How To Bypass Activation Lock on iPhone
Last Updated on April 25, 2023 by Jack Robertson
It’s very appealing to buy a secondhand iPhone or other iDevices with a very pleasing price. However, it comes with risks, and Activation Lock is one of these risks.
Once you have an iPhone with Activation Lock, you cannot use the iPhone anymore since you’re completely locked out of it. To take advantage of the iPhone, we need to remove or bypass the Activation Lock.
To remove or bypass Activation Lock, we must know what that is first. Then, we will focus on some possible methods.
Navigation:
What is Activation Lock
Activation Lock is a security feature developed by Apple Inc. to protect an iDevice from missing and stealing. An Activation Lock will be triggered by the Apple server through the registered Apple ID under the following 2 scenarios:
- An iPhone is missing or stolen with Find My iPhone enabled.
An iPhone owner can simply and manually enable the lock on the device through iCloud when the device is missing or stolen. Whoever finds or steals the iPhone cannot have access to it or use it normally, because the lock can only be resolved by entering the registered Apple ID and password.
- An iPhone is reset incompletely.
Normally, we can reset an iPhone completely with iTunes & iCloud or through iPhone Settings. The Apple server will not trigger an Activation Lock since the Apple ID is removed.
However, if someone resets an iPhone with a non-Apple program, the Apple ID will most likely remain. The Apple server will detect the incomplete reset and define it as an unauthorized action, moreover, the Apple server will enable an Activation Lock automatically through the remained Apple ID.
Now you know what is Activation Lock, and how it is triggered. Next, we will move to how to bypass it.
Method 1 Remove Activation Lock with Apple ID and Password
If you’ve received a used iPhone with Activation Lock, you can ask the previous owner to remove it for you.
Or, if the owner is far away from you, you can ask him/her to unlock the iPhone through iCloud. You can show the following steps to the owner.
Step 1 Log in to iCloud.com
Enter your Apple ID and password to log in to iCloud.com.
Step 2 Erase the device
On iCloud.com, go to Devices, and click on the icon of the device. Choose Erase iPhone.
Step 3 Remove the device from the Apple account
After iCloud erases the device, click Remove From Account.
After the 3 steps, the previous owner can help you unlock the device remotely.
Tips:
What to do when you cannot contact the owner?
Take all the things that can prove you’re the current owner of the iPhone, like a receipt, the IMEI number or serial number, and go to the local Apple Store. Apple Store will remove the Activation Lock for free when you have proven yourself the owner of the iPhone.
Method 2 Bypass Activation Lock with Screen Passcode
If you happen to know or remember the previous screen passcode before the iPhone is reset, you can remove the Activation Lock with the previous screen passcode.
Step 1 Power on the iDevice
Take out the iPhone that has an Activation Lock, and power it on.
Step 2 Unlock with the previous passcode
If you are the one who reset the iPhone with a non-Apple program, you can remove the Activation Lock with the former lock screen passcode.
On the Activation Lock screen, you’re supposed to see an option “Unlock With Passcode“. This is an option for those who forget their password and happen to remember the screen passcode to unlock the iPhone.
Tap on the option, and enter the screen passcode that the device used to have before the reset. Then, the lock will be solved, and you can regain access to the iPhone.
Method 3 Bypass Activation Lock via iBypasser without Password & Previous Owner
You can also apply third-party software to bypass the Activation Lock. Currently, there are only a few programs that help bypass the Activation Lock, Tenorshare 4Mekey is one of them.
4Mekey will jailbreak your device and after the jailbreak, iBypasser will start to cut off the connection between the iPhone and the Apple server.
In this way, the Activation Lock will be blocked and you can use the iPhone normally.
With iBypasser’s effort, the Activation Lock will most likely be blocked and you can have access to the iDevice.
Now, let’s see how to bypass the Activation Lock with 4Mekey.
Step 1 Download 4Mekey on your Windows
Step 2 Launch the software
Launch it, click Start, and 4Mekey will display the risks of bypassing the Activation Lock, tick I HAVE READ AND AGREED THE AGREEMENT when you’re OK with the consequences.
Connect your iPhone to your PC with a USB cable.
Step 3 Jailbreak your device
On 4Mekey’s interface, follow the onscreen instruction and jailbreak your iPhone device.
Click the Jailbreak Tutorial to read the step-by-step guide of how to jailbreak your iPhone.
Step 4 Bypass Activation Lock Screen
When you finish jailbreaking your device, click Start Remove on 4Mekey. it will instantly start to bypass the Activation Lock screen.
The process will take only a while to complete.
When the process is done, click Done, and the Activation Lock on your iPhone will be disabled. You can now set up your iPhone and use it.
Note：
- When the lock is bypassed, the iPhone can no longer detect and use a SIM card, therefore, you cannot use the iPhone to make phone calls or send text messages. But you can still connect your device to a WiFi network.
- When the process is done, you can log in to your Apple ID on App Store and download apps. But you cannot use iCloud anymore.
- The Activation Lock screen will appear again if you reset your device after bypassing. You can use 4Mekey to bypass again.
Now, you know how to bypass or remove Activation Lock on your iPhone without a password or the previous owner’s help, try solving the problem on your own. And hopefully, you can unlock it and enjoy the time with your iPhone.