Q: How can I bypass the previous owners password on my iPad?

dapowell88 wrote:

 

keep it even simpler, hypothetical*  you bought my girlfriend/boyfriend an iphone its on your account with their itunes. now you broke up and they wont answer or help, you want to use your phone that you legitimately bought and still pay for.  then what? again, can you turn it in to apple for a new one? Same outcome.

 

What if the girfriend/boyfriend is claiming that they paid for the device and you stole it from them? Who do you expect to sort this out?

You now know that if you allow your employees to have an iDevice, and you also allow them to have their own iCloud accounts then the devices will be subject to the Activation Lock. You need to change your procedures to accommodate that. If you are going to be firing someone, then have them turn in the device before they leave the building, and make sure that they have turned off Find My iPhone. Or, as Philly_Phan suggested - withhold their last paycheck until your property has been returned to you in working order. If they don't cooperate, then buy a new device with the money you would have paid them. I'm fairly certain that if an employee was fired and refused to return, say, a company-owned computer, that you would have ways to remediate that, so just follow the same process here. It is company-owned property. If the property is not returned in working order, then the cost comes out of the fired employee's final paycheck.

Simple.

GB

Gail,

This has been the most useful post on this thread - unfortunately I had to go through 17 pages of useless conversation to get here. Thank you. This needs to be the policy for businesses retrieving devices used by employees who are leaving (or just turning in unneeded device).

If that employee leaves without IT or HR being able to complete these steps, then Apple needs to be contacted to reset the device. This should be easy to do for a business because they should have the necessary asset information needed by Apple to prove ownership and okay the reset process. (My next question would be where that contact information is - which is something that I still need to research, I am not asking this question on this thread - just haven't had time because of trying to wade through this thread.)

That being said, the suggestion of businesses being able to create a Master reset code for their devices, while still giving the user the autonomy to personalize the device for their usage, would be ideal and something that Apple should look into creating. Not all businesses can have policies that require all the same passwords or Apple IDs. Another suggestion, is that if a device is managed through a service like Meraki, then shouldn't Meraki be able to wipe the device and disassociate the users Apple ID from the device so that it is not locked?

Harmon in SJ wrote:

 

Gail,

 

This has been the most useful post on this thread - unfortunately I had to go through 17 pages of useless conversation to get here. Thank you. This needs to be the policy for businesses retrieving devices used by employees who are leaving (or just turning in unneeded device).

 

If that employee leaves without IT or HR being able to complete these steps, then Apple needs to be contacted to reset the device. This should be easy to do for a business

Maybe, maybe not, but employee/employer issues are hardly Apple's business. I would check before placing any reliance on that.

Harmon in SJ wrote:

 

Gail,

 

Another suggestion, is that if a device is managed through a service like Meraki, then shouldn't Meraki be able to wipe the device and disassociate the users Apple ID from the device so that it is not locked?

No third party has the ability to remove the lock.

With IOS-8, Apple is moving in the other direction.

Iif you got this ipad from EBAY ask for a refund if you cannot

contact owner it maybe lost/ stolen did it come in the box

you cannot use ipad without The APPLEID

bsydd uk

This is a new feature to stop people buying second hand cheaper pads and giving their money to Apple.  Our kids grandmother bought an iPad mini on eBay from a reputable seller for my kids birthday.  Once we hooked it to the wifi we ran into this issue.   It,s a shame Apple makes the best tablets.  It's also a shame I can not contact the owner via third party email or some other source.

Your unknown seller is probably dealing in stolen merchandise, and the problem you've run into is how people who have had their iOS devices stolen deal with it ... namely make the device worthless to anyone who may knowingly or unknowingly benefit from stolen merchandise.

But in fact you do have the sellers information... The email address.. The only way to unlock it is is with the sellers pin... To me I lean towards it being stolen then passed to you as no one in there right mind would sell there device without first clearing the device.

