Checking icloud activation lock status by imei. Methods to Check iPhone Activation Lock Status
Mobile Apple devices With iOS version above 5.0 are equipped with an excellent security mechanism - the Find iPhone function. The function allows you to remotely block a lost/stolen gadget and find out its location. Thanks to Find iPhone, the number of reported thefts of Apple devices around the world has decreased significantly - in London, for example, by as much as 50%.
Russian users, alas, have not yet “tried” the “anti-theft” Apple feature— many of them do not believe in its effectiveness; Some even suggest that this is America’s way of keeping tabs on the Russians. In fact, the search mechanism proposed by Apple is effective. It makes sense to abandon paranoid prejudices in order not to shed tears after the theft of an expensive device.
The Find My iPhone service allows the user to:
- Find out the geographical location of the lost gadget. You can only find out where the device is if it is connected to the Internet.
- Remotely delete all contents of your smartphone.
- Activate “Lost Mode” on the device. It is impossible to use such a gadget - you can only sell it for spare parts and then for next to nothing.
- Remotely start loud on your smartphone beep to make your search easier.
The function can be used only if it is activated on the mobile device itself and if the owner of the gadget remembers the password for his iCloud account.
After losing your smartphone Apple user can go to www.icloud.com using the data account, which is activated on the device, select the “Find iPhone” section and see a city map on which green dot The location of the gadget is marked.
The owner of the lost “mobile phone” can only turn on “Lost Mode” and go looking for it. It’s better to take a friend with you who also has an Apple device – but only with installed application"Find iPhone." Through the application, you can play a signal on a lost device.
More detailed instructions on the use of Apple’s “anti-theft” technology is present in our article on how to find a lost iPhone.
How to enable the Find My iPhone feature?
To set up the Find iPhone function on your mobile device, do the following:
Step 1. Go to the section " iCloud" V " Settings» iPhone.
Step 2. Enter your Apple ID and password if you haven't done so before.
Then click " Login».
Step 3. Agree to merge data stored in iCloud and on iPhone - or refuse if you want to separate the “flies from the cutlets”. Also allow iCloud to use your iPhone's location.
These two requests will appear on the screen sequentially, one after the other.
Step 4. Scroll down the screen and find the " Find iPhone».
Move it to the active position.
Step 5. A notification will appear on your screen indicating that Find My iPhone will be activated. Click " OK».
Step 6. It remains to check whether the “Find iPhone” function is enabled in “ Location services" Go to " Settings" and follow the path " Privacy» — « Location services».
In the section " Location services" there is a subsection " Find iPhone» - visit him.
Make sure that the toggle switch of the same name is activated.
It is very important to carry out this check. If Find My iPhone doesn't use geolocation, see lost gadget it won't work on the map.
What is Activation Lock?
A useful add-on for Find My iPhone called " Activation Lock" (or " Activation Lock ") first appeared on iOS 7. The addition allows you to “tightly” lock a mobile device linked to Apple account ID – that is, actually turning a smartphone into a “brick”. Neither flashing nor restoring in DFU mode will help to revive the gadget.
“Activation Lock” is, in fact, the “Lost Mode” that was mentioned earlier and which can be enabled on the iCloud website.
With the current " Activation lock» you will have to enter your Apple ID every time you need to perform next steps:
- Deactivate Find My iPhone.
- Delete information from the gadget.
- Re-activate the smartphone.
That is, an attacker who stole a gadget will find that he has a device in his hands with which he cannot do anything. The smartest thing for a thief to do would be to contact the owner and, pretending to have found the gadget, offer to return the device for a symbolic reward.
The user needs to be careful and activate “Lost Mode” only after the Apple ID password has been written down in various notepads and computer programs. If he loses the password or forgets it, he himself will not be able to return the device to functionality. Under such circumstances, both service centers and service Apple support, and even computer hackers will be powerless.
