cndarch

Q: I have an activation locked phone.

I would like to see if there is any way to get apple to contact the one who has it locked and give them my email so I can get it unlocked.  If there is no way to at least send my information to them to see if they will contact me, you really need to do something about this.  This is a flaw in your logic and is really bad business practice.

iPhone 5s, iOS 9.3.1

Posted on Apr 24, 2016 6:44 PM

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Q: I have an activation locked phone.

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  • by Carolyn Samit,

    Carolyn Samit Carolyn Samit Apr 24, 2016 6:48 PM in response to cndarch
    Level 10 (124,341 points)
    Apple Music
    Apr 24, 2016 6:48 PM in response to cndarch

    No. Apple will not contact the previous owner for you.

  • by Meg St._Clair,

    Meg St._Clair Meg St._Clair Apr 24, 2016 6:48 PM in response to cndarch
    Level 9 (59,674 points)
    iPhone
    Apr 24, 2016 6:48 PM in response to cndarch

    cndarch wrote:

     

    I would like to see if there is any way to get apple to contact the one who has it locked and give them my email so I can get it unlocked.

    No, Apple will not do this.

     

    This is a flaw in your logic and is really bad business practice.

    What is the flaw? Activation lock has cut thefts of iOS devices by as much as 40% in some cities. It's remarkably successful. Apple is looking out for their customers and their privacy.

  • by theratter,

    theratter theratter Apr 24, 2016 6:53 PM in response to cndarch
    Level 4 (3,917 points)
    Desktops
    Apr 24, 2016 6:53 PM in response to cndarch

    They have no intention of doing anything about it. I'm guessing you do not read or listen to news? They wouldn't help Homeland Security. The flaw is in your failure to be more careful about buying a used iPhone.

     

    It requires the Apple ID and password of the previous owner. If you don't have it and cannot get it, then the device is useless to you. Return it for a refund, if you can, or take it to an Apple store for an exchange provided they will help you.

     

    Find My iPhone Activation Lock

     

    In the future check first before buying second hand: How to check for Activation Lock before buying a used iPhone.

  • by cndarch,

    cndarch cndarch Apr 24, 2016 7:07 PM in response to Meg St._Clair
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iPhone
    Apr 24, 2016 7:07 PM in response to Meg St._Clair

    SO I'm not sure if you understand the request. If Apple were to send my information to the previous owner (I'm sure they're not a dead terroris) to see if they would contact me.??? Easier to understand now?

  • by Meg St._Clair,

    Meg St._Clair Meg St._Clair Apr 24, 2016 7:10 PM in response to cndarch
    Level 9 (59,674 points)
    iPhone
    Apr 24, 2016 7:10 PM in response to cndarch

    cndarch wrote:

     

    SO I'm not sure if you understand the request. If Apple were to send my information to the previous owner (I'm sure they're not a dead terroris) to see if they would contact me.??? Easier to understand now?

    Yes, I understood it perfectly. No, they won't do that. What I was questioning why you believe that Apple's refusal to compromise users' privacy by doing this is a logical flaw. Easier to understand now?

  • by cndarch,

    cndarch cndarch Apr 24, 2016 7:14 PM in response to cndarch
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iPhone
    Apr 24, 2016 7:14 PM in response to cndarch

    IM guessing none of y'all are actual Apple representatives. I'll call apple for their answer. I won't be asking questions here any more.

  • by cndarch,

    cndarch cndarch Apr 24, 2016 7:16 PM in response to Meg St._Clair
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iPhone
    Apr 24, 2016 7:16 PM in response to Meg St._Clair

    You just proved to me that you're not picking up what I'm putting down.

  • by Meg St._Clair,

    Meg St._Clair Meg St._Clair Apr 24, 2016 7:19 PM in response to cndarch
    Level 9 (59,674 points)
    iPhone
    Apr 24, 2016 7:19 PM in response to cndarch

    cndarch wrote:

     

    You just proved to me that you're not picking up what I'm putting down.

    I'm sorry you don't like the answer. However, it's the same one Apple will give to you when you call them.

     

    No one who has posted in this thread works for Apple. This is a user-to-user technical support forum.

  • by theratter,

    theratter theratter Apr 24, 2016 7:25 PM in response to cndarch
    Level 4 (3,917 points)
    Desktops
    Apr 24, 2016 7:25 PM in response to cndarch

    No one here is an Apple employee or representative. These are user-only forums and Apple is not present. I think everyone has tried to help you clearly and completely. That it is you who is not "getting it." Feel free to call Apple. If you get completely different results please let us know. We are all willing to learn. However, most of us have been learning a long time. We would not try to answer your question if we didn't know the answer at least in part if not in whole. Feel free to search the forum for similar questions and answers.

     

    If you believe you know more about this than the people who try to help you, then why bother asking the question in the first place?

