To turn your iPhone back on and remove the lost status, you must turn off Lost Mode via Find My and, if your cellular carrier blacklisted the device IMEI, contact your carrier to lift the block.
Step 1: Turn Off Lost Mode in Find My
- Open the Find My App on another trusted Apple device or log in to iCloud Find Devices.
- Tap or click on the Devices tab.
- Select your recovered iPhone from the list
- Under Mark As Lost, tap Pending or Activated, then choose Turn Off Lost Mode
- Confirm by tapping Turn Off. You can also turn it off directly on the iPhone if you remember the device passcode.
Step 2: Remove Activation Lock (If Requested)
- Because the phone was wiped, it may show an Activation Lock screen asking for the Apple Account (Apple ID) and password that were previously signed into the device.
- Enter your Apple Account credentials to set up the phone as new.
Step 3: Contact Your Cellular Carrier
- If you reported the original phone lost or stolen to your mobile network provider, they may have placed a network blacklist (IMEI block) on it.
- Call your carrier's customer support, explain that you have recovered the device, and ask them to remove the IMEI/device block so it can connect to cellular service again. You may need to provide proof of identity or the phone's serial/IMEI number.