My grandfather gifted me my grandmother's iPad when she passed. He did not know her password or iTunes account info. Is there any way I can use it? It is locked, and it tells me to connect to iTunes to open. I am unable to do that without the passwords. Any ideas?
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
Here are the Apple support pages that outline the Activation Lock - and the only mechanisms by which it can be turned off:
Activation Lock for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support
Turn off Activation Lock – Apple Support
As you will discover, unless you are the owner of the AppleID that was last used to activate the device, you’ll not be able to defeat or bypass the Activation Lock. With documentary evidence that you are the original owner (such as sales receipt showing the serial number), Apple may be prepared to assist - otherwise they and nobody here will be able to help you.
If you have the necessary documentation, Apple have recently introduced a new portal though which you may be able to request release of an Activation Lock:
How to remove Activation Lock - Apple Support & start an Activation Lock support request.
However, this isn’t necessarily the end of the story...
A close Family member or Executor, with the required supporting paperwork, can make application to Apple to be granted access to the Apple accounts of the deceased:
How to request access to a deceased family member's Apple accounts - Apple Support
You should note that if successful, this process will grant access to some information stored in iCloud - but will not, of itself, resolve access to the iPad.
Quite often, close family also have sufficient knowledge - and access to likely recovery paths - that access to the AppleID account of the deceased family member can be recovered. Having done so, it is then possible to release the Activation Lock that prevents reuse of an iPad/iPhone.
The following guidance is written from the perspective of the owner - but a family member will get the idea as they run through the process.
—
If your device is Activation Locked, this help page will provide most of the information that you’ll need:
Activation Lock for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support
If you have forgotten your AppleID or associated password, these can be recovered here:
To recover your credentials, you’ll need access to any one of the following:
Unless you AppleID account has not been fully/correctly configured, or has been seriously neglected, recovery of the AppleID and password should not be difficult.
More information about recovery of your AppleID:
If you forgot your Apple ID - Apple Support
More information about recovery of your AppleID password:
If you forgot your Apple ID password - Apple Support
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:
Having recovered access to the AppleID account (and therefore the AppleID username and associated Password), Activation Locks can be removed. There are several routes to this, but for brevity, I’ll refer you to this support page:
Turn off Activation Lock – Apple Support
If the passcodes of any devices are unknown, the data stored on the device itself is now gone - but from your question I surmise that data recovery is not you immediate aim. That said, if the device(s) have an associated iCloud backup, you can restore the backup data to the device. To do so, you would need to follow this procedure:
If you’ve forgotten the passcode on your iPad, or your iPad is disabled – Apple Support
You’ll need access to either a PC (with iTunes installed) or a Mac (with iTunes or Finder - as appropriate for the installed version of MacOS). At the end of the process, you’ll have the option to restore data from the backup.
If your intent is to wipe/reset the device(s) for reuse by a new user, you would be best advised to prepare them properly:
What to do before you sell, give away or trade in your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch – Apple Support
I hope to have covered all the likely scenarios - and similarly hope that this guidance is helpful in fully resolving your current difficulties.
Here are the Apple support pages that outline the Activation Lock - and the only mechanisms by which it can be turned off:
Activation Lock for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support
Turn off Activation Lock – Apple Support
As you will discover, unless you are the owner of the AppleID that was last used to activate the device, you’ll not be able to defeat or bypass the Activation Lock. With documentary evidence that you are the original owner (such as sales receipt showing the serial number), Apple may be prepared to assist - otherwise they and nobody here will be able to help you.
If you have the necessary documentation, Apple have recently introduced a new portal though which you may be able to request release of an Activation Lock:
How to remove Activation Lock - Apple Support & start an Activation Lock support request.
However, this isn’t necessarily the end of the story...
A close Family member or Executor, with the required supporting paperwork, can make application to Apple to be granted access to the Apple accounts of the deceased:
How to request access to a deceased family member's Apple accounts - Apple Support
You should note that if successful, this process will grant access to some information stored in iCloud - but will not, of itself, resolve access to the iPad.
Quite often, close family also have sufficient knowledge - and access to likely recovery paths - that access to the AppleID account of the deceased family member can be recovered. Having done so, it is then possible to release the Activation Lock that prevents reuse of an iPad/iPhone.
The following guidance is written from the perspective of the owner - but a family member will get the idea as they run through the process.
—
If your device is Activation Locked, this help page will provide most of the information that you’ll need:
Activation Lock for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support
If you have forgotten your AppleID or associated password, these can be recovered here:
To recover your credentials, you’ll need access to any one of the following:
Unless you AppleID account has not been fully/correctly configured, or has been seriously neglected, recovery of the AppleID and password should not be difficult.
More information about recovery of your AppleID:
If you forgot your Apple ID - Apple Support
More information about recovery of your AppleID password:
If you forgot your Apple ID password - Apple Support
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:
Having recovered access to the AppleID account (and therefore the AppleID username and associated Password), Activation Locks can be removed. There are several routes to this, but for brevity, I’ll refer you to this support page:
Turn off Activation Lock – Apple Support
If the passcodes of any devices are unknown, the data stored on the device itself is now gone - but from your question I surmise that data recovery is not you immediate aim. That said, if the device(s) have an associated iCloud backup, you can restore the backup data to the device. To do so, you would need to follow this procedure:
If you’ve forgotten the passcode on your iPad, or your iPad is disabled – Apple Support
You’ll need access to either a PC (with iTunes installed) or a Mac (with iTunes or Finder - as appropriate for the installed version of MacOS). At the end of the process, you’ll have the option to restore data from the backup.
