Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

LeoI07

macrumors member
Jul 8, 2021
56
45
Why would we sue for something that protects us?

Or are you an iPhone thief and it affects you directly? I bet that's it.
Activation Lock essentially bricks devices that were discarded without signing out of one's Apple ID. The issue is that Apple doesn't give you an opportunity to contact the owner it's locked to and ask them to unlock it. You either need to enter their Apple ID credentials, or provide Apple with proof of purchase to get them to remove it.

If I remember correctly, Apple has this online form that allows you to send them proof of purchase to get Activation Lock removed. Perhaps this form could be updated with an alternative option - to allow you to anonymously (or maybe with your location) contact the original owner of a device and give them the option to remove it from their account.
 

splifingate

macrumors 68000
Nov 27, 2013
1,921
1,711
ATL
Activation Lock essentially bricks devices that were discarded without signing out of one's Apple ID. The issue is that Apple doesn't give you an opportunity to contact the owner it's locked to and ask them to unlock it. You either need to enter their Apple ID credentials, or provide Apple with proof of purchase to get them to remove it.

If I remember correctly, Apple has this online form that allows you to send them proof of purchase to get Activation Lock removed. Perhaps this form could be updated with an alternative option - to allow you to anonymously (or maybe with your location) contact the original owner of a device and give them the option to remove it from their account.

Used advanced Account Recovery after my Dad passed . . . it took about 15 days to get the Device unlocked. I was unsuccessful with the other.

I really appreciate just how difficult it is to get a device unlocked . . . if I were alive (which, interestingly, I am) I'd be right-miffed if someone were able to easily switch things over.
 

Tyler.Schmaltz

macrumors member
Jan 23, 2004
61
79
Velva
I manage over 1000 apple devices at a local college for 14+ years and we have never had a activation lock issue. 90% of devices owned by businesses and education people setup their devices in a MDM, even apple used to provide a free mdm for apple server people. The mdm has features to bypass activation lock if the device was setup as a managed device in a MDM and using apple business manager or apple school manager. For the devices that are older and were not setup on a MDM, if you purchased the device directly from apple there is a form you fill out to get the device unlocked but you have to show proof of purchase and a receipt etc. Its on you if you bought a second hand apple product not to verify its unlocked before you purchased it. Also you dont need the person who originally owned and logged into icloud to come physically unlock the device. They can log into icloud.com and remove the device from find my and the activation lock will be removed. Just need to factory reset the device and when it checks back into apple servers on setup the activation lock will be removed. You know how much a bigger target apple users would be for theft if activation lock could just be willy nilly removed.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.