Apple ID menu. You will find the sign out option at the very bottom of that menu. Click there to sign out the Apple ID from the phone.
At this time you have to provide the password of that Apple ID. If you can't enter the password, you can't sign out. If you sign out of Apple ID, the activation lock on that device will no longer be on. As a result, the activation lock will also be opened. At this time the phone can be reset and used as new.
If the owner of the phone is not near the phone
If the owner of the phone sells the iPhone without removing it from his Apple ID, the new buyer will not be able to use the phone well. The phone seller will have to remove the phone from his Apple ID for this. This will allow the new owner, i.e. the buyer, to sign in with his Apple ID on his second hand iPhone.
If the original or old owner of the phone is away, ask them to follow the procedure below so that the phone is unlocked in iCloud.
- Go to iCloud.com and login to your Apple account
- Enter Find My iPhone
- Click on All Devices
- Click on the device whose activation is locked and click on Erase iPhone (in this case all the data from the phone will be deleted and the phone will be factory reset. The iPhone must be connected to the Internet.)
- IPhone needs to be removed from iCloud account settings in All Devices section
- This will remove the old owner's Apple ID and activation lock from the iPhone
If the previous owner of the phone follows the above rules correctly, then the iCloud Locked iPhone will be unlocked only after restarting. In this way, even if iCloud is locked on the second hand iPhone, the activation lock can be opened easily even if the person from whom it was purchased is away.
If there is no way to login to an Apple account that is logged in with an activated iPhone, then you have nothing to do. Activation lock is a very powerful tool and it is not easy to break. So before buying a used iPhone, make sure that its iCloud is unlocked.
Remember, even if the activation lock can be opened with the passcode, if the Apple ID of the phone is not under your control, then the iPhone can be locked at any time. So you must make sure that if you have an Apple ID signed in on the iPhone, then you have control over it. Otherwise someone else will be able to lock your phone at any time by formatting it remotely which will no longer be possible for you to recover. Even then the previous passcode will no longer work.
However, if you are a buyer of an iCloud locked phone and the phone is purchased from Apple's Authorized Store, you can contact the Authorized Apple Store with the appropriate proof of ownership of the phone. If you can confirm ownership of the phone, Apple Tech Support can be expected to help.
ICloud / Activation Unlock Website
If you do a Google search for iCloud Unlock or Activation Lock, you will see that the service of bypassing iCloud Lock is being provided on numerous websites and forum sites. Many are not afraid to claim their services as "official".
However, in most cases, these services are fake and cheat with money. If you want to open the activation lock of iCloud locked iPhone or to solve this problem completely, you must know the login information of the Apple ID that you have logged in before.
However, there are already some websites or tools that are able to bypass the activation lock. However, in the process of bypassing this activation lock, many people have shaken the connection of the phone with Apple.
As a result, when the phone's operating system is updated, the phone has to be activated after the reset or face other problems. Although iCloud lock can be temporarily avoided due to these problems, using the phone does not bring much benefit.