I received this email: Activation Lock is requesting your password on My iPad.

I found your message very interesting because the exact same thing happened to me today. I left my iPad Pro on an airplane in December 2018. At that time it was in airplane mode with wireless turned on to access the airplane's wireless service for watching TV on the flight. I had placed it in that configuration upon departure of the flight several states away about 2 hours before reaching my destination and about 5 hours before I found it missing. It was a "non-cellular" device, so it cannot connect to the internet except via a wireless connection. Once it was removed from the airplane it would no longer be connected to any wireless service. It had Find My iPhone/Location services turned on and I can verify that prior to losing the device those functions worked correctly. It was locked with a 4-digit passcode.

I did not know about the loss until I arrived home about 3 hours later. I immediately accessed the Find My iPhone function on my iCloud website. It showed that the device was "Offline" without any "last location" shown on the map. I immediately placed it in "Lost Mode," requested to be notified when it was found, enabled the device to display the message that it was a lost device along with a phone number to call me at, and enabled a sound to be played on the iPad when it was "found."

I filed a lost and found report with the airline the same night but they never recovered the device in the 30 days they make an effort to do so. I have maintained close surveillance on the iCloud Find My iPhone page ever since then but nothing has ever changed. I assumed the device, have the Activation Lock in place," was essentially useless to whomever found it and I gave up that I would ever hear anything again.

Then out of the blue I got the very same email that you did (which you pasted into one of the replies to your message). I do not know how someone has triggered this message, but I am sure that it was automatically generated via Apple to my registered email address. I have tried to replicate any maneuver someone might try to get into the iPad but I have never been able to provoke such an email. I did this by taking an old iPhone 4S that is no longer connected to any service carrier and setting it up as my device with my Apple ID and logged into my iCloud account with Find My iPhone and Location Services turned on. I confirmed that it showed up on the Find My iPhone on iCloud with name and location shown accurately. Then I set it up with the exact configuration that my iPad was in when I last possessed it - Airplane mode on, connected to a wireless network, locked with a 4-digit passcode, etc. I then placed it in "Lost Mode" with the same alerts on iCloud. Next I assumed someone would try to restore the device to factory settings to erase all of that so they could set it up for themselves. I connected it to iTunes and did a factory restore successfully. At that point the iPhone 4S behaved like a brand new phone. I initiated the setup which allowed me to choose the language and country and connect to a wireless network successfully. The next step activates the phone, but will not complete that step without getting past the "Activation Lock" screen requiring input of my Apple ID and password. But even at that point the email you and I received is not generated, so I am at a loss as to what was done to make those emails be sent. I also have not received any notice via Find My iPhone that the device has been found, no sound alert has played on the device, and the message saying that it is a lost device along with my phone number is not showing up on the lock screen. I have to believe, therefore, that even though the wireless connection is made, access to the internet IS NOT, so all of the recovery functions of iCloud won't connect. Consistent with that theory, when I go ahead and enter the correct Apple ID and password and finish setting up the phone the I quickly get an alert on my other phone that the device is found, I get an email saying the device is found, the device shows the "lost" message on the lock screen, it plays the sound alert, and the device again shows up with the correct location on iCloud.

I know that is a lot of detail, but every detail helps me decipher what the heck is going on. Bottom line, until my lost iPad connects to the internet I am never going to know it has been found and where it is. And it appears that until someone has my Apple ID and password to get past the Activation Lock, the iPad is never going to connect to the internet. It is a bricked device.

Well, all of the links are legit, and I do have some emails from Apple with that email address, so it does look like it is legitimate.

I have never received an email with the contents yours has, and I'm not sure what the purpose of it is, but yes, the device would have to be attempting to access the iCloud in order to know that an Activation Locked device was asking for the password. But again, nothing was accomplished, since the person attempting to unlock it doesn't know your password.

If you have not put your device into Lost Mode yet, you should do that. It will remain in a pending status until the device accesses the internet again, but since it did once, it will probably be doing it again at some point. If you have the Lost Mode pending, it will execute as soon as the device is online.

Best,

GB

I put it in lost mode as soon as it went missing, but it doesn’t seem like it worked, since I got this email and the location didn’t update in find iPhone. Since the iPad connected internet, I thought something would have updated.

I think it is the opposite of what you think happens. It is working as expected. It sounds like the device comes online and triggers an email to be mailed out to you.

https://support.apple.com/kb/PH2700?locale=en_US

If your device is online when you put it in Lost Mode or lock it, it locks and tracking begins (if applicable). If Location Services is turned off on the device, it’s temporarily turned on to track your device’s location. A confirmation email is sent to your Apple ID email address.

