Is there a free way to remove Activation Lock?

Yes, two of them. The person whose Apple ID is on the phone can remove it from their account at any time, and Apple will look at a request from the owner if they have the original proof of purchase. Websites offering a free unlock are a different matter. They tend to end in a payment, a download or a survey, and none of them can switch off the lock on Apple’s side.

Do I need to give anyone my Apple ID password?

No. No genuine removal service needs your Apple ID password, and you should never type it into any site that isn’t apple.com or icloud.com. A site asking for it is trying to take over your account.

What does “permanent” iCloud removal mean?

It should mean the lock has been removed from Apple’s records, so it doesn’t come back after a reset or an update. Ask the service how they do it. If the answer involves software you run on a computer, it’s probably a bypass, which can stop working.

Can every iPhone have the lock removed?

No, and nobody honest will promise that. Whether a request can go ahead depends on the model, how the lock was set and the phone’s status. A phone that has been reported lost or stolen should be refused outright.

How long does removal take?

It varies with the phone and the route. Some requests finish within minutes, others take a day or two, and some can’t go ahead at all. Be wary of anyone who gives a fixed time without checking your phone first.

Can a phone shop near me do it?

Some shops will send the request on to the same kind of supplier an online service uses, and some offer bypass tools. Ask them the same questions you would ask a website: what they check first, what happens if it doesn’t work, and whether they need proof the phone is yours.

Guide

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 Facts checked 25 October 2026

Rather not do it yourself? Let us handle it.

Type in the IMEI and we check the iPhone first. If Apple ID lock removal applies to it, we take on the request and keep you updated until it’s done.

We check the phone first: whether Activation Lock is on, and whether it’s been reported lost or stolen.
No chasing a seller who has gone quiet, and no back and forth with Apple support.
You send your proof of purchase and photo ID to us once, and we handle the rest.
We keep you updated by email at every step.
If we try and it can’t be done, the full fix fee becomes store credit.

Enter your IMEI number

It’s a 15-digit number. You can find it in Settings › General › About, or by dialling *#06#.

Where do I find my IMEI?

$9.99

Paid once. You won’t pay anything else unless you choose a fix.

Results by email
No obligation to buy a fix
Secure card payment

The check costs $9.99. If the fix applies to your phone, it’s $49.99, and you choose whether to go ahead after you’ve seen your results.

If an iPhone is asking for an Apple ID you don’t have, you’ll soon find websites offering to remove the lock for a fee. Some are genuine. Many are not, and a few are there to take your money or your account details. This guide explains what can really be done, how to tell the difference, and what to ask before you pay anyone, including us.

What you’re trying to remove

Activation Lock is part of Find My. When it’s on, the iPhone is tied to the Apple ID that set it up, and after a reset it won’t let anyone use it until that Apple ID and password are entered. The lock is held on Apple’s servers, not just on the phone, which is why resetting the phone again doesn’t clear it.

If you’re looking at a screen that says “iPhone Locked to Owner”, our guide on what that screen means walks through it step by step.

The routes that genuinely work

There are three ways the lock comes off for good. Try them in this order, because the first two cost nothing.

The owner removes it

Whoever’s Apple ID is on the phone can sign in at icloud.com, open Find Devices, choose the phone and remove it from their account. They don’t need the phone with them. If you bought it second-hand, this is the quickest fix by far.
Ask Apple, with proof of purchase

If the phone is yours but you can’t get into the Apple ID, Apple will look at an Activation Lock request from the owner. They usually want the original receipt showing the phone’s serial number or IMEI. A receipt from a private seller is unlikely to be enough.
A paid removal service

Some services send removal requests through supplier channels. Whether a request goes through depends on the phone’s model and status, so nobody can promise a result. A genuine service will check your phone first and tell you plainly if it can’t help.

Bought the phone and the seller left their Apple ID on it? Our guide to getting a used iPhone released covers how to approach the seller and what to do if they won’t answer.

Doing it yourself, or letting us handle it

Doing it yourself

Find whoever owns the Apple ID and get them to remove the phone at iCloud.com.
If that’s not possible, track down the original receipt from Apple, a network or a big retailer, showing the serial number or IMEI.
Fill in Apple’s request at al-support.apple.com and upload it. Every request is checked by hand, and replies often take a week or more.
If the phone is in Lost Mode, or managed by a company or school, Apple won’t remove the lock at all.
If Apple says no, you’re left sorting the genuine paid services from the scams on your own, which is what most of this guide is about.
Before you pay anyone, check the phone hasn’t been reported lost or stolen.

