I bought an iphone but its locked, and it request to remove icloud, wtf, can i solv this problem, or i lost my money???

iPhone 13 Pro, iOS 17

Posted on Nov 7, 2023 12:52 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Nov 7, 2023 1:18 AM

You bought a phone that is Activation Locked.


The previous owner may have failed to prepare it properly for a new owner.

What to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support

If the previous owner parted with the phone voluntarily, you (or whomever sold the phone to you) could ask the previous owner to clear the Activation Lock, and prepare the phone properly for resale. Once they did that, you could set up the phone as if it were a new phone.


--------------------


It seems likely that the owner did not part with the phone voluntarily; that the phone was lost or stolen, and that the owner remotely marked it as Lost with the intention of "bricking" it.


Activation Lock is an anti-theft mechanism whose purpose is to make stolen phones useless to thieves, fences, and anyone else to whom they might sell a 'hot' phone. If stolen phones are worthless to thieves, that makes iPhones less attractive targets for theft in the first place.


We cannot remove Activation Lock. Apple will not remove it except in very specific circumstances (e.g., you're the original purchaser of the phone, and have proof of purchase that is satisfactory to them).


How to remove Activation Lock - Apple Support


In addition, the owner of a lost or stolen phone may have contacted the phone companies, and had the phone put onto a blacklist, so that it will not receive cellular voice, messaging, or data service from carriers which honor that blacklist, ever again.


See also: The All Too Common SAD Reality of Buying a Used iPad/iPhone

3 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Nov 7, 2023 1:18 AM in response to butnaru17

You bought a phone that is Activation Locked.


The previous owner may have failed to prepare it properly for a new owner.

What to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support

If the previous owner parted with the phone voluntarily, you (or whomever sold the phone to you) could ask the previous owner to clear the Activation Lock, and prepare the phone properly for resale. Once they did that, you could set up the phone as if it were a new phone.


--------------------


It seems likely that the owner did not part with the phone voluntarily; that the phone was lost or stolen, and that the owner remotely marked it as Lost with the intention of "bricking" it.


Activation Lock is an anti-theft mechanism whose purpose is to make stolen phones useless to thieves, fences, and anyone else to whom they might sell a 'hot' phone. If stolen phones are worthless to thieves, that makes iPhones less attractive targets for theft in the first place.


We cannot remove Activation Lock. Apple will not remove it except in very specific circumstances (e.g., you're the original purchaser of the phone, and have proof of purchase that is satisfactory to them).


How to remove Activation Lock - Apple Support


In addition, the owner of a lost or stolen phone may have contacted the phone companies, and had the phone put onto a blacklist, so that it will not receive cellular voice, messaging, or data service from carriers which honor that blacklist, ever again.


See also: The All Too Common SAD Reality of Buying a Used iPad/iPhone

Nov 7, 2023 6:17 PM in response to butnaru17

Depending on where you purchased it from (like eBay or using PayPal) you may have buyer protection. But if you can’t get the seller to remove the activation lock and properly prepare the device for use for a new user using the methods already provided and you didn’t purchase it in a way that you may have protections to get your money back you may have just lost your money unfortunately

This thread has been closed by the system or the community team. You may vote for any posts you find helpful, or search the Community for additional answers.

I bought an iphone but its locked, and it request to remove icloud, wtf, can i solv this problem, or i lost my money???

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.