I have a iPhone 12, I tried to put demo mode on it for fun, but when I reset the phone it’s demo locked and I can’t remove it
[Edited by Moderator]
Original Title: How do I remove demo lock
iPhone 12, iOS 18
You don't. Return the phone to wherever you got it. That device was not supposed to be sold at all. It is NOT usable.
Either it made it's way onto the shelf accidentally at a reseller or it's stolen.
You don't. Return the phone to wherever you got it. That device was not supposed to be sold at all. It is NOT usable.
Either it made it's way onto the shelf accidentally at a reseller or it's stolen.
So to confirm what is being reported here, you went to some effort to find and to download an Apple-internal app that is explicitly intended to be a theft deterrent and to not be easily removable without permissions intentionally not widely available, and decided to install that app?
With your original proof of purchase receipt from Apple or an authorized reseller — that receipt will need to show the serial number or IMEI — contact Apple Support, and explain your predicament to them.
If you have no original purchase receipt, I’d expect to recycle this iPhone.
KiltedTim wrote:
What, you managed to figure out how to download and install something that's supposed to be restricted to resellers, then you managed to figure out how to find these forums and post a question, but you can't find the "Support" link at the top of the page?
Also at the bottom of the page, too.
Or a reseller such as JB Hi-Fi, as they likely also know how to remove this lock, or have a path into Apple.
But here are the numbers for the countries and regions where Apple is active:
Contact Apple Support, explain your predicament to them, and provide your original purchase receipt from Apple or an Apple authorized reseller, and request their assistance. Otherwise, recycle it.
WinTech2025 wrote:
I have a iPhone 12, I tried to put demo mode on it for fun, but when I reset the phone it’s demo locked and I can’t remove it
https://discussions.apple.com/content/attachment/282bc465-85ad-4695-8938-c03ee6bbdecc
https://discussions.apple.com/content/attachment/e0c973af-73f5-4e99-878a-9981da66ca2e
https://discussions.apple.com/content/attachment/dd44b9fb-48b4-4713-b310-29d8badc35e6
https://discussions.apple.com/content/attachment/9c7a1f5a-bc70-4a21-bc74-87a770ffd7f6
[Edited by Moderator]
Nice try........but you have no ability to put a Demo Lock on an iPhone. But you did buy one which is demo locked, meaning it was NEVER meant to be sold to a user and there's nothing you can do to remove it. You're in possession of a phone which belongs to Apple. You can contact Apple, but I wouldn't hold much hope for you to be able to use the phone.
erase the device and restore it to factory settings, which will remove the demo software and any associated restrictions. This can be done through the device itself if you can access the settings, or via a computer using iTunes.
The DemoUnit app is an internal Apple company app and is not available to the public. So where did you get it? The screenshot clearly states the device is the property of an Apple Authorized Reseller.
The only way you might possibly (but highly unlikely) resolve this is by taking the device to an Apple Store or authorized Apple service provider along with your original purchase receipt showing the serial number of the device.
Otherwise you are out of luck, up the creek without a paddle, behind the eight ball, or any other colloquialism you can think of.
And no one here will lift a finger for you, period.
No one here is an Apple employee or Apple contractor, just fellow users. Take this up with the Apple Support team. Open a ticket and see how far you get.
Whether we believe you or not is irrelevant at this point.
Take the phone and the original proof of purchase to Apple. If they turn you down, you're hosed.
IF what you say is true, you have royally borked your phone. Congratulations.
lobsterghost1 wrote:
Nice try........but you have no ability to put a Demo Lock on an iPhone. But you did buy one which is demo locked, meaning it was NEVER meant to be sold to a user and there's nothing you can do to remove it. You're in possession of a phone which belongs to Apple. You can contact Apple, but I wouldn't hold much hope for you to be able to use the phone.
The site they linked to does appear to be an Apple site and does appear to let you download the demo software. I don't know what happens beyond that, as I didn't go any further. If it's really that easy to install demo software, that is not, in my opinion, a good thing at all. As if public betas weren't bad enough...
IdrisSeabright wrote:
lobsterghost1 wrote:
Nice try........but you have no ability to put a Demo Lock on an iPhone. But you did buy one which is demo locked, meaning it was NEVER meant to be sold to a user and there's nothing you can do to remove it. You're in possession of a phone which belongs to Apple. You can contact Apple, but I wouldn't hold much hope for you to be able to use the phone.
The site they linked to does appear to be an Apple site and does appear to let you download the demo software. I don't know what happens beyond that, as I didn't go any further. If it's really that easy to install demo software, that is not, in my opinion, a good thing at all. As if public betas weren't bad enough...
WOW. I can't even imagine why a user could do this? Even more confusing is WHY a user would want to do this to themself.
Chattanoogan wrote:
Re: “ … I just didn't have the nerve to click …”
Nor did I … that initial screen was more than “enough” for me.
It DEF was unknown territory into which I did NOT want to venture.
Back when I worked at Verizon, as far as I recall, we couldn't remove the demo software. The devices were delivered to us from Apple with the software installed. Of course, that's back in the iTunes days...
Re: “… [I] put demo mode on it for fun … “
Uh huh. 🙄
How exactly did you manage to accomplish this ?
Suggest that you return this device to it’s rightful owner as already recommended.
No, it’s my iPhone 12, it’s a retail, it was bought in 2021, basically, I put it in demo mode using DemoUnit app because I thought making my phone a demo phone would be cool but since the demo content wouldn’t install I decided to reset it and now it thinks it’s a demo phone although at the same time the phone was purchased from jb Hi-Fi
What, you managed to figure out how to download and install something that's supposed to be restricted to resellers, then you managed to figure out how to find these forums and post a question, but you can't find the "Support" link at the top of the page?
lobsterghost1 wrote:
WOW. I can't even imagine why a user could do this? Even more confusing is WHY a user would want to do this to themself.
Remember all of the various social media posts that said something like "If you do x, your iPhone will do y" and y wasn't always good? And people did it anyway?
Years ago, my then work IT sent out a mass email saying that there was an email being sent to employees that contained malware and not to open the message with the specific title. One of my co-workers opened it. He'd read the IT email, but he still thought that "just reading it" wouldn't cause a problem. They had to re-image his computer.
How can I remove demo mode lock on my iPhone 12 after reset?
