Regarding IOS 7 activation lock. For people who are not early adopter or wealthy, relying on second hand purchase to own an IOS 7 device, has any consideration been given? Online purchases are routine. In good faith, many will now suffer for not knowing

Hi Tilnow,

The hope is that the activation lock will deter future thieves. Apple has long been inundated with irate customers who have had their devices lost or stolen, and who are then angry that Apple cannot protect their phone from would-be thieves.

With the new security measures, unless the owner of the phone turns off Find My iPhone, and wipes the phone completely, it is unusable to anyone but that original owner.

I'm sorry you have had such an unfortunate experience with your purchases, but these security measures are as much to protect you from purchasing a stolen phone from an unscrupulous seller as it is to protect a phone you own from being stolen.

Is there no way you can contact the seller(s) and have them turn off Find My iPhone and wipe the device for you?

Going forward, it is the best policy for you to ensure that the seller has done both of these things. If they cannot, then you know that they are probably not on the up and up.

Best of luck going forward,

Cheers,

GB

I couldn't disagree with you more. Apple devices have always been prime targets for thieves. With these changes, I think that the incidents of iPhones, iPads, and iPods being stolen will go down considerably. There is no reason why a scrupulous seller wouldn't wipe the phone before selling it to someone else. Who else would want to leave their personal information on a device and then sell it to a total stranger?

It is just a matter of people getting into good reselling practices. I can't imagine selling my car to someone and leaving all of my personal stuff in the Glove compartment and trunk. Or selling someone my Mac, and not wiping it before doing so. Selling an i-Device is no different. Clean it out before selling it. It's fairly simple.....

Again, best of luck,

GB

A very large percentage of 2nd hand phones being sold on ebay, craigslist, and elsewhere, are stolen.

As a consumer, it's your responsibility to educate yourself before you buy a used item, whether it's a phone or a car. You wouldn't buy a used car from someone you never met before without checking to make sure it had a clear title, would you? Do your due dilligence when purchasing a used phone.

Most used car dealerships however support their customers when a car the dealership sold suddenly doesn't work! Apple, so far, however, doesn't support customers one bit that buy 2nd-hand Apple products if the activation lock suddently gets triggered. Apple needs to offer some kind of support. Send an email to the previous owner or give contact information regarding the previous owner? Maybe? In my opinion Apple's Activation Lock and lack of support to 2nd-hand buyers regarding it is merely a marketing scheme to sell more "new" Apple products by reducing sales of "used" Apple products. Apple IMHO is an evil empire.

I had purchased and repaired a water-damaged iPhone 5 from eBay costing me over $200 plus parts. The phone had a good IMEI number, but when I tested the phone after the repair the phone was activation locked! The seller acted like she was the previous owner, but couldn't unlock it and said she didn't know what to do. She didn't have the ID and password, but didn't want to admit it. She offered no refund and said the phone had been listed non-working for parts only with no returns accepted. It was a learning experience for me. I was out $330 (phone and parts). Apple wouldn't help me, neither Sprint, nor cell phone repair centers. The cosmetically perfect and fully functioning iphone 5 ended-up in the rubbish can. I blame Apple somewhat for not wanting to offer any support whatsoever!

Oh please,

Your arguement is fraught with absurdities. You didn't purchase the phone from Apple (the "car dealership), you purchased it from a 3rd party (private seller). Trust me, a car dealership isn't goint to help you if you purchase a car from some unknown person, and then find out it is stolen.

Send an email to the previous owner? Why don't YOU send an email to the previous owner.

Give contact information regarding the previous owner? Are you kidding? Talk to the NSA about that.

Apple is in no way obligated to "support" 2nd-hand buyers. They did not sell you the device, they do not have any responsibiity toward helping you to break into the device.

If you are going to purchsase a device on the cheap, then don't come crying to Apple because you got ripped off. File a complaint with Craigslist or eBay or wherever you got it. If you got it from some unknown person directly, then shame on you.

Next time you purchase something 2nd hand, do your homework, and stop expecting someone else to clean up the mess you made for yourself.

GB

You blame Apple? Seriously? Blame the seller. The seller is the one who sold you junk and didn't help you after the sale. Why would a seller not help his/her customers after the sale? Because as gail from maine pointed out above, the seller is unscrupulous.

jes327 wrote:

Most used car dealerships however support their customers when a car the dealership sold suddenly doesn't work!

True, however, that doesn't even begin to equate to the situation you find yourself in. A more apt analogy would be you purchased a car at a skeevy fly by night used car dealer, drove it off the lot, then promptly got arrested for driving a stolen car. Are you going to blame the car manufacturer for that? Of course not.

The IMEI was good. All I know is I purchased a broken Apple iPhone and when I repaired it I discovered the screeen was activation locked. The phone may have been stolen, I have no clue because Apple wouldn't help! You'd think maybe they could send an email to the registered owner providing my contact information if I gave that to them? I offered! I told Apple I could also easily provide proof of ownership! It didn't matter! They treated me like dirt!

And of course I blamed the seller as well. Where's your common sense? The seller I purchased the phone from led me to believe they were the Apple-registered owner and they weren't! They didn't have the Apple ID nor the password. They wouldn't even commicate hardly! And you people attack me? Happy New Year folks. I'm outta here. You people suck.

jes327 wrote:

The IMEI was good.

That statement is meaningless.

jes327 wrote:

The IMEI was good. All I know is I purchased a broken Apple iPhone and when I repaired it I discovered the screeen was activation locked. The phone may have been stolen, I have no clue because Apple wouldn't help! You'd think maybe they could send an email to the registered owner providing my contact information if I gave that to them?

No. They will NOT get involved. And you can NOT provide proof of ownership. You do NOT have the ORIGINAL reciept from an AUTHORIZED source.

Moreover, since you "repaired" the phone, it's not even an iPhone any more. It's a frankenphone. Apple doesn't sell parts for the iPhone at all.

Learn a lesson from this.

The seller I purchased the phone from led me to believe they were the Apple-registered owner and they weren't! They didn't have the Apple ID nor the password. They wouldn't even commicate hardly!

You were duped. No one likes to be duped, but you can't go around blaming anyone else for being suckered into something that common sense should have told you to back out of. They didn't have the Apple ID or password? They wouldn't even communicate hardly? I can't think of any bigger red flags (unless they were strapped with a bandolier and accompanying weapons)....

Take some personal responsiblility here and stop whining. You made a bad decision. Who hasn't? If you learn anything from it, then you will be better off. If you continue to purchase items from shady, uncommunicative people, then you are going to be out a lot more than an iPhone....

Try doing future purchases from reputable sources.....

GB