Check if your iPhone is locked. How to Check iCloud Activation Lock Status on iPhone or iPad

Find My iPhone and Activation Lock provide reliable protection for those who have lost their smartphone. However, this feature can also become a problem. Especially for those who are planning to purchase a used Apple smartphone or tablet.

Before purchasing a used device, we strongly recommend checking to see if the activation lock feature is enabled. We will tell you how to do this further.

Activation blocking is necessary to combat intruders. It is enabled by default in iOS 8 and is optionally enabled in earlier versions. With the lock feature enabled, the phone will not work after deleting or erasing data, updating or restoring the firmware. To unlock the lock, you will need to enter your Apple ID login and password.

Checking the Activation Lock Status

You will need a computer or mobile device with Internet access.

2. Enter the IMEI or serial number of the smartphone (you can find it in the settings, section General, item About this device. This data is also on the back cover of the iPhone).

4. Enter the captcha.

5. After clicking the Continue button, the service will provide information on the blocking status.

Checking Activation Lock Status in iPhone Settings

1. Go to Settings – iCloud.

2. In the Account field The entry will display the email address to which the Apple ID is registered.

3. If the Find iPhone function is active, then the device is locked. You can only remove the lock using the Apple ID specified in the Account field. record.

Checking Activation Lock using the app

3. If your smartphone is in the All devices list, then its search and blocking function is enabled.

The last two options are not suitable if you are buying a used iPhone, as it is not attached to your Apple ID. If the Find iPhone function is enabled in the settings of such a device and someone else’s Apple ID is listed, then sooner or later you will become the owner of an expensive brick. We strongly do not recommend purchasing such smartphones.

Apple manufacturers have significantly expanded the Find My iPhone function by adding Activation Lock. It was in iOS 7 that this feature was first introduced. If earlier in the iPhone 6 you could only password-protect your device, now, if the device is lost or stolen, iPhone owners can now track and remotely lock the device thanks to the Activation Lock innovation. But even here there were troubles.

iPhone buyers often purchased smartphones with Activation Lock and the Find My iPhone feature enabled, which subsequently led to the device being completely locked. This kind of incident most often happened to inexperienced users. At this stage, this problem has been resolved. iPhone manufacturers launched a device activation check, which eliminated the blocking of devices by Apple ID.

Based on the request about the iPhone lock status, this check occurs. 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 of the 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 the 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 iCloud application menu. 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 binding of the iCloud application? 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.

Activation Lock could leave you without an iPhone

iPhone phones have a security option called activation lock, which awaits an inexperienced buyer who is not seriously prepared at the time of purchasing a used iPhone.

When buying a used iPhone, always pay attention to the activation lock status

Previously, on the Apple website - iCloud.com, it was possible to check the activation lock status of the iPhone being purchased or sold (this was done using or), but now there is no such option.

The bummer appears after resetting, updating or updating the iPhone firmware (via Restore). In this case, after turning on the phone, instead of the usual activation, one of these notifications appears on the screen:

Activation lock. This iPhone has been lost or erased. Enter the Apple ID and password that you used to set up this iPhone.

iPhone activation. Currently, the iPhone is linked to the Apple ID (the email to which is linked). Sign in with the Apple ID that was used to set up this iPhone.

This means that the phone can officially be used only after entering and used to enable iPhone activation lock. But finding the person who performed this setting can be very problematic, and besides, he may simply not remember what he once entered. As a result, you have a “brick” on your hands.

Checking iPhone activation lock upon purchase

In general, many people used to think that when purchasing a used iPhone, all they had to do was go to Settings - select the top menu item and make sure that iCloud was turned off. Thus, assuming that since iCloud is turned off, activation lock is also turned off. But it was not there. Cases began to appear when people, relying only on this option, ended up with activation blocking anyway.

Important! If iCloud is turned off in the iPhone settings, this does not guarantee that Activation Lock is also turned off. Accordingly, if the seller shows you that iCloud is disabled and supposedly everything is fine, then he is either a scammer or has poor understanding of the topic.

With such a demonstration of the goods, of course, there is no need to hit the seller. If you have checked the cameras, communication, correct operation, and other technical issues and already seem to want to take it, then before paying the seller, do the following:

• . It's a complete reset. The advantage of this method is that everything is done using just the iPhone.
• Either restore it, or, but only using a program installed on your computer (or laptop). It is pointless to use a firmware update (without connecting to iTunes) to check activation lock.

If, after performing one of these two actions, the iPhone successfully undergoes activation, goes through the initial settings and the home screen with icons turns on and does not report binding or loss, then activation lock is disabled. After turning this on, pay attention to dialing from or to this iPhone to check.

