Apple Device - Recovery Mode, Activation Lock, PasscodeModified on: Fri, 2 Mar, 2018 at 10:26 AMAt some point you may come across an apple device (iPhone, iPad, iPod) that has an 'Activation Lock' or is disabled due to entering the passcode to many times. The passcode can be bypassed but the activation lock can not. Therefore here are your options for both the activation lock and the disabled passcode issue.Activation LockThis usually occurs when the apple device has been used by a previous owner but they did not sign out of their ipad within the itunes and app store section and icloud. It is also possible that they may have locked the ipad from the 'find iphone'app on icloud.com. You will not be able to wipe the device clean and bypass this activation lock due to the way Apple's Security is setup.Therefore, here are your options:. Contact the previous owner - this may or may not be an option but if it is, it's the easiest way to resolve this issue.
If they are not with you and the device or they do not feel comfortable giving you their apple id and password information, then you can tell them to go to. They would then sign in with their apple account information and then click 'all devices'. From there, they would select the device in question and choose 'remove from account' and confirm by typing in their apple id password. This will remove the device from their account and you should be good to go.
However, you may need to restart the ipad. Contact AppleCare ( 800-800-2775) - When you contact apple, you will need to let them know the situation regarding the activation lock and will have to show them proof of purchase to prove to them that it is your device. Then they will refer you to a special department that takes care of these issues and will unlock the iPad for you. From what I was told, this special department can not be contacted directly, but they will probably supply you with an email address for this department so that you can send in all your documentation that will need.Disabled/locked - due to passcode entered incorrectlyWhen an apple device is disabled it is usually due to entering the passcode incorrectly too many times or the previous user created a passcode on the device.The only way to bypass a passcode is to perform a factory restore/wipe while in recovery mode. Recovery mode allows for the device to proceed even though it's currently disabled and needs a passcode. First, here are the things you will need:.
a computer (PC/Mac). itunes installed and updated (Install -, How to update PC/Mac ).
USB cable that was included with your apple device. Connect your apple device to your computer with your USB cable. Open itunes.
Put your device into 'recovery mode'. Recovery mode is when you see the itunes logo and the usb cable icon displayed on the apple device. Here is how to put the device into recovery mode according to the model of your device. On an iPhone 8 or iPhone 8 Plus: Press and quickly release the Volume Up button.
Then press and quickly release the Volume Down button. Finally, press and hold the Side button until you see the recovery-mode screen which appears after the apple icon. On an iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus: Press and hold the Side and Volume Down buttons at the same time. Keep holding them until you see the recovery-mode screen which appears after the apple icon. On an iPhone 6s and earlier, iPad, or iPod touch: Press and hold both the Home and the Top (or Side) buttons at the same time.
Keep holding them until you see the recovery-mode screen which appears after the apple icon. Itunes should then prompt you with an option to update or restore. Choose restore.
Follow the onscreen instructions to continue. Itunes may take the time to download and install an up-to-date iOS version in the process so it can take some time.
If you’re looking to buy a used iPhone, iPad or iPod touch device, Apple is now offering an online tool to let you first check if it’s been locked down by the previous owner, which could indicate that it was actually stolen or lost.and doesn’t require authentication. It allows users to input the IMEI (International Mobile Station Equipment Identity) or serial number of any iOS device to see its Activation Lock status.Activation Lock is a feature first introduced in iOS 7 as part of the Find My iPhone service on iCloud.
Updated December 2016: Reflects changes in iOS 10.Returning a lost or stolen iPhone is simpler than you might imagine — if the owner hasn't enabled a passcode lock, anyway. Still, if the iPhone you have found is fully functional, we've got some tricks that can help you get in contact with the original owner faster than you may think! How to get in contact with the owner of a lost or stolen iPhoneIf you somehow end up in the possession of a lost or stolen iPhone, it's not always clear what you should do. Sadly, turning an iPhone in to a public establishment sometimes gets it stolen by a not-so-honest person behind the counter, or by a customer that saw you turn it in. If you'd rather take matters into your own hands in order to make sure the rightful owner ends up with it again, here are some things we'd recommend trying in order to contact them directly. If there's no passcode lock, check their recent calls. No one likes invading anyone else's privacy but at the end of the day, there's got to be a little bit of an exception if you're serious about returning the iPhone.
Check My Ipod Serial Number
Just pop open the Phone app and tap Recents to look for a number the person communicates with regularly. Chances are, it'll be a labeled contact like Home, Work, or Husband.That, however, only works if there's no passcode lock! With the introduction (and subsequent proliferation) of Touch ID, passcodes have grown far more common. If there's a passcode, ask Siri for help. Most people don't realize that even if you have a passcode lock on your iPhone, you can bypass it to do things like place calls or send messages — unless, of course, they've disabled this functionality in Settings. However, it never hurts to grill Siri a bit. Here are some things you can try asking Siri by holding down the Home button from the Lock screen:.
