Q: Hello, I just bought a used iPhone 4S but can't get past the ID to continue set up. I went to iforgot as requested to reset my password to my existing account. Still can't get past the ID.

You've ran into the icloud activation lock, you will need the previous owner info to unlock the phone, without it you have a paper weight.

The risk you take from buying a used iphone.

Find My iPhone Activation Lock - Apple Support

Yes, you have encountered Activation Lock (Find My iPhone Activation Lock - Apple Support). The only way that phone will ever be usable is if the owner the phone is locked to releases it (see: Find My iPhone Activation Lock: Removing a device from a previous owner’s account - Apple Support). If you are lucky the phone is locked to the seller, so you can ask them to unlock it. If the seller is merely a middleman and the previous owner is not the seller it gets much more complicated. It's even possible that you bought a stolen phone, in which case you will never be able to use it and you should return it for a refund.

Since it's a used iPhone, I think you are facing the Activation Lock.

Did the seller did this: What to do before selling or giving away your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support

You need the previous owner Apple ID & password and his/her help, without the correct credentials you have a brick and there's no way to bypass that.

You will need to contact the prior owner of the phone to have them remove the Apple ID information. Without this, the phone is useless to you.

artstar wrote:

 

Hello,

 

Thank you for the help. I have contacted the original owner and he is removing his ID.

But new problem. How do I get back to the setup? I selected the SKIP feature for Apple Services and can't

find it again to access Apple.

Do a backup using computer iTunes.

Now you can wipe the iPhone and set it up as new

Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content & Settings

After Erase finishes, you can then restore from your backup.