What to do before selling or giving away your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

bjsbootiemonkey wrote:

 

This is a new feature to stop people buying second hand cheaper pads and giving their money to Apple.  Our kids grandmother bought an iPad mini on eBay from a reputable seller for my kids birthday.  Once we hooked it to the wifi we ran into this issue.   It,s a shame Apple makes the best tablets.  It's also a shame I can not contact the owner via third party email or some other source.

Reputable dealers don't sell stolen iPads.  If the dealer cannot or will not assist you, that dealer is not reputable.

bjsbootiemonkey wrote:

 

This is a new feature to stop people buying second hand cheaper pads and giving their money to Apple.

No, it isn't something done by Apple to stop people from buying second hand cheaper pads. The fact of the matter is that Apple has documentation in its support files to tell you HOW to do this properly, so that it can be sold without this trouble or hassle. Secondly, the sale of people's used models go to fund the seller's purchase of a newer model ... for the most part. And then, thirdly, the buying of a cheaper used model by people, introduces them to Apple's excellent product at a lower price, and Apple will benefit in the long run by having that buyer get a new model from Apple later on.

doing it the right and proper way, with a legitimate seller, benefits Apple. And not allowing stolen merchandise to used benefits the owners of the devices, as thieves become aware that these devices are worthless to use in that state, and thus the device can only be "sold" in a "fraudulent" manner to a naive and unsuspecting "mark" ... and then afterwards, the "seller" disappears so he can't be found! In short order, as the public becomes aware that these devices sold in that state (i.e. "stolen") are useless, the value of such merchandise will become worthless! And that is the purpose of doing this sort of thing, to make the device WORTHLESS to thieves!

I am locked out of my iPad 2 which I purchased!.  I was advised to upgrade to system 8, clicked install and the iPad defaulted to the activation screen.  I cannot remember these details and the suggested details on that page bear no resemblance to my email address

Is this a used iPad?

No I have been using it since I purchased it new from John Lewis.  Whilst updating to OS8 it defaulted to the activation screen and the information which say this ipad is linked to bears no resemblane to my email/s

It is not a feature to stop people from purchasing 2nd hand devices. It is a feature to protect you from people who like to steal things from you. With the Activation Lock, thieves are less likely to steal people's devices because they know that they will never be able to use them. That is the intent behind the Activation Lock.

Apple also provides very clear instructions on how to protect yourself from people who sell stolen devices that still have Activation Lock turned on, or to ensure that you have the Activation Lock removed if you are purchasing it from a friend or someone else you actually know:

How do I check for Activation Lock before purchasing a used device?

When purchasing an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch from someone other than Apple or an authorized Apple reseller, it is up to you to ensure that the device has been erased and is no longer linked to the previous owner’s account.

Follow each of these steps to make sure that you can use the device you purchase:

1. Turn the device on and slide to unlock.
2. If the passcode lock screen or the home screen appears, the device has not been erased. Ask the seller to completely erase the device by going to Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings. Do not take ownership of any used iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch until it has been erased.
3. Begin the device setup process.
4. After choosing a language, choosing a country, and connecting to a network, the device will begin activation. If you are asked for the previous owner’s Apple ID and password, the device is still linked to their account. Hand the device back to the seller and ask them to enter their password. If the previous owner is not present, they can remove the device from their account by signing in to icloud.com/find. Do not take ownership of any used iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch until it has been removed from the previous owner’s account.

You will know that a device is ready for you to use when you are asked to “Set up your iPhone", “Set up your iPad", or “Set up your iPod” during the device setup process.

Here is the entire article so you can learn how Activation Lock works:

ACTIVATION LOCK

Here is another article that tells you what to do if you do purchase a 2nd hand device and you can contact the previous owner:

Find My iPhone Activation Lock: Removing a device from a previous owner’s account

Doesn't seem like they are trying to prevent it at all since they provide you with all the information you need to not get bit by it.

GB

Who or what is "John Lewis"? Is it an individual or a retailer? Either way, you need to return the device to John Lewis. It is a used device that has had Activation Lock enabled by a previous owner.

Best of luck,

GB