What triggers the iPhone activation lock?

Thanks. In this case I lost the phone and received an email from FindMy that activation lock had been enabled.

FindMy never updated lost mode from “pending” for that phone hence I think the person who has my phone must have restored it.

Thanks. This email is genuinely from FindMy I’ve gotten it before when restoring my own devices.

Besides all of that, is the activation Lock Screen only triggered after the device had been wiped or erased using restore?

Thanks Mr Hoffman but if you could just clarify does activation lock only get triggered into place once the thief has restored the device?

I have zero interest in the phone I just want to know does an email from FindMy (genuine) saying activation lock is requesting password tell me that my device is activation locked? And would that mean the device has been restored/wiped of my data until they met the activation Lock Screen?

thanks

100Clicks, Idris, MrHoffman, sorry for the confusion using 'trigger'. I know that activation lock in enabled by default.

I got the email "Activation Lock is requesting password for iPhone 6s Plus" from the genuine FindMy email address. It didn't ask me to enter anything.

The phone is still connected to my FindMy account with lost mode pending.

So I was asking does this indicate the person who stole/found my phone factory restored it and then ran into activation lock, hence why I got the email. Thanks. Hope that clarifies.

I've read multiple times that factory restore does not disable activation lock, so would it not make sense that if they did wipe it, when they go to set up network i would get the email.

When I say restore I don't assume they are now using it freely btw, I just mean a reset that led them to activation lock.

There is a seetting where if someone enters the passcode wrong ten times the phone erases. I thought that's what you were referring to when you said "The email is sent to YOU because they didn't manage to unlock the iPhone, with multiple attempts and wrong passcodes/passwords."

Anyway, if the thief factory restored my phone I don't care as at least my data would be gone.

I didn’t do that but anyway it wasn’t a phishing email I checked with apple.

but my real question is, does activation lock indicate that the device had been erased or restored

You mean common practice of scammers to try and get the log in info?

My device is activation locked so does that means it has been wiped/restored?

Ok so they wiped the phone then activation lock was triggered during setup? Tks

If activation lock is triggered in setup mode, wouldn’t that indicate that the phone had been restored via iTunes?

With factory restore, would that send me the email when they attempt to set up the device again yes?