Apple activation lock

Tafkap

Tafkap

Tafkap

Associate
Joined
31 Jul 2003
Posts
217
In a nutshell, there's no way round activation lock is there?

I bid in an auction of airport lost luggage items and got an iPad mini 2 for £50. I have no comeback as it was sold with no liability to the auctioneer and with hindsight I should have done my homework. The lot even said it was icloud protected!

Of course, now I'm an expert on activation lock, having read up on it! There are a plethora of sites out there claiming to unlock for a fee but after visiting a couple of iPad repair shops locally I'm quite sure they're all a scam.

Then again...apparently if you to an Apple Store with proof of purchase they can help you out so there must be a way? Obviously in my situation I can't contact the original owner and even so they could be anywhere in the world.

If I've bought a fifty pound doorstop, I have to wonder why it was in the auction in the first place? I admire the security that Apple put in place and as an owner I'd appreciate it, but activation lock by itself doesn't return the item to it's owner nor help ignorant folk like me who buy second hand.. At this point I'd be quite happy to return the iPad to it's original owner actually..

Have I learnt a harsh lesson? I'll beg at the Apple Store tomorrow anyway and we'll see how they respond!
 
If an item appears in a lost luggage auction, there's a good chance the original owner has claimed for a replacement on their insurance.

At which point, I believe the 'lost' item legally belongs to the insurance company.
 
The owner could have activated lost most, in which case when it powers back on and connects to an open wifi network, it will alert the original owner that it has been found and give its location and perhaps give you a message.

BUT, no there is no way for even Apple to bypass these locks I believe (as long as it is running iOS 8 or later). They don't store the encryption keys necessary, they take privacy and security quite seriously.
 
Well, apparently they can unlock devices if you have a genuine proof of purchase but I therefore didn't get anywhere. A lesson for myself and anyone else - you can check the status of a device at icloud.com by typing in the serial number.

No lost message on it so I can't even speak to the original owner. Oh well!
 
Tafkap said:
Well, apparently they can unlock devices if you have a genuine proof of purchase but I therefore didn't get anywhere. A lesson for myself and anyone else - you can check the status of a device at icloud.com by typing in the serial number.

No lost message on it so I can't even speak to the original owner. Oh well!
Click to expand...

Ah I've looked into it more and I think you are correct.

I guess Apple can't bypass the lock screen lock, but Activation lock is a system that is held by them server side and they can push through authorisation.

I think you are out of luck!
 
Activation locked devices are useless except for parts. Every bit of that iPad other than the logic board is still usable.
 
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