I just bought a used iPhone 4s on eBay. It came with a very stiff cable and what looks like a legit charger. The box doesn't have the same IMEI as the phone.
The cable seems unusually cheap so I'm wondering: how can I be absolutely sure this charger is legit and not some potentially dangerous cheap Chinese knockoff?
The reseller tells me he just sells whatever is offered to him, so he can't be responsible.
Thanks.
iPhone 4S, iOS 6.1.3
When you buy used like that, you cannot be sure of little things like cables and such, other then by the looks. You buy what is offered as is, and take your chances.
Also beware, that if that iPhone is running iOS 7, and the previous owner did not disable find my iPhone, you are going to need their AppleID password to activate and use it. iOS 7's activation lock will render any used iPhone a complete brick to anyone who does not have the password to the AppleID previously used to register it with the find my iPhone service. Hopefully, the previous owner disabled it before sending it off to the eBay seller.
When you buy used like that, you cannot be sure of little things like cables and such, other then by the looks. You buy what is offered as is, and take your chances.
Also beware, that if that iPhone is running iOS 7, and the previous owner did not disable find my iPhone, you are going to need their AppleID password to activate and use it. iOS 7's activation lock will render any used iPhone a complete brick to anyone who does not have the password to the AppleID previously used to register it with the find my iPhone service. Hopefully, the previous owner disabled it before sending it off to the eBay seller.
So there is no way that Apple can identify a fake power adapter from a real one? If that's true, then can I even trust Apple if I go to the Apple store and buy one there? If there's no way to tell the difference then how can I even be sure that someone at the Apple store isn't substituting real adapters for fake ones? Or for that matter, someone even higher on the supply chain?
The whole situation is absurd: considering the safety hazards involved you would think that a company like Apple, with all the resources and intelligence at its disposal, could come up with a solution to this rather serious issue.
BTW, the Iphone is still at iOS 6.1.3. There's no Find My iPhone in iOS 6 is there?
Thanks for the reply!
If you take it in to an Apple store so you can compare side by side with the real thing, I'm sure you could tell. But you didn't ask that. Given something described on eBay, or even something you now have but with nothing on hand to directly compare it to, it can be very difficult to tell the fake from the real.
And nobody at Apple is substituting their own fakes on the shelves, or running some big conspiracy scam at an Apple store. The Apple store's get their supplies from a secure and known supply system, not some random guys on eBay, so yes I trust that what they sell is genuine Apple or Apple certified products. Also when you buy a new charger or cable at Apple, they come in a sealed box so you are not buying open box or previously handled material.
There is find my iPhone in iOS 6 as find my iPhone is a function of iCloud so any iOS that supports iCloud will support find my iPhone. You will not have Activation Lock however, as that is a function of iOS 7 specifically.
How can I be sure my iPhone 4S charger is not a fake?
