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Required to Activate iPad After Rebooting

Has anyone recently rebooted their iPad, then have a request to enter Apple ID and password to reactivate iPad? I received the following message prior to the passcode screen:


"Activate iPad. This iPad is currently linked to an Apple ID (my Apple ID abbreviated). Sign in with the Apple ID that was used to set up this iPad." Spaces for Apple ID and Password were provided. Then a link to "Activation Help" was given, which I clicked. It said:


"A password is required to activate this device because its owner has used Find My iPhone to link it to their Apple ID.


If this is your device, enter the Apple ID and password you used to set up iCloud.


If you were given this device or purchased it second-hand, you will need to contact the original owner to have them remove this device from their account. Additional information can be found at: support.apple.com/kb/TS4515."


I went to this website on my PC . . . no such website exists.


I sense this is a malware attack to shake me down for money to unlock my device. Has anyone else had this happen? I'm planning to go to the local Apple Store this afternoon for advice.


Thanks.

Posted on Mar 29, 2015 9:49 AM

Reply
11 replies

Mar 29, 2015 10:28 AM in response to SidGP

The page does exist, it's just that it's now been renamed (that's the original name, Apple have been renaming their troubleshooting and help pages) : Find My iPhone Activation Lock: Removing a device from a previous owner’s account - Apple Support (my browser redirects me to the new page from http://support.apple.com/kb/TS4515 ).


What do you mean by 'rebooted' your iPad ? If you reset it back to factory defaults, or restored to a backup, then you will see the activation lock screen asking for the id and password that you were using in Settings > iCloud on the iPad (and if you had Find My iPad enabled), it's a theft deterrent. If you type in your id and password the iPad should reactivate.


About activation lock : Find My iPhone Activation Lock - Apple Support

Mar 29, 2015 10:45 AM in response to King_Penguin

By "reboot", I mean the process of holding the Off button and the Home button simultaneously until the screen goes black and the white Apple logo appears. I do this when I'm having "issues", like rebooting the PC.


The reason I "rebooted" this morning (after using the iPad successfully all morning) was I tried to send an iMessage to a friend, but his name/phone number wasn't recognized . . . system said his number wasn't registered with iMessage. I tried others' numbers that have recently worked and had the same result (their name in red). So, thought I'd "reboot" in case there were system problems. I have not reset defaults or restored to a backup.


Thanks.

Mar 29, 2015 11:01 AM in response to King_Penguin

It didn't take any longer than usual.


I just "rebooted" again to recall the first screen I received. It says:


"Updated Completed. Your iPad was updated successfully. There are a few more steps to follow, then you're done!" Then there's a Continue button that takes me to the screen I identified above with "Activate iPad". I did re-add this iPad as a Trusted device yesterday, and hadn't shut it off since then. Maybe that's the "updating" that's being referred to?


I did just now enter my Apple ID and Password and it opened fine. I may have just been jumpy about malware since I have a friend who just last night called me about a scam on his iPad that he researched and found owners who had received the message he did were being shook down for $80 to release their device. He just did a reset to "Erase All Content and Settings" and he's okay.


Thanks for your help, King. Looks like I'm okay too.

Mar 29, 2015 11:14 AM in response to King_Penguin

Oddly, after re-activating my iPad, I am still getting the message I received earlier when trying to iMessage a friend. It says" <number> is not registered with iMessage". I just sent him an iMessage from my iPhone, which worked perfectly. When trying to iMessage another friend, which worked yesterday, I am receiving the same message along with "Use <email address>".


Any thoughts?

Mar 29, 2015 12:34 PM in response to SidGP

Also for Messages, when you sent the message from your phone you are sure that it was a iMessage that was sent and not just a text message ? On iPhones the Messages app can send normal SMS text messages.


Edit : from the iPad iOS 8 manual :

With the Messages app and the built-in iMessage feature, you can send text messages over Wi-Fi to others using iOS 5 or later, or OS X Mountain Lion or later. Messages can include photos, videos, and other info. You can see when people are typing, and let them know when you’ve read their messages. If you’re signed into iMessage using the same Apple ID on other iOS devices or a Mac (OS X Mavericks or later), you can start a conversation on one device and continue it on another. For security, messages you send with iMessage are encrypted before they’re sent.

If you have an iPhone (iOS 8) signed into iMessage using the same Apple ID, you can also send and receive SMS and MMS messages on your iPad. Charges may apply to the text messaging service for your iPhone.

Mar 29, 2015 12:41 PM in response to King_Penguin

I did notice that the Messages setting on my iPad does not have the SMS/MMS settings. I checked my iPhone5 and it does. It also has a "Text Message Forwarding" function that you and "jazcan" have mentioned. I must've had that enabled earlier, then, after whatever updating I did yesterday, the setting was disabled. I re-enabled it just now and things are back to normal. I am able to text non-iOS users from my iPad now.


What an ordeal. Thanks for helping me through it.

Required to Activate iPad After Rebooting

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