Q: iPhone still linked to old Apple ID

Read here:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5818

iOS 7 has a security feature that if someone "steals" your phone and tries to restore it with a new ID, you will need the previous ID in order to proceed. This makes the phone pretty much a "brick"

You will need to enter your old ID and password. If you cannot remember your old ID and password, you will need to contact Support and have it reset:

https://getsupport.apple.com/Issues.action

here is more info on the iOS7 Apple ID activation lock:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5818:

Just follow the instructions in the support article I provided you a link for. It answers your questions & tells you what to do.

I'm having the same problem, except I KNOW my Apple ID. When I type it in my phone just reloads the same screen. Then I tried the wrong password on purpose and it stopped me saying "invalid Username or password". Then after entering the right password several times it takes me to a screen that says "Your iPhone could not be activated because activation server is temporarily unavailable..." My iPhone has been useless for almost two days now.

You seem to be running iOS 7 beta. Are you? If you are a developer, then go to the developer site for help.

If not you cannot get help here.

I am facing the same issue with my iphone it was showing " This Phone is currently linked to an apple ID (5...@qq.com) Sign in with the Apple ID that was used to set up this iphone. now its my second day of having this problem., i baught this 3 months ago, i really forget which Apple ID i used.. just having this amnesia, I'm the real owner and i feel so stupid that i cant do anything about this, PLease help me PM me if you have any idea or knowledge you can share, im really  busy working everyday that i donbt have enough time to pass by at the mall of emirates.

i will do appreciate your good help and kind heart!

Thanks,

PrincessJazminne*

<Personal Information Edited by Host>

i tried to do watch all the videos from youtube.reset..lalallala.. too much.. i turn off ann On, what should i have to do? Should i throw it? lol getting crazy.. anyway is there anything that i need to download or Software.. Pls.HELP.. PLEASE... PLEASE ..PLEASE.

If you set it up with an Apple ID and you cannot remeber the password (or ID) there is nothing we can do here to help. You must use the original Apple ID and password to activate the phone.

I work in the wholesale industry as a technician. We resell phones. We have come across alot of iphones with ios7 that are pretty much useless because of this problem.  We don't know who the original owners are. I called apple and they told me that they could not help me.  So we end up with paper weights. The phones we sell are checked for stolen and active.  If the esn's are clean then the phone is ready to be sold and activated. I can already picture a landfill full of iphones because of this issue.

Obviously Apple will not help you. How do they know you are the legitimate owner of the phone(s)? They do not. An anti-theft was one of the biggest items on the wish lists. In fact Apple was under a lot of pressure to provide one, and now they have. Randomly removing it will obviously defeat the purpose.

The only thing I can suggest is that you try to contact the seller(s) of the phones.

I'm way ahead of you. I already tried to contact the owners of  3 of the 98 phones I have.  I haven't been able to get a response.  Who's to say that the emails linked to these phones are still active.  I don't think this feature was thought through properly. In this case the manufacturer and the carrier are 2 different things. Not sure if you read in my last post that the phone's esn is checked for lost, stolen and active.  If the phones are NOT lost, stolen or active then the  phones should be ready to be resold and reactivate onto another person's account. If the phone is still linked to the previous owner and I am unable to contact them, then what? What would you call the phone in this case? We dont deal with lost, stolen and active phones.  Apple makes a great product don't get me wrong. This is a huge snag in the Wireless Wholesale Industry. I'm just frustrated.  What do I do with all these phones?  Parts them out?

gwolff037 wrote:

 

I don't think this feature was thought through properly. In this case the manufacturer and the carrier are 2 different things. Not sure if you read in my last post that the phone's esn is checked for lost, stolen and active.  If the phones are NOT lost, stolen or active then the  phones should be ready to be resold and reactivate onto another person's account.

I did read your post but it seems you do not understand how iOS 7 works. It is the seller/previous owner responsibility to deactivate Find my iPhone BEFORE selling the device under iOS 7. The activation you now require has nothing to do with a carrier lock; it is locked via iOS. Apple has NO way of knowing whether they are NOT lost, stolen etc. It is not their job to do so. They are not law enforcement. Therefore they WILL NOT help you defeat the Find my Phone anti-theft feature. It does NOT matter that you have checked the phones esn or not. It is the reality you find yourself in, like it or not.

I know how the IOS7 works.  I just needed reassurance. Thank you.  

hi sharon

is there a way to reach you directly?