Resetting Apple Devices

[chazus]

We often have clientele here who bring in various apple devices, either from deceased family or people who gave it as a gift to others. Often times they are locked to an apple id. Is there any (legal) way to effectively factory reset these to separate them from the id? Or is it just a case of "Sorry, its bricked"

[lockblock]

I've seen sites that claim to unlock Apple devices for a fee. I have no idea if they are legit or not though.

[Linkedblade]

The family member should be able to contact apple to get access.

[Temp name]

Depending on iOS version, there are a couple tricks you can find, but none of them work on the newest version. They probably just have to take it to Apple with proof of ownership, at which point it should be removed.

[chazus]

The family member should be able to contact apple to get access.

If you have access to the itunes it was paired with you can use that. Otherwise they need to contact apple and then provide id and proof of ownership at which point Apple will remove the lock.

Depending on iOS version, there are a couple tricks you can find, but none of them work on the newest version. They probably just have to take it to Apple with proof of ownership, at which point it should be removed.

So, given that we don't have a family member present, or they don't want to bother doing that themselves, is it basically just... garbage? Do we just recycle it at that point? We don't do tablet/ipad physical repair, so theres no point in keeping them for parts.

[lloose]

We often have clientele here who bring in various apple devices, either from deceased family or people who gave it as a gift to others. Often times they are locked to an apple id. Is there any (legal) way to effectively factory reset these to separate them from the id? Or is it just a case of "Sorry, its bricked"

I have a brother in law who runs a phone repair business. I asked him and he laughed saying that 99% of the time its stolen or bought from someone who stole it. They use that "my (insert family member here) passed away and he/she gave me their phone. I need it unlocked but we dont have access to their account". He said most of the time when he says there is no way, they will just leave the phone there and ask him to recycle it even though theres an Apple store across the street at the mall.

He even said that a lot of times people will come in with new phone (think X, XS, or XS Max) but the screen is smashed. They ask to repair it saying they bought it cheap off of craigslist or facebook. When the screen is replaced, they find that the person who sold it to them smashed it because it was icloud locked and they knew they could offload it cheap to someone who would want to repair it. By the time the repair is done, the seller is long gone.

[chazus]

I have a brother in law who runs a phone repair business. I asked him and he laughed saying that 99% of the time its stolen or bought from someone who stole it.

While this is normally true (we actually have SN's that the police report from time to time to keep an eye out for), I'm specifically asking for legitimate things. Some of these are owned by people we (used to) know.

[Onikaroshi]

If they can prove it's their property I don't see why you couldn't factory reset through safe mode... I mean, it's their property, there's nothing illegal about wiping out the whole phone to reinstall iOS.

[vsb]

The official way is via Apple Support. There are various people who claim that they can unlock it for you, but it's probably scam.

[Onikaroshi]

The official way is via Apple Support. There are various people who claim that they can unlock it for you, but it's probably scam.

Gl with apple support, they still claim you can't recover data from dead phones

[Coldkil]

If they can prove it's their property I don't see why you couldn't factory reset through safe mode... I mean, it's their property, there's nothing illegal about wiping out the whole phone to reinstall iOS.

You cannot do it like that. If the iPhone/iPad is iCloud locked, even putting the device in recovery mode and reinstalling the iOS wouldn't net you anything.

The problem is the "Find my iPhone" option, which is activated by default. You actually need to turn that off - if you keep it active, and reset the phone even in the normal way, it will ask you for the Apple ID that was used in the phone before. This happens even if you reinstall everything through iTunes.

That's why there's no way to unlock a phone - it's a literal anti-theft mechanism. If you have access to the account, you can simply turn off the Find my iPhone and log out from the device, then reset it normally. If you don't use those steps, then it will ask you for the Apple ID.

[Temp name]

Gl with apple support, they still claim you can't recover data from dead phones

They claim that, but they can still open them. As long as you can prove ownership

[Soisoisoi]

Had a similiar issue (GF's Nan's Ipad, with GF's brother's email for the apple ID that he's lost).

The long-story short version is, I contacted Apple after trying numerous programmes and methods myself, and they said unless we can get the bank statement from years ago from her [Nan] partner when he bought it for her, it's just a brick. Because even though we have all his [GF's brother] details he can't access the email.

This is why we use Android and not shitty Apple.

[Okayidea]

The official way is via Apple Support. There are various people who claim that they can unlock it for you, but it's probably scam.

Totally agreed,maybe they steal some privacy.

[prostozdravo]

i dont thik is possible, u must talk to apple

[Animalhouse]

I manage 300+ iPads for education in an MDM. Apple security is a NIGHTMARE.
iPads are great for personal use but suck donkey dick in an enterprise environment.

If "delete all content and settings" does not clear the device than your only option is to send to Apple.
Below was my email I sent to staff when we were setting up devices to get on MDM. It needs to be updated but should give you an idea.


“To reset your iPhone or iPad go to Settings > General > Reset and then select Erase All Content and Settings.
After typing in your passcode if you've set one, you'll get a warning box appear, with the option to Erase iPhone (or iPad) in red. Tap this.
You'll need to enter your Apple ID password to confirm the action, then the iPad or iPhone will wipe everything off its storage and go back to the initial setup screen you saw when you first used the device.”
***Make sure you log into WiFi when they finish resetting for the MDM token to be pushed.***

If you cannot get access the iPad to do the reset above than refer to the method below:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204306

Erase your device with recovery mode to remove your passcode
If you've never synced with iTunes or set up Find My iPhone in iCloud, you'll need to use recovery mode to restore your device. This will erase the device and its passcode.
1. Connect your iOS device to your computer and open iTunes. If you don't have a computer, borrow one from a friend, or go to an Apple Retail Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider.
2. While your device is connected, force restart it:
• On an iPhone 8 or iPhone 8 Plus: Press and quickly release the Volume Up button. Then press and quickly release the Volume Down button. Finally, press and hold the Side button until you see the recovery-mode screen.
• On an iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus: Press and hold both the Side and Volume Down buttons at the same time. Keep holding them until you see the recovery-mode screen.
• On an iPhone 6s and earlier, iPad, or iPod touch: Press and hold both the Home and the Top (or Side) buttons at the same time. Keep holding them until you see the recovery-mode screen.

3. When you see the option to Restore or Update, choose Restore.

iTunes will download software for your device. If it takes more than 15 minutes, your device will exit recovery mode and you'll need to repeat steps 2 and 3.
4. Wait for the process to finish. Then you can set up and use your device.


***To this day I am trying to convince education to STOP using icloud accounts since they are not necessary with an MDM where devices are enrolled thru DEP and use VPP to push apps. Education won't listen so I turned the MDM over to them and have practically washed my hands of it. I now mainly advise them and play a support role. When they come to me with "cannot remove icloud account", I laugh and say "send to Apple" with a big smile.***