Letting us handle it

Type in the IMEI and pay for the check.
See your results straight away, with the fix and its price if one applies.
Choose the fix, send your documents once, and we take it from there.

Let us handle it

Removal and “bypass” are different

You’ll see the word bypass used a lot, sometimes as if it means the same thing as removal. It doesn’t.

Removal means the lock is gone from Apple’s records. You can set the phone up with your own Apple ID, update it and reset it, and the lock won’t come back.

A bypass is software that gets you past the lock screen without removing the lock. It usually works only on older iPhone models. The phone is often only partly usable afterwards, for example without calls, mobile data or iCloud, and an update or a restore can put the lock straight back.

Ask which one you’re paying for

If a service needs you to install something on a computer and plug the phone in, it’s almost certainly a bypass. That can be what you want for an old phone, but you should know before you pay.

How the scams work

Most of the trouble comes from a handful of tricks that show up again and again.

Sites dressed up as Apple. They use Apple-style pages and addresses with “icloud” or “unlock” in them, and ask you to “register your IMEI” to get the phone unlocked. Apple’s own sites end in apple.com or icloud.com. Apple doesn’t unlock phones by registering an IMEI.
Asking for an Apple ID password. Some fake pages copy Apple’s sign-in screen. Anything you type goes to whoever runs the site.
“Free” unlocks. The tool is free until the last step, which asks for a payment, a download or a list of surveys. The phone stays locked.
Guaranteed success. Results depend on the phone. A site promising every iPhone can be unlocked is telling you something that can’t be true.
Payment you can’t get back. Gift cards, cryptocurrency or a bank transfer to a person’s account leave you with no way to dispute the charge if nothing happens.
Pressure and fake activity. Countdown timers, “only 3 slots left” and pop-ups saying someone just unlocked their phone are there to rush you.

If you’ve already typed your Apple ID into a site like this

Change your Apple ID password straight away from apple.com or the Settings app on a device you trust, and check which devices are signed in to your account.

Genuine service or warning sign?

No single point proves a service is honest, but the more of the left-hand column you can tick, the better.

Signs of a genuine service	Warning signs
Checks your phone before selling you anything	Takes payment first and checks later, or never
Says some phones can’t be helped	Promises every iPhone can be unlocked
Asks you to show the phone is yours	Doesn’t care whose phone it is
Refuses phones reported lost or stolen	Offers to “clean” a blacklisted phone
Card payment, with a refund policy you can read	Gift cards, crypto or bank transfer only
A company name and a way to contact a person	No company details at all
Never asks for your Apple ID password	Asks you to sign in on their site

Questions to ask before you pay

A genuine service will answer these in writing, in plain language, before it takes your money.

What do you check first?

You want to hear that they look at the phone’s records before offering anything, including whether it has been reported lost or stolen.
What happens if it doesn’t work?

Find out whether you get your money back, get credit, or get nothing. Read the refund policy rather than relying on a chat message.
How long does it usually take?

An honest answer is a range, with a note that some phones take longer.
What do you need from me?

Expect the IMEI or serial number, and usually proof the phone is yours. Be suspicious of anything else, especially passwords.
Do you refuse lost or stolen phones?

The only right answer is yes.

What a genuine service asks of you

Because a removal request can only go ahead for the rightful owner, a careful service will put a few steps in your way. That can feel like hassle, but it protects you as well as them.

A check on the phone’s records before any fix is offered.
Proof that the phone is yours, such as the original receipt, plus photo ID.
An honest timeframe, with updates while the request is being worked on.
A clear refusal if the phone has been reported lost or stolen, or is managed by a company or school.

If you’re about to buy a second-hand iPhone rather than fix one, it’s far easier to avoid the problem altogether. Our guide to checking a used iPhone before you buy shows you how.

How we handle it

Here’s how AccessMyPhone works, so you can hold us to the same questions.

We check first. You pay $9.99 for a diagnosis that looks up which lock is on the phone, whether it has been reported lost or stolen and which network it’s tied to.
We only offer a fix if one applies. If the diagnosis shows we can’t help, we say so and suggest what to try instead.
We ask for proof of ownership before working on an Apple ID lock, and we turn away phones reported lost or stolen.
Timeframe: usually instant to 48 hours. Every phone is different, so some take longer, and we can’t guarantee the result.

You can see every price on our prices page, and read how it works from start to finish before you decide. If your iPhone is locked right now, start on our page for people locked out of an iPhone.