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iCloud removal
- Thread starter Hondaboi
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Erasing the drive will not remove a iCloud Find my Mac lockdown. That is stored in system firmware.
That seems a little harsh on used buyers. Is there no way they can make the Mac their own?
It is like this on purpose so if someone steals your Mac and you lock it with iCloud, the Mac is essentially worthless to the thief.
There is no way around it other than maybe some of the skeevy eBay sellers you mentioned. I have seen some posts here that reported success with that.
Honest sellers will make sure their iCloud info is removed from any device before they sell and the buyer can make the device theirs.
If the seller of a Mac has followed the procedures outlined here: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201065 the device will be in a state that it can be used by anyone who can link the device to their AppleID.
Yes. I am worried about buying a used Mac, wiping it clean, and the previous owner logging into iCloud.com and activating Find My Mac...
Not exactly. The FMM info is stored in system firmware (EFI). So even if you erased the drive and reinstalled the OS, the old user could still apply a FMM lockdown.
Code:
nvram -p | grep fmmIf you run the above command in Terminal it will read the FMM info and display it. If FMM is on, you can actually see the name and email associated with the iCloud account in there.
What you want to do to avoid this is setup your own iCloud account and turn on FMM on the new Mac. That would overwrite the previous owners info and replace it with yours, effectively blocking them from locking you out.
IF you buy a used device and connect it to your AppleID, the previous owner can not do anything in regard to Find My Mac once it's associated with your AppleID.
Thanks, so no need to run a command. Easier to just sign in with my iCloud and enable FMM. But if I go on WiFi and their FMM is on, then the whole Mac will reboot and just wipe by itself. If I sign on with mine, and enable FMM, do I leave it on for a few minutes or no need? I want to sign out and do a wipe after I make sure the old owner does not have their iCloud FMM enabled.
I just gave the command for reference. Yeah... if they have enabled the lockdown the moment you get on wifi that thing will be locked.
As soon as you enable it with your account it will override theirs.
As soon as you enable it with your account it will override theirs.
I heard a story about someone buying a Mac on craigslist, bringing it in for service and Apple letting them know it was flagged as stolen. I didn't know Apple got involved, the person also made sure it wasn't reported stolen before making that purchase. Apple has their own internal system but how can I ask them to make sure before I buy a used Mac?
Everything I have ever read says Apple does not do anything to track stolen Mac hardware. Even their own site here just tells you to tell the police.
I know they have a site to check for activation lock on iPhones, but I have not seen anything for Macs.
Yes, but Apple has an internal system. Who can I call at Apple to check on a Mac prior to purchase to make sure it has not been flagged?
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Checked Terminal and entered that code and it said fmm-computer-name Admin some numbers MacBook Pro did not see an email address, just the computer name.
Probably safe to say it is not turned on then. On mine among all the gibberish you can see my full name and email address from the iCloud account.
I will check in Terminal before connecting to WiFi, this would be the safest bet?
In fairness to Apple, they can't be expected to act as law enforcement, and things can be even trickier than that. When a couple split up and one partner goes off with the laptop, while the vengeful other partner reports it as stolen - best not be piggy-in-the-middle in that situation.
Oh I don't disagree. I suspect for some of the reasons you mentioned Apple just does not want to get involved in this.
In the US anyway there is already a national database the police can use to enter and track stolen property, so perhaps Apple sees no need to get involved.