Remove Apple ID from unactivated iPad Air 1

If the device is now Activation Locked, this help page will provide most of the information that you’ll need:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201365

The following is written from the perspective of the owner, but you’ll get the idea of the recovery procedures and options.

If you have forgotten your AppleID or associated password, these can be recovered here:

https://iforgot.apple.com

To recover your credentials, you’ll need access to one of the following:

• Your primary email address mailbox that corresponds with your AppleID
• Any of the secondary/recovery email addresses that should be configured for your AppleID account
• Any of the trusted telephone numbers (fixed line or Cellular/Mobile) that are associated with your AppleID

Unless you AppleID account has not been fully/correctly configured, or has been seriously neglected, recovery of the AppleID and password by the account owner should not be difficult.

More information about recovery of your AppleID:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201354

More information about recovery of your AppleID password:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201487

When you recover access to your credentials, you would be well advised to log-in to your AppleID account from a web browser - and verify/update any email addresses and trusted telephone numbers:

https://appleid.apple.com

Hello,

The iPad is locked with Activation Lock. There is no way around unlocking Activation Lock without inserting the device’s associated Apple ID. If this is not an option he will have to find the original receipt for the device that clearly shows the serial number. Once he has this document he will need to take this document and iPad into an Apple retail location.

Activation Lock

The only thing you are really going to be able to do to get it working again is to get the Apple ID that it was signed into and remove it from there. If you can remember the Apple ID but not the password then you can use the “I forgot my password” link and try to reset it by answering the questions that were setup when the Apple ID was created. If you can’t remember the Apple ID, you MIGHT be able to get in touch with Apple and verify your identity with them and they can get you the Apple ID. However, this is a might, it’s not for sure that they will but it doesn’t hurt to try.