'Call home.' . 'Call mom.' . 'Call dad.' If the owner had relationships set up, you can also try things like 'call my wife' or 'call my partner.'
Keep the device powered on and answer incoming calls. The one thing you absolutely want to make sure you do is keep the iPhone charged and powered on. More often than not, once the owner realizes their iPhone is missing, they'll try calling it from someone else's phone. As odd as it is to answer a phone that isn't yours, it's in both of your best interest.
If someone is calling them, odds are they have more relevant information that is of use to you. And if you're really lucky, it'll be the owner on the other side of the line. Find the IMEI or MEID and contact their carrier. Every iPhone has a unique number called an IMEI (or MEID for some CDMA phones) imprinted somewhere on it. The owner's carrier can use this information to track the owner down and hopefully contact them. It's best to just visit the carrier's store where they can then take possession of the iPhone and handle it from there. If you can't, you can always call the carrier over the phone and start from there.
While they can't release information about the owner, they most certainly can help you track them down. If the iPhone is powered on, you can tell what carrier they have by looking at the carrier name in upper left hand corner of the screen. The carrier name appears immediately to the right of the signal dots.There are several ways to find IMEI or MEID info:. Check the back of the phone. Before iPhone 6s, Apple printed the IMEI at the back, bottom portion of the device. Type. #06# into the Phone app.
The phone's IMEI will display onscreen. Eject the SIM tray on the side of the device and flip it over. Look for the IMEI to be printed on the back of the tray.If you aren't sure how to remove the SIM tray from an iPhone, you can follow our guide:.For even more help finding and recognizing an IMEI or MEID number, or any other identifying number for that matter, Apple has a great support article complete with photos you can take a look at:.Keep in mind that even if you found an iPhone that won't power on, you can always try calling different carriers in your area to see if they have a record of the IMEI or MEID. Since there aren't a huge amount of carriers in any one area, this process should still be relatively easy even without knowing the carrier off-hand.
Look for a Find My iPhone message. Any iPhone user can use Find My iPhone to enable Lost Mode, which locks the lost iPhone, enables Low Power Mode, and disables Apple Pay. It also allows you to leave a message on the phone's lock screen.Wake the iPhone from sleep and check to see if the owner of the phone left a message for the person who finds it. A final note about lost or stolen iPhonesKeep in mind that many iPhone owners can either use Find My iPhone to track their device or they can call their carrier and report it lost or stolen. If the latter happens, that phone cannot be activated on many cellular networks, at least in the United States.There is no finder's keepers rule when it comes to lost property such as cell phones.
If you find it and don't turn it in, it can still be considered theft. If Find My iPhone is activated and the owner successfully tracks you, they may have gotten law enforcement involved. So keep this in mind if you happen to stumble across a misplaced iPhone. The decisions you make from the second you pick it up can affect you, too. Your advice for finding the owner of a lost or stolen iPhone?If you've ever come across a lost or stolen iPhone, how did you go about reuniting it with the owner? Did you perform any of the steps above?
And if so, were any of them successful for you? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!
The 'Find my iPod/iPhone' app is actually what you use when you're tracking down a device. For example, if my iPhone was lost I would use the 'Find my iPhone' app on someone's iPhone or through iCloud.com to locate my iPhone.The actual part that allows you to track down your iPod is built into iOS in the form of a switch in the iCloud settings. Walks you through activating it. Take a look at it and if it seems like you had already followed those steps then head to iCloud.com, sign in and go to 'find my iPhone' to hopefully locate your device.Good luck! I believe that my iPod 5th gen has been stolen from my house. I signed into my icloud account from my laptop but every time I click on find my iPhone/iPod it goes to search/locate it but then says that all devices are offline. I set it up so that I would get an email when it has been located but that has been days ago.
Is there anything else I can do or try? I'm desperately looking to find my iPod because it has pictures I cannot replace, like pics of my mom that passed away in 2014.
Please help me.:(by. As far as iPod's and iPads go, THE ONLY realistic CHANCE YOU HAVE at ever recovering it is if you keep your 'wi-fi' set to ON at all times. If your wi-fi setting is turned OFF and you lose it/no longer have it in your possession, try to begin coping with the fact that 9 out of 10 people who now have found and hold your device in their hands are aware that it's easy to reset these devices and erase the data and POOF they've got a nice free of charge iOS device to enjoy, and they know they can enjoy it without having to worry about a thing. Even if you call Apple and tell them it was stolen or lost, Apple doesn't care whatsoever due to the fact that Apple will gladly attach the new owners name and info to the device simply if that new owner calls up and reads off the serial number and tells Apple it belongs to them now.