Help, in plain English

iPhone says “Locked to Owner”: what it means and what to do Why the screen appears after a reset, who can remove it, and the order to try things in. 6 minute read → How to check a second-hand iPhone for Activation Lock before you buy Free checks you can do in person, what to ask the seller, and when a paid check is worth it. 7 minute read → Bought a used iPhone that’s still linked to someone’s Apple ID? What to do when the seller forgot to remove it, step by step, starting with the free options. 6 minute read → Activation Lock removal: what’s real, what’s a scam, and what to expect How to tell a genuine service from a fake one, and the questions to ask before you pay anyone. 7 minute read → Android phone asking for the previous Google account after a reset? What Google’s reset protection is, why a reset doesn’t clear it, and how to get past it the right way. 7 minute read → Is my phone unlocked? How to tell if it’s tied to one network Quick ways to check on an iPhone or Android, what “network locked” means, and how unlocking works. 6 minute read → Apple Watch or iPad locked to someone else’s Apple ID How Activation Lock works on a watch or tablet, and how to get it released by its owner. 6 minute read → Bought a phone that turned out to be blacklisted? Your options What a blacklisted phone is, why it can’t be fixed by a third party, and how to get your money back in the UK or US. 7 minute read → Xiaomi phone asking for a Mi account after a reset Why Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO phones lock after a reset, and the ways to get it released. 6 minute read → What an IMEI check can and can’t tell you What the 15 digits identify, what a free check really shows, and which records need a paid lookup. 6 minute read → iCloud unlock near me: a phone shop or an online service? What a high-street shop can really do about Activation Lock, what to ask before you hand over a phone, and when going online makes more sense. 6 minute read → “Register your IMEI to unlock iCloud”: why those sites are a scam Apple doesn’t unlock phones through an IMEI register. How these sites work, what they’re really after, and what to do if you’ve already used one. 5 minute read → How to check a used Android phone for Google lock before you buy The in-person test that shows whether a Samsung or other Android phone is still tied to the seller’s Google account, and the other checks worth doing. 6 minute read → Selling or giving away a phone? Remove your accounts first How to sign out of your Apple ID or Google account and reset the phone properly, so the next owner isn’t locked out, and what to do if it’s already gone. 6 minute read → Forgot your iPhone passcode? Your options, in order What to do when the screen says iPhone Unavailable, from the one route that keeps your data to the resets that don’t, and the Apple Account step that comes after. 7 minute read → The locked phone of someone who has died: what families can do How Apple and Google release a late relative’s phone, what they need from you, and what can and can’t be recovered from it. 8 minute read → “This device is locked”: finance locks, company phones and scam warnings How to tell a lender’s payment lock from a company management lock or a fake police warning, and who can lift each one. 7 minute read → “SIM not supported”, “Invalid SIM”, “PUK”: what each SIM message means Every common SIM error on iPhone and Android, what it tells you, and whether the fix is a restart, a new SIM, a code from your network or an unlock. 7 minute read →