Conclusion
A person who has activated the Find My iPhone function on his mobile phone will have to take the confidentiality of his Apple ID credentials very seriously. If the data ends up in the hands of attackers, they will have the opportunity to block the gadget and, by changing the iCloud password, blackmail the owner mobile device. This method of fraud is not “out of the realm of science fiction”; V lately More and more users are suffering from such illegal actions.
Buying used equipment is always a risk. Purchasing a supported iOS device is a risk squared - because in addition to hidden technical defects that will require repairs and additional investments, you can run into a device with activation lock enabled. IN the latter case after the first update new user will simply lose access to the device. How to avoid getting caught by a blocked gadget - read this article.
It's no secret that iOS gadgets are very popular. But they are also not cheap. These two facts have led to a thriving market for used apples. Apple fan Those on a modest budget will be happy to purchase a “worn” gadget at a significant discount. Well, since people are ready to line up even for used iPhones, attackers have an excellent “business” prospect - steal the device and sell it without problems.
At one “wonderful” moment, the number of thefts of iOS devices exceeded all conceivable and inconceivable limits, and then Apple company I decided that it was time to create some kind of anti-theft mechanism, which resulted in that very activation blocking.
Activation lock as protection against theft
To enable the lock, the user needs to go to the “Settings” menu of the device, then go to iCloud section, then “Find iPhone” (or “Find iPad/iPod”) and turn on the slider next to the option of the same name.
When the lock is activated in iCloud menu(iCloud), two “mechanisms” are launched. Firstly, the user has the opportunity to enable “Lost Mode” if the device is lost/stolen, which requires:
When the lost mode is activated, the device screen will be locked and a message with contacts from the user will appear on it.
However, even if you do not enable the lost mode, blocking the activation will negate the efforts of the thief. After all, immediately after erasing the data (and the thief will certainly perform this procedure; he won’t be able to sell a device full of other people’s data), the blocking mechanism will require a login and Apple password The ID of the victim, which the attacker, of course, does not know. If he tries to restore the device in iTunes, this will not change anything - the screen after restoration will show the same request for Apple ID. Thus, the thief will find himself in a very depressing situation - a device stolen at the risk of his own freedom is a useless brick for him.
Some time after the introduction of the locking function in iOS devices, the number of thefts decreased significantly, and it would seem that everyone should be happy, but...
How does activation blocking threaten the average user?
As we said above, the request for an Apple ID appears after erasing the content and the recovery procedure. However, this requirement also appears after the update. Thus, if a new user of a used device forgot to check whether the locking on the device is enabled, and it turned out to be enabled, then after the first update he will encounter a deadlock in the form Apple request ID of the previous owner.
Checking the Activation Lock status in the iCloud menu
Until recently - namely until January 2017, the Apple website worked special service, which allows you to determine whether the lock on the gadget is enabled or not. However, hackers figured out how to use this portal for dishonest purposes and it had to be closed. However, there is a way to check. To find out if the blocking is active:
If you see “On” next to “Find iPhone,” ask the seller to deactivate the option.
Important! OhIt is impossible to disable the option yourself- To authorize shutdown, you will need your Apple ID password.
Checking blocking: an alternative method
At all specified method should work 100%, however, on thematic methods you can find messages in which users tell how they bought a device with “Find My iPhone” disabled, but still encountered a block.
So we recommend that you also do alternative check, which was invented by cunning users after the service was closed official verification. To implement this you will need to contact the service. Apple technical support, however, you do not need to work with Russian portal support because its capabilities are limited. So let's get started:
Under no circumstances should you buy an iOS device with the lock enabled, no matter what the seller says!
Let's summarize
When purchasing a supported iOS device, be sure to check whether activation lock is enabled. However, even if you see that the option is not active, just in case, along with the purchase, pick up the receipt from the seller for the initial purchase and the box from the device. In this case, if the device malfunctions and you still encounter a lock screen, despite the fact that the option has been disabled, you can call Apple support and, as proof that the device belongs to you, provide a receipt and box - in this In this case, they will help you remove the blocking.