  • by gail from maine,

    gail from maine gail from maine Apr 24, 2016 7:26 PM in response to cndarch
    Level 7 (26,971 points)
    iCloud
    Apr 24, 2016 7:26 PM in response to cndarch

    Maybe this Apple Support Article will help you:

     

    Turn off Find My iPhone Activation Lock - Apple Support

     

    As you can see, in each of the solutions you are instructed to contact the previous owner. Apple will not do it for you. It would violate about a million privacy laws as Meg has told you.

     

    Feel free to waste your time calling Apple, but you are going to get the same answer. We all get what you are asking because someone like you asks that question every day. You are responsible for contacting the previous owner. If you cannot do that, then return your device for a refund. You will never be able to use it.

     

    GB

  • by appleuser1022,

    appleuser1022 appleuser1022 Jul 7, 2016 7:43 AM in response to Meg St._Clair
    Level 1 (14 points)
    iPhone
    Jul 7, 2016 7:43 AM in response to Meg St._Clair

    Isn't the reason for this activation lock feature to stop theft and possibly get the iphone back?  If the person holding the iphone (whether its the one who stole it, found it, or the victim who brought it from the stealer) can't find out who the owner is, how do they give it back or get together to prosecute the thief?  If it was stolen, the owner will most likely remotely display the message on the iphone that they want it back.  If it was legitimately transferred to someone else, the owner would not activate that message, and the third or 4th party buyer would rarely be able to contact the original owner if it was still locked since they don't know who the original owner is.  I think that is the flaw in the Apple policy.  If it was stolen, and someone wants to contact the Apple ID locking the phone, why would the owner not want to be contacted to get it back?  If it was legitimately transferred multiple times, why would Apple not want to assist the customer in locating the person that forgot to unlock it in icloud?  This is just one way Apple can force iphones to be abandoned and useless so it can sell more new iphones.  Just my two cents. 

  • by KiltedTim,

    KiltedTim KiltedTim Jul 7, 2016 7:46 AM in response to appleuser1022
    Level 9 (56,496 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jul 7, 2016 7:46 AM in response to appleuser1022

    The purpose of the activation lock is to make the device less appealing to thieves. It has been quite effective.

    I believe the statistic I saw was a 22% drop in thefts of phones in NYC one year after Activation Lock was introduced. As potential thieves learn that the devices they intend to steal will be completely unusable, and thus worthless, they will stop targeting them.

  • by ChrisJ4203,

    ChrisJ4203 ChrisJ4203 Jul 7, 2016 7:52 AM in response to appleuser1022
    Level 9 (59,759 points)
    iPhone
    Jul 7, 2016 7:52 AM in response to appleuser1022

    appleuser1022 wrote:

     

    I think that is the flaw in the Apple policy.

    And you are free to believe that.

     

    appleuser1022 wrote:

     

    If it was legitimately transferred multiple times, why would Apple not want to assist the customer in locating the person that forgot to unlock it in icloud?

    There is no way for Apple to know about how many times a phone was transferred, since there is no activity by Apple in the transfer of phones. You do not have to contact Apple when you sell a phone to make the transfer legitimate. Apple does not keep records of phones sold by private parties. It is up to the seller and buyer to make sure the phone is not activation locked.

     

    appleuser1022 wrote:

     

    This is just one way Apple can force iphones to be abandoned and useless so it can sell more new iphones.  Just my two cents. 

    Maybe you have not been following the news lately, all cell phones are going to have this type of feature in the very near future. This is the law in the US that this feature be on phones before they can be sold in the US in the very near future. This has nothing to do with Apple forcing people to buy anything.

  • by Meg St._Clair,

    Meg St._Clair Meg St._Clair Jul 7, 2016 7:53 AM in response to appleuser1022
    Level 9 (59,674 points)
    iPhone
    Jul 7, 2016 7:53 AM in response to appleuser1022

    appleuser1022 wrote:

     

    Isn't the reason for this activation lock feature to stop theft and possibly get the iphone back?

    The purpose of the activation lock is to make iOS devices a less attractive target for theft. And it has been remarkably successful. The Activation Lock has NOTHING to do with making it easier to get your phone back. That is what Find My iPhone is for.

     

    If it was stolen, the owner will most likely remotely display the message on the iphone that they want it back.

     

    On what do you base that assumption?

    If it was legitimately transferred to someone else, the owner would not activate that message, and the third or 4th party buyer would rarely be able to contact the original owner if it was still locked since they don't know who the original owner is.

    It the phone was legitimately transferred by someone with even a modicum of sense, they would have removed activation locked and there would be no problem.

     

    The flaw here is in people who give away or sell their phones without preparing them properly and the people who don't have the common sense enough to check to make sure the phone is in proper working condition before buying it.