How do I unlock an iPhone 4 with iOS 7 and bypass the activation lock?

it just agarvates me that apple does this you know? its like they see and play it off to be impossible just because they do not support it ???? but sorry i never read terms and conditions and really doubt anyone ever does so ill drop it !

No, not true. He is talking about Activation Lock, not a passcode.

Activation Lock is an iOS security feature designed to prevent activation of lost or stolen iDevices. There is not way around it. You need the cooperation of the original owner who needs to deactivate Find My iPhone in iCloud and remove the device from their iCloud profile before you can activate it.

Sorry, without the original owners help, you have a useless iPhone. Follow the instuctions in the link above.

If you forgot your own ID and password? Really? Then you go to https://iforgot.apple.com/password/verify/appleid to recover it.

Activation lock is an improvement and the good it does far exceeds the negative aspects. Ask anyone who has ever lost or had an iDevice stolen.

I see these on eBay and am tempted to buy one just to play with this issue. Is this just an iOS 7 feature? Could you not restore the device to an earlier version? That may mean jailbreaking, I'm not sure. Or what about replacing the motherboard? If you can find one for a good price.

If you want to risk your money, fine.

To answer your questions

Is this just an iOS 7 feature?

Yes, Activation Lock is an iOS 7 feature.

Could you not restore the device to an earlier version?

No, you cannot downgrade your iOS device.

That may mean jailbreaking, I'm not sure.

Jailbreaking is not supported by Apple or this forum.

Or what about replacing the motherboard?

There are no user serviceable parts on an iPhone.

It's a second hand iPhone 4. What kind of warranty do you think it has? Plus, it's pretty much useless as it is. I'd be all over buying a heat gun, some guitar picks, and a spudger. This is getting rediculous. Peace *******! I'm out.

i personally think apple has really started to downgrade in performance! i mean what happens if you give this phone as a gift to someone and dont remember your id or password?! i just bought an iphone 4 myself and have been into the apple products since the first iphone and have never had this problem until ios 7...... but ios 7.1 could be their come back they need to fix this problem in case people forget the info or something like that! they need to make a way that they(apple) can get around it in their computers! even if they have to charge you a lil bit of money it will be worth it!!!

Downgrading is not supported by Apple because there are far, far more potential problems with downgrading (the inability to restore from a previous backup, thereby losing access to all of your personal data, for one).

In this forum, we only discuss what is approved by Apple. And as far as a second hand iPhone having warranty-related options? Even an original iPhone, sold on day one, still has the option of an out-of-warranty replacement for $149. However, once any unauthorized service is done on the device, that option is removed. So, the fact that the warranty has expired doesn't remove all the Apple service options.

Once you proceed past the parameters that Apple has set, you are on your own. Additionally, Apple reserves the right to refuse activation to any device that has unauthorized modifications or service. That INCLUDES iOS downgrades. Some users have reported that such devices are not allowed to be activated by the Apple servers, and that the associated Apple ID has been banned from the App Store & iTunes Store.

I simply am advising your of the risks. I'm not telling you that you can't do whatever you chose with a device. Personally, trying to 'save a few bucks' isn't worth the risk of ending up with an unusable device.

You cannot bypass the activation lock that is part of iOS 7. That is an anti-theft feature that cannot be changed. Retoration, etc cannot be done.

Your only option is to deal with the seller to get the Apple ID and Password for the iPhone. If you cannot do that, there is nothing that can be done, Apple will not help with this.

au888 wrote:

theres loop holes to everything !!!!!!

Perhaps. But since we all agreed to the terms & conditions when signing up for this forum, we don't discuss or promote non-Apple authorized procedures.

Use Google is you want to look up something that isn't authorized by Apple. Not this site.

It is import to distinguish as well that while you may own the hardware device, you do not own the operating system or software. You purchase a license to use the operating system and software, but you do not own those bits of code. The operating system and software license(s) have explicit terms of conditions for use, and a company has the right to enforce those, or at least not support anyone who chooses to violate them. Nor do they need to support their hardware devices that experience issues related to someone violating the terms and conditions of the software bundled on that hardware.

Activation Lock is an optional feature. If you don't want it, then turn off Find My iPhone under Settings > iCloud.

It's up to the user to decide what features to use. If a user enabled Activation Lock/Find My iPhone, then that's their choice.

If someone's Activation Lock is interfering with you enabling a device for your own use, then it's working as designed. That's the entire point. Activation Lock prevents unauthorized use of an iOS device.

The only way is to connect the phone to iTunes and do a restore as new in iTunes and this will clear any activation lock and you should then be able to get into the phone.

If you cannot find the original owner or he is unwilling to help, it's possible you bought a lost or stolen device and you should report him to the police.

ha, ok. yes you can downgrade and replacing parts in an iOS device isn't that hard to do.

kadishia, you won't find answers in this forum, but they are out there if Apple doesn't want to help.