helikvar

Q: activation lock

I recently purchased an iPhone 5 from a person through Ebay. When I got the device I turned it on and there was a lock screen so I hooked it up to iTunes to have it erased and restored .It then asked me for apple id and password for the activation lock. I contacted the seller who has been very cooperative to remove the device from their account so I could activate it .We never met in person this was all done online. They removed the device from their account and also sent me screen shots showing that this had indeed been done. When i turn on phone however it still asks for id and password and is still activation locked. I am english and the other person is french and we have had to get our messages back and forth translated plus the fact that neither one of us ,me especially is familiar with apple and their products,icloud and the like. The seller actually asked me where to go to deactivate the account or remove iPhone from it. I read the online instructions on how to do this and sent them to the seller. But the iPhone is stilled locked even though they removed it from their list of devices . Apparently we have made a blunder somewhere and need your help in getting this straightened out and as I said I am completely new to Apple and iPhones.  Here again is the exact order that we followed so that perhaps someone can point out the error and or how to correct it:                                                                        

1 Received phone in mail and hooked it up to iTunes for a factory restore and update

2  After update phone is stilled lock to Apple id (activation lock)

3 In form seller through email and they remove iPhone from their account after logging into their iCloud account and removing it from list of devices.

4 get email from seller telling me the device has been removed (screen shots show this to be true)

5 Turn on iPhone but activation lock is still active and asks for id and password

6 havent contacted seller yet as I dont know what to do next

Thanks for any guideance in this matter and any help anyone can offer a newbie .

iPhone 5, iOS 9.3.5

Posted on Sep 15, 2016 1:06 AM

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Q: activation lock

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  • Helpful answers

  • by LucoBrasi,Helpful

    LucoBrasi LucoBrasi Sep 15, 2016 4:10 AM in response to helikvar
    Level 3 (928 points)
    Sep 15, 2016 4:10 AM in response to helikvar

    You need to contact the seller and ask him to remove this iPhone from his list of devices. Otherwise, your iPhone will be a useless brick.

    Find My iPhone Activation Lock: Removing a device from a previous owner’s account - Apple Support

  • by helikvar,

    helikvar helikvar Sep 15, 2016 4:13 AM in response to LucoBrasi
    Level 1 (8 points)
    iPhone
    Sep 15, 2016 4:13 AM in response to LucoBrasi

    I have contacted the seller and they have removed the phone from their list of devices in iCloud. However it is still locked.I outlined exactly what I did above do you see any thing that was done incorrectly.

  • by amjpereira,Helpful

    amjpereira amjpereira Sep 15, 2016 9:19 PM in response to helikvar
    Level 1 (22 points)
    iPhone
    Sep 15, 2016 9:19 PM in response to helikvar

    If the seller told you he removed the account, try to force restart or restore again.

    it still hasn't updated the information on the device.

     

    Other than that the only way is to request them for the original or copy of the proof of purchase/invoice.

    You can request applecare for a removal of activation lock but you need the proof of purchase and not always is accepted if some information is missing or incorrect.

     

    They may be able to clarify what you need exactly.

     

    Best Regards

  • by LucoBrasi,

    LucoBrasi LucoBrasi Sep 15, 2016 6:35 AM in response to helikvar
    Level 3 (928 points)
    Sep 15, 2016 6:35 AM in response to helikvar

    Are you sure the seller tells you the truth?

  • by helikvar,

    helikvar helikvar Sep 15, 2016 12:25 PM in response to amjpereira
    Level 1 (8 points)
    iPhone
    Sep 15, 2016 12:25 PM in response to amjpereira

    Hi I have just finished updating iTunes to the newest version 12.5.1 and I am now downloading iOS 10 .It will take a while because my isp throttles Apple updates . Anyways when its done I will restore and update the iPhone 5 and see if that does the trick.

  • by AmishCake,

    AmishCake AmishCake Sep 15, 2016 12:33 PM in response to helikvar
    Level 6 (9,388 points)
    Sep 15, 2016 12:33 PM in response to helikvar

    Restoring and updating will NOT remove Activation Lock. Only the original Apple account can remove it. The seller may be fobbing you off long enough to be ineligible to get a refund from eBay. If I were you I would report a problem within eBay with this purchase before it is too late, so that you can get a refund for this phone.

  • by javaliga,

    javaliga javaliga Sep 15, 2016 12:36 PM in response to helikvar
    Level 4 (3,531 points)
    iCloud
    Sep 15, 2016 12:36 PM in response to helikvar

    Here is something you can do from any web-enabled device/computer:

     

    Check if Activation Lock is turned on for your device - Apple Support

  • by helikvar,

    helikvar helikvar Sep 15, 2016 12:46 PM in response to LucoBrasi
    Level 1 (8 points)
    iPhone
    Sep 15, 2016 12:46 PM in response to LucoBrasi

    At this time I have no reason not to as they have been very cooperative and I have exchanged several emails with them .They even sent me screen shots to show me they removed it from their account.But their is one thing peculiar in the screen shots and its hard to see but in the shot that shows the  white iPhone 5 (its at the bottom of the device list) the dot is grey not green. The seller told me this as I couldnt see it clearly. The other 3 devices have a green dot. I do know that the phone was turned off at the time the seller removed it from their account.I dont know if that matters or not.Here are the screen shots:screenshot 1.JPGscreenshot 2.JPGscreenshot 3.JPG

  • by helikvar,

    helikvar helikvar Sep 15, 2016 12:54 PM in response to javaliga
    Level 1 (8 points)
    iPhone
    Sep 15, 2016 12:54 PM in response to javaliga

    Yes I have done the check and it says activation lock is still turned on even  though they removed it from their account. Is it possible for the device to be able to be put back on their account that way the  phone would show up at my location on the map proving it was the right device.I didnt have the phone on when they removed it from the account would that have made a difference.And on the device list the phone i bought had a grey dot while the other three devices had a green dot.I uploaded the screen shots they sent me.

  • by imobl,

    imobl imobl Sep 15, 2016 1:01 PM in response to helikvar
    Level 5 (6,968 points)
    iPhone
    Sep 15, 2016 1:01 PM in response to helikvar

    Start a claim with eBay to get your money back if the iPhone was not

    listed as Activation Locked. Seller may be delaying you intentionally

    to run out the time limits. If you do not start your claim with eBay within

    the required time for your location, you will not be able to recover your

    money.

  • by Milestone777,

    Milestone777 Milestone777 Sep 15, 2016 1:05 PM in response to helikvar
    Level 2 (401 points)
    Sep 15, 2016 1:05 PM in response to helikvar

    Check here to see if it is still activation locked.

    https://www.icloud.com/activationlock/

     

    From iCloud.com:

    Go to iCloud.com/#find on another device and sign in with their Apple ID.

    Click All Devices at the top of the screen.

    Select the device that you want to remove from iCloud.

    Click Erase iPhone.

    After your device has been erased, click Remove from Account.

    After the previous owner erases and removes the device from their account, turn off the device and then turn it back on to begin the setup process.