If your intent is to wipe/reset the device(s) for reuse by a new user, you would be best advised to prepare them properly:
What to do before you sell, give away or trade in your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch – Apple Support
I hope to have covered all the likely scenarios - and similarly hope that this guidance is helpful in fully resolving your current difficulties.
Without the Apple ID and Password of the original owner of the iPad you will neer be ble to get past the Activation Lock which is a theft prevention feature. There is a way to get into your grandmother's acount if you are willing t go through all the requirements. Check this link...
How to request access to a deceased family member's Apple account - Apple Support
While a gift, this is an old and obsolete device and has been for a few years, now.
Juat forget trying to get this 11-year old iPad 2 working.
It is not worth any time or efforts.
Sorry.
Apple ended support for all 10-11-year old iOS devices ended 6 years, ago, in 2016.
Third party app developers abandoned and stopped supporting these 10-11 year old iOS devices 4 years, ago, in 2018.
There are, virtually, NO MORE third party apps available from the iOS App Store, any longer!
Third party compatible apps for such old devices are few and far between, now, in 2022.
This includes apps for both iOS 9 AND iOS 10 devices and, throughout 2022, ALL iOS 12 ONLY devices!
AND, NO WAY to, initially, install any older, compatible, third party apps into this old iPad, any longer!
NO MORE SUPPORT! NO MORE APPS!
All 2011-2012 iPad 2, 3, 4 and 1st gen iPad Mini models are fully and completely unsupported AND obsolete!
These old iPad models are pretty much useless without any third party apps and that over 6-year old iOS Safari Web browser is far too old and is no longer safe NOR srcure to be trusted for use on todays modern Internet.
Sorry, but this is the reality for ALL 10-11-year old AND OLDER iOS devices now. Especially now, in 2022.
In addition, the internal, rechargeable batteries in these old iPads are, also, running on borrowed time.
Not worth the costs to replace these old internal, rechargeable batteries in these old iPads, any longer, either.
Also, these very old iPad models have NO trade-in nor any resale value, either.
It is almost the Fall of 2022, now.
iOS/iPadOS 16 will be released, very soon, from Apple.
If you want/need an iPad, then you should seriously consider a purchase of a new iPad model OR a much, MUCH “newer” and less expensive, refurbished or used iPad models, from better known, trusted Apple product/device retailers/resellers, some locally or from online, on the Web/Internet, capable of running the latest iPadOS versions.
There are PLENTY of less expensive, newer, older iPad models that can run the latest, current versions of iPadOS.
If you need OR ONLY able to purchase older, less expensive iPad models, look at older iPads from 2015 and later.
All of these older model iPads below, CAN, currently, run the latest releases of iPadOS 15 and the up and coming iPadOS 16 releasing sometime in the Fall of 2022.
2015-2017, 12.9 inch screen iPad Pro models. ( 1st gen Pencil support )
2017,10.5 inch screen iPad iPad Pro models ( 1st gen Pencil support )
2017, 9.7 inch screen iPad 5th gen models ( NO Pencil support )
2018, 9.7 inch screen iPad 6th gen models ( 1st gen Pencil support )
2019, 10.2 inch screen iPad 7th gen models ( 1st gen Pencil support )
2020, 10.2 inch screen iPad 8th gen models. ( 1st gen Pencil support )
2019, 7.9 inch screen iPad Mini 5th gen models ( 1st gen Pencil support )
Get the largest internal data storage model you can afford as NO Apple iOS device has ANY expandable storage.
I am sorry that you had to learn all of this, but this does not change any of the facts regarding these very old iOS devices.
Sorry & Best of Luck to You!
If you decide to go down the path of purchasing used, secondhand Apple devices, here is how to avoid purchasing an Apple iOS/iPadOS device with user activation lock, in the future.
If you purchase any iPad, or any Apple iOS device, for that matter, used/second hand, online, or even in-person, make sure this iPad does NOT have user activation lock and has been properly reset for sale.
A properly reset for sale iPad should initially power up to an animated, multi-language “Welcome” screen.
DO NOT take the iPad seller's word that this iPad is user activation lock free!
We have seen plenty of used iOS device purchasers get scammed.
User Activation Lock can never be bypasss, circumvented or worked around IF there is no correct previous/original user information to be able to do so.
Apple doesn't get involved with ANY user activation locked, used/second-hand sold devices, either.
So, buyer beware!
If purchasing a used device in-person, power the iPad ON
If the iPad DOES NOT display the initial animated, multi-language “Welcome” screen, then pass on purchasing this iPad.
If the iPad powers up to any other screen, then forget purchasing this iPad.
You cannot trust that the seller actually has the correct needed info to properly reset the iPad back to factory settings right then and there before the actual purchase and exchange of money for the iPad, in question.
Pass on the device!
If you are purchasing this used iPad online ask the seller to provide multiple images, either online or be sent to you via email, showing this animated, multi-language “Welcome” screen of the interested in purchasing iPad model.
Even better, ask for a short video be sent to you showing this animated, multi-language “Welcome” screen, in action and in its entirety, posted to the online ad or emailed to you.
If the online iPad seller refuses any of these requests, pass on the iPad. DO NOT buy!
Good Luck to You!
How can I unlock a gifted iPad 2?
