The Activation Lock makes iPhones less attractive to thieves. When you set up an iPhone, it’s associated with your iCloud ID. Even if someone steals it, they can’t set it up and use it unless you remove the Activation Lock.
Unfortunately, criminals aren’t the only people frustrated by Activation Lock. If you buy a used iPhone and don’t realize it’s locked, for example, you might end up locked out of your new phone. Here’s how to bypass it.
What Is Activation Lock?
When you first activate your iPhone, Apple makes a note of the device’s unique identifier and your Apple ID. It then ties your iPhone’s unique identifier to your Apple ID. This is to prevent any other Apple IDs from using the device. Without the username and password combination for your Apple ID, your iPhone cannot be reset and used by another person.
You likely won’t notice the presence of Activation Lock until you reset your iPhone or install a major iOS upgrade. At that point, you have to sign in with your Apple ID to verify your identity and activate the device.
This security feature is closely tied to another called Find My iPhone, which helps you locate a missing device. If you enable Find My iPhone on your device, you also enable Activation Lock. By default, both are enabled on all iPhones and should remain so.
If you want to see if Find My iPhone (and Activation Lock) is enabled, head to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Find My iPhone, or log in to icloud.com/find to see your device’s current location.
While people most often encounter issues with Activation Lock on used iPhones, the feature is also on iPads and Apple Watch. Just like it does on iPhones, Activation Lock locks an iPad or Apple Watch to the Apple ID used to set it up.
How to Recover Your Apple ID Password
To activate an iPhone, you simply log in with your Apple ID. You do have to know your email and password. If you use two-factor authentication, you can tap “Unlock with Passcode,” and then type the single-use numeric code Apple sends you instead.
If you don’t know your Apple ID email address, you can look it up on Apple’s iForgot website. If you’re unsure what your password is, or you want to reset it, you can also do so on iForgot. In addition to activating your device, you also need your Apple credentials to set up the App Store, FaceTime calls, and iMessage.
