Locked out - 5s

amitbmehta · Aug 12, 2016

Hello,

Sorry if this problem has been posted elsewhere, but I couldn't find a solution.

I have an i-phone 5s but don't know the screen lock pass code or the apple ID password that it has been registered to. I am guessing it has been backed up on icloud at some point.

I want to unlock and use the phone and it's OK if the data on the phone gets wiped out.

How do i unlock the phone?

Thanks

ardchoille · Aug 12, 2016

amitbmehta said:
Hello,

Sorry if this problem has been posted elsewhere, but I couldn't find a solution.

I have an i-phone 5s but don't know the screen lock pass code or the apple ID password that it has been registered to. I am guessing it has been backed up on icloud at some point.

I want to unlock and use the phone and it's OK if the data on the phone gets wiped out.

How do i unlock the phone?

Thanks

Without the original Apple ID credentials, that phone is nothing more than a paperweight. There is no way to bypass the passcode or the Apple ID requirement.

amitbmehta · Aug 12, 2016

Oh man that isn't good news. What do people do if they forget their passcode and apple ID user/pass? Isn't there some sort of hack or software that can bypass this?

scifan57 · Aug 12, 2016

If the iPhone is asking for an Apple ID and passcode, this is called Activation Lock and there is no way to bypass it without entering the Apple ID and passcode of the original owner. If you can, contact the original owner and ask him to remove the iPhone from his iCloud account. If you can't contact the original owner or he refuses to help you, you, unfortunately, have an expensive paperweight.

If you connect to iTunes and try to restore the iPhone, it will again ask for that Apple ID and passcode before the iPhone can be erased and restored.

scifan57 · Aug 12, 2016

amitbmehta said:
Oh man that isn't good news. What do people do if they forget their passcode and apple ID user/pass? Isn't there some sort of hack or software that can bypass this?

There's no hack or other method to bypass activation lock and give you a properly working iPhone.

If the original owner forgets his Apple ID and passcode and contacts Apple with proof that he's the original owner, Apple can help. In my case, I buy my devices directly from Apple and they're registered to me at the time of purchase.

amitbmehta · Aug 12, 2016

Hi thanks. I can ask the original owner to remove the iphone from their apple ID - once they remove it, how do i unlock and use the phone?

scifan57 · Aug 12, 2016

amitbmehta said:
Hi thanks. I can ask the original owner to remove the iphone from their apple ID - once they remove it, how do i unlock and use the phone?

Once the original owner has deleted his Apple ID and passcode from the iPhone, you can connect it to iTunes on your computer and restore it. This will erase all data on the iPhone, including the lock screen password and return the iPhone to factory condition on the latest version of iOS. At that point you can set it up as a new iPhone or from a previously made backup from another iPhone.

If the iPhone is carrier locked to a particular cellular carrier and you want to use it with another carrier, you'll have to get it unlocked. if you're not a customer of the carrier the iPhone is locked to, you'll again have to contact the original owner and ask if he'll get it unlocked for you. If there's an unlocking fee, you might offer to pay that fee as an incentive to get him to unlock it if he doesn't agree right away.

amitbmehta · Aug 12, 2016

Great, thank you so much. I will try this method and post back later.

ardchoille · Aug 12, 2016

amitbmehta said:
Oh man that isn't good news. What do people do if they forget their passcode and apple ID user/pass? Isn't there some sort of hack or software that can bypass this?

A hack or software wouldn't work. When the phone is powered up, it must communicate with Apple servers in order to determine the state of Activation Lock. Hacking the phone itself wouldn't help because the user would also need to hack Apple servers in order to circumvent the protections that are already in place.