I hope that those who read and apply this post will never run into an iPhone with blocked activation. Tell us or share the link with your friends and family, who can also get to the “brick”.

Current prices for Apple equipment force many to look towards the secondary market when buying an iPhone or iPad. There you can buy the desired gadget at a better price, but you should exercise maximum caution so as not to fall into the hands of scammers who can sell “bricks” to gullible buyers.

About Activation Lock

You probably know about the Activation Lock feature, which appeared in iOS 7 (if not, then you better find out about it now, and not after purchasing a locked iOS device). Its essence is that when you enable the “Find iPhone/iPad” function, the device is linked to the owner’s ID. If your gadget is lost or stolen, you will need to enter your Apple ID password to start using it.

This is where the fun begins. Cases where dishonest sellers sell locked iPhones and iPads happen all the time. You buy a smartphone or tablet under the guise of a working one, and when you turn it on, you find a lock screen and a request to enter your Apple ID password, which neither you nor the seller, of course, know. This is a dead end. There is no way to bypass iCloud blocking. No way. At all.

How to check

Fortunately, you can protect yourself when purchasing an iPhone or iPad from someone else. And you don’t need to be a genius to do this.

1. Find out from the seller the IMEI or serial number of the iOS device (a refusal should be a reason for you to think about its integrity).
2. Go to Apple's website and open the Activation Lock verification page.
3. Enter the captcha and click the “Continue” button.

After this, the service will issue a response, and if it turns out that the device is still tied to an Apple ID, under no circumstances buy it until the seller removes the activation lock. You already know how to check this.

Well, the logic is generally clear, like on an iPhone without a password and so it’s clear that fmi off or you can reset it, like to reduce the turnover of “unclear” handsets with passwords (because according to the Cupertino people, everything with a password is lost/stolen ). Those. Now, when buying such a phone, in order to find out the fmi status, a person must flash it through dfu, and the owner’s information will no longer be reflected on the flashed phone (if the owner indicates it via iCloud when he loses the phone). Why is this being done? Let’s just say that craftsmen don’t use the data to their advantage.
They didn’t take into account only one point: people who want to buy a phone call in advance and ask to send them imei, so that they don’t have to just go and look at the phone if it suddenly turns out that fmi is turned on on it.
Well, by the way, there are enough third-party services where you can check the phone status, warranty, etc. for free.

@hofc, Another masterpiece of “brain rupture”, every sentence is simply not translatable into Russian and contradicts logic. I think no one here understood what you wrote, including yourself))) WHAT IS YOUR LOGIC???
In order, you write:
“like on an iPhone without a password and it’s clear that fmi is off”
– what is the connection between the lack of a password and fmi??? You can have a password and not have an fmi and, conversely, have an fmi and not have a password.
(let me explain, “fmi” is “find my iphone”)

Let's go further:
"Those. Now, when buying such a phone, a person must flash it through dfu in order to find out the fmi status.”
What does "now" mean? Now after resetting via dfu? Or has the person already bought with the dfu reset? Why then “flash through dfu” again?
And why bother flashing anything on a purchased phone without a password? Or did he buy it password protected? Why not just try to sign up for iCloud from your phone and if that doesn’t work, then the phone is already linked. Or call the service, as you write below....

And so there is a gap and turbidity in every sentence. How do people understand you?

@James404, those who need to understand. Don't be smart. You yourself wrote God knows what and you think that you understand the issue. I’ll explain for those on the armored train (namely you):
1. The page with the fmi check (find my iphone) was closed not because iPhones are “hacked” through it, what was written is utter nonsense, because nothing can be hacked through the page.
2. The video you cited as an example, this “news” is at least 3-4 years old, I’ve been using the programmer since 2013.
3. The page for checking fmi does not provide any benefit to “hackers”, because the new serial number is generated by the programmer application, and on the page you could stupidly see whether the new serial number is already locked or not.
Well, why O_o closed the page and what changes from this???
Serials have been generated and continue to be generated, and you can check the new serial number in a thousand and one other places. Damn problem...
This news was picked up on the website, and you were shocked because you thought that America had been discovered. Those who are in the know laugh at what is written here...
If you are interested, study this issue better, not by watching videos on YouTube, but in practice, so that you can really understand what we are talking about. If you really want to know, contact me in a personal message (I don’t know how to do this here, but nevertheless, you can probably figure it out somehow) and I will explain to you in detail the situation and the nuances of all these matters, and what they write here is a kindergarten and comments are the same...