Apple manufacturers have significantly expanded the “Find iPhone” function by adding Activation lock Lock. It was in iOS 7 that it was first introduced this function. If earlier in the iPhone 6 you could only password protect your device, now, if the device is lost or stolen iPhone owners Tracking and remote locking of the device has become available thanks to the innovation Activation Lock. But even here there were troubles.
iPhone buyers often purchased smartphones with Activation Lock and the Find My iPhone function enabled, which subsequently led to the device being completely locked. An incident of this kind most often happened with inexperienced users. On at this stage this problem is solved. iPhone manufacturers a device activation check was launched, which eliminated the blocking of devices by Apple ID.
Based on status request iPhone lock is happening this check. By reading information from the database, the system produces the result.
If you have a password, you can find out the IMEI code by reading it on the packaging or the back of the smartphone.
Before purchasing a new device, you should use at least one of the offered options. This way you can avoid the troubles associated with the complete blocking of the device you purchased.
You can access the section we are interested in via iCloud on your iPhone.
In the line provided, write the code or serial number device Then the system will prompt you to enter a captcha, then select “Continue”.
The system will display a locked status. If your fears are justified, a series of instructions will appear on your locked smartphone to solve this problem.
It must be remembered that on some new devices, blocking is enabled initially, that is, by default.
Verification methods
Checking through the iPhone search application is possible if a password is not set on the smartphone. Many users use a password to protect their information. But if a password is set on the device, the user no longer has the opportunity to view and determine the locking state. As you understand, it is not possible to decrypt the password, so in this case the password will serve as an obstacle to determining the suitability of the device.
First of all, you will need an iPhone search application; if you don’t have it, you can download it from App Store. Next, you need to log in with your Apple ID.
When blocked by Apple ID, your iPhone will be in the list of connected devices. This information is located in the “All devices” section.
Using a computer, tablet, or any device that has the ability to connect to the Internet, the test we are interested in is also possible. You need to launch the iPhone search application and log in to the official iCloud website using your Apple ID.
If there is a blocking problem, you will find your device in the list of connected devices in the “All devices” section. This will be an indicator of the condition of your device.
When purchasing a device that is not new, you can check the lock activation status through the settings and menu iCloud apps. When the Apple ID is connected, the blocking is active. You can find out about its status in the account section.
How to check if iPhone is unlinked from iCloud
How to find out the iCloud linking status? What should I do to avoid troubles with blocking the smartphone I’m purchasing and check the iCloud application binding? Apple's technical support site will help you answer these questions. This site offers instructions detailing the steps by which you can avoid blocking your smartphone.
- Initially, you need to select the region - Europe, and the country - Germany. You can adjust the language you need at the bottom of the screen.
- Select iPhone to open the list of devices.
- Check the Repair & Physical Damage issue.
- Next, select Buttons not working.
- Then go to the Send in for Repair section and the Home button subsection.
- Dial iPhone IMEI or serial number. Click on the arrow to move further.
You must ask the seller to disable the iPhone search function. Otherwise, in the future you will encounter the problem of its unsuitability for use and a complete blockage will occur.
- When the “Find My iPhone” function is turned off, when the smartphone is not connected to any iCloud account, the system will issue a line for registering with an Apple ID.
Until recently, a user could easily determine the binding of his future device to iCloud by entering a code on the iCloud website, but Apple removed this page from the site. Therefore, the fastest and most reliable way now is to reset settings and delete content without entering the old account. This activates the iPhone.
To avoid buying a smartphone that will later be unusable due to the activation of the lock, we recommend using the suggested options. This especially applies to not new, used devices.
Since 2011, Apple has offered the service virtual storage and data synchronization, the so-called iCloud, which literally means iCloud.
What is iCloud for?
iCloud is absolutely free storage for photos, video materials, documents and contacts, 5GB capacity, expandable. By the way, the cost of data storage in iCloud has decreased significantly, and among similar services it has become the most affordable. A additional volume data is offered in sizes of 20 and 200 GB.