Bottom line, until my lost iPad connects to the internet I am never going to know it has been found and where it is.

Correct. Unless the device is connected to the internet, then any pending actions you have set up (like Lock Mode) will not be executed until the device is online. Also, the last location ping that is made on the Location map before it went offline will remain showing on that map for 24 hours after which you will no longer be able to track it until it comes back online. Your Activation Lock will remain in place and fully protecting your device.

And, actually, you won't know if it has been found even if it does come back online. You will only know that it has come back online because it will show it as online on your Find My iPhone app. Nothing else will occur. You won't get an email from Apple, since Apple won't know that it is found. If you have provided a contact number, then someone finding it may try to contact to to get your device back to you, but you won't receive anything from Apple, because they don't know...

And it appears that until someone has my Apple ID and password to get past the Activation Lock, the iPad is never going to connect to the internet. It is a bricked device.

Not sure why you would think that someone has your Apple ID and Password. The email is quite clear. Someone has attempted to sign into your activation locked device (unsucessfully). It is saying that if that person is actually YOU, and if what you are trying to do is one of the following three things, here are instructions to help you to accomplish what it is you are trying to do:

• Reactivate your device
• Turning off Find My iPhone for a device you have given away or sold
• Adding an extra layer of security if your device is lost or stolen (if you haven't already)

If the email is legit, then it is something that comes out randomly and, it appears, infrequently. But since there is nothing nefarious in the email, there is nothing to get worked up about.

Best,

GB

The thief is not trying to set it up. He is trying to con you into revealing your Apple ID and password so he can remove the lock, and then proceed to hack your Apple account.

So, things are working as they should. With the device offline, there isn't a whole lot more you can do, but keeping the device on your Find My iPhone list of devices will ensure that no one else can do anything either.

Best of luck,

GB

What was the exact text of the email? Just because it looks like it was sent from Apple doesn't mean it was. Scam artists are quite creative when it comes to producing communications that look like they come from Apple. But without knowing exactly what the email said, it's kind of hard to make that determination.

Best,

GB

Well again, the email is just telling you that someone is trying sign into your Activation Locked device. It sounds like a generic email, which is why it is saying to turn on Lost Mode if your device has been lost or stolen. You can confirm that you have, in fact, initiated the Lost Mode process by going to Find My iPhone via iCloud.com on any computer, or via the Find My iPhone app on another iOS device, look up your device list, and see if it is showing that the device is indeed in a pending Lost Mode.

Aside from that, you don't need to be concerned, since it also is pretty clear that whoever was trying it was unsuccessful.

Best,

GB

Thank you for your help, GB. In regards to the second part, I do not believe someone has my information. What I am postulating is that the device will remain unable to connect to the internet, making it useless, UNTIL someone has my Apple ID and password. Do you agree with that assumption?

No, it can connect to the internet via your cellular service without the Activation Lock password. That's pretty much all it can do, and there may be circumstances where it cannot do that either. But ideally, it will connect when it gets a cellular connection, and that is all you need in order to be able to track it, or for it to execute a pending transaction that you have authorized (put it in Lost Mode or Erase it) it to do.

Best,

GB

No, that is wrong. If you give them your Apple ID and password they will turn off find my iPhone and you wont be able to track it. They can then lock it to their Apple ID.

I don't believe that the poster provided any information about their Apple ID or password. And the links in the article all go to legitimate Apple KB articles with instructions about what to do in each of the situations. I think it is a legit email....

GB

No, it can connect to the internet via your cellular service without the Activation Lock password. That's pretty much all it can do, and there may be circumstances where it cannot do that either. But ideally, it will connect when it gets a cellular connection, and that is all you need in order to be able to track it, or for it to execute a pending transaction that you have authorized (put it in Lost Mode or Erase it) it to do.

Best,

GB

Sorry, forgot that you were referring to an iPad, so unless you have an iPad with cellular support, then it may not be able to connect to a Wifi network unless it comes into the vicinity of a previously joined network.

Best,

GB

I'm not sure what you are referring to that you feel is wrong. Nowhere in my original post did I say I was going to give anyone my Apple ID and password. I know exactly what a thief would do with the information. It would be beyond foolish to divulge it. Also, you previously replied to Davynunchucks that the email did not come from Apple. For what it is worth, I contacted Apple Support about the email and provided them a copy of the email. They told me that the email was genuine and did come from Apple.