How do I turn my iphone into something not useless?

You are speaking to Apple users here. Nobody here can speak for Apple.

As a student (literate person, interested in following process), you should be aware of the Terms of Use of this community:

Apple Support Communities Use Agreement

But as an Apple user, I can tell you buying an Apple object from Craigslist, which might have been previously stolen, is your issue and not Apple's.

You are likely a victim of Activation Lock:

Find My iPhone Activation Lock - Apple Support

The issue is yours, not Apple's. Get your money back from Craigslist if you can.

If you can not contact the owner of the device and have them remove it from their account, you are out of luck.

It is not Apple's fault you bought a possibly stolen device.

Activation lock is working as intended.

Sorry, but as sberman indicated, the device is Activation Locked and only the person who put the lock on can take it off. Not sure why you would be vilifying Apple here. The person who screwed you over is the person who scammed you on Craigslist. They undoubtedly sold you a stolen phone.

Go back to the seller and get your money back, if possible. Going forward, if you do purchase a 2nd-hand device, do the following to protect yourself before doling out any money:

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.

You can check the current Activation Lock status of a device by visiting icloud.com/activationlock from any Mac or PC.

Or you can follow the steps below 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 hasn't been erased. Ask the seller to completely erase the device by going to Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings. Don't take ownership of any used iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch until it's 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're 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 isn't present, they can remove the device from their account by signing in to icloud.com/find. Don't 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're asked to “Set up your iPhone," “Set up your iPad," or “Set up your iPod” during the device setup process.

Sorry for your troubles,

GB

From the bottom righthand corner of every page in this forum:

Contact Us

Or www.apple.com/feedback

Apple did not screw you - the seller sold you an unusable iPhone. If you

cannot contact the seller, contact the police and give them all the information

you have about the seller.

Activation Lock is not a major problem - it is doing what is was intended

to do.

Stop using Craigslist! At least on eBay, you have a guarantee and can get your money back - and you don't get murdered or get your fetus cut out of your uterus. Craigslist is a morass.

Apple can not provide contact information for individual to whom the phone is locked. That would violate numerous privacy laws.

You, as the buyer, are solely responsible for making sure the device you're purchasing is usable. This is not just an "Apple" issue. Locks like this are quickly becoming legally required to help reduce theft. Thefts of iPhones and other iOS devices have fallen significantly since the introduction of Activation lock.

If you can't get your money back, turn it over to the police and give them all the information you can on the person you purchased it from.

Revrunner01 wrote:

It does things such as only partially see the emial of the user before. At least give me the whole thing so I can try and contact the original owner, instead of giving me no options.

That would be a violation of privacy. The reason the partial information is displayed is so that people who have Activation Locked their own device with an old Apple ID will be able to recognize what it is locked to.

Revrunner01 wrote:

Also apple should and could really do something about this for people who are unaware of this problem when buying the used iphones. Something as simple as a "warning phone is still locked" poppping up when the phone starts would be great.

Apple does provide a way for you to find out if a device is Activation Locked. The link in the article information I provided for you has just that capability:

icloud.com/activationlock

If you are going to purchase something from Craigslist, then do some homework before doing so. eBay has a complete customer support team that helps buyers that are duped by a seller. If Craigslist does not have that sort of service, then maybe you should avoid buying things from that source. If you purchase a car from a used car dealer that turns out to be a total lemon, are you expecting the manufacturer of that vehicle to help you out?

GB

There is NO solution to your problem. There is NO WAY to bypass the activation lock. YOU are responsible for knowing what you're getting into when you purchased used equipment. Just like YOU are responsible for making sure the title to the used car you're buying from some guy you never met for substantially less than it should be worth is clean and valid.

You blame Apple for not "warning new Apple buyers". Guess what. You are NOT an "Apple buyer". New, or otherwise. you didn't pay Apple anything at all. You bought a used phone.

This is absolutely NOT a problem. This is EXACTLY what Activation lock and the kill switches being implemented by other manufacturers is designed to do. It makes a stolen device useless.

I hate to say this, and I don't mean to insult you personally... but... people like you are the reason that the stolen phone market is so big and has been such a problem.

Take the phone to the police if the seller won't give you your money back and give them all the information you can on the person you bought it from. Maybe they can recover at least some of your money.

+1 to KiltedTim, gail from maine, and AmishCake.

Nothing to add to their words of wisdom.

If you don't bother to check before you buy and end up with a locked phone only the person who locked it can unlock it.

Next time check before handing any money over.

It could have been worse ... it might have been an automobile instead of a phone - involving a whole lot more money.

The analogy seems clear: someone buys a used car online, pays for it, takes possession of it. Then a few days later the police show up and confiscate the car because it was stolen by the thief who sold it.

Would the car maker be involved in this in any way? Not at all. But the purchaser who had the opportunity to research the car's ownership history might have avoided this whole thing.