Connecting your apple friend to the cloud opens up broad prospects for data management:
Access information from any device connected to your Apple account, from anywhere in the world. That is, every photo you take during the day will automatically appear on all gadgets that are registered under your account. Therefore, it is advisable not to forget to check that your iPhone is synchronized with iCloud before downloading it to your iPhone. personal information. Otherwise, a situation may arise like with the characters in the movie “Home Video.”
The situation is similar with programs, applications and games downloaded through Apple Store, all of them will automatically appear on all Apple gadgets synchronized with iCloud. And when connected family sharing, five more people get the same opportunity. At the same time, when purchasing personal content, it can be hidden from other group members. If purchases are made by children, they can only be possible after the approval of the choice by the parents. Also, when connecting family access, all photos are automatically added to a common family album, and if the date of a family event is postponed, a warning will be sent to all participants.
Automatic data backup, by given parameters. This function will help you recover accidentally deleted documents. And return all data and settings after resetting the iPhone, or as a result of its loss.
Also, when iCloud help You can track the location of your phone and block it if necessary. The geolocation function will allow you to find out where your loved ones are (if necessary, you can easily turn it off).
In general, iCloud has many more pros than cons. And you have to face its shortcomings if the Apple ID synchronized with iCloud suddenly becomes inaccessible to the owner of the iPhone or iPad.
When do you need to check your iPhone on icloud?
Before purchasing from an unauthorized point of sale, you should make sure that your iPhone is not connected to iCloud, because if you try iOS updates, or resetting to factory settings, the iPhone can turn into a “brick”. A similar situation may arise if the Apple ID password was forgotten, and the email to which it was associated is no longer relevant.
How to check the blocking?
The easiest way is in the settings, select iCloud, and view the /account/ field, if it is busy, then on this iPhone or iPad has a connection to iCloud. And, when you try to reset the data to factory settings, or update iOS, the iPhone will ask for an Apple ID and cloud account password.
In addition, Apple personally took care of the possibility of checking apple gadgets to link to iCloud from any gadget. Now, to check an iPhone for a potential brick, it is enough to know its serial number or IMEI. These codes are located in the gadget itself, in the menu /Settings/General/About this device/. And if access to the menu is impossible, then IMEI can be read from back cover gadget, from its packaging, or from the SIM card tray. Then everything is simple, you need to go to iCloud page, in the section /checking the status of activation lock/ enter the captcha in the IMEI or serial number field, and get an answer: is activation lock enabled on this gadget.
From all of the above, there are several rules for successfully using iCloud
1. For an iCloud account, use only a real email, and be sure to enter additional mail to recover your password.
2. Try to write down the ID, password and mailboxes in several places, on paper, as well as in the home computer database.
3. Answers to test questions better remember and write down
4. Don't give your Apple ID and password to anyone! It will take a few minutes to register a new account, but restoring a blocked account may take several days or months.
5. Before selling your gadget, be sure to reset your iPhone or iPad by deleting all accounts and iCloud connections. Your buyer will be grateful to you, and you will be spared problems with other gadgets that are synchronized with iCloud under the same account.
6. In case of interruption of relations with another user, it is also worth replacing the existing ID number, disabling apple devices this person from iCloud. Or change your own account, leaving the second user with your previous Apple ID, in which case you need to do backup and delete your data from the cloud, and also be prepared to provide your account password, which will be required upon the first update.
7. Sell your iPhone from hand to hand, as cases of fraud related to shipping are quite common.
8. Before purchasing, check your iPhone on iCloud and reset previous Apple ID. The easiest way to check if you have an Apple ID is to go to the Apple Store and try to make a purchase. free purchase, if the iPhone is free from an ID number, then in the pop-up window there will be a button: “create new apple ID".
In our practice, we often encounter requests to restore an ID number or the need to set up an iPhone in iCloud. Therefore, we have accumulated experience in this area that is sufficient to solve the problems of Apple gadgets associated with IoCloud. You can get a free consultation by contacting one of service centers iFix, or by contacting a specialist via chat.
