Locked out of your iPhone?
If your iPhone is asking for an Apple ID or password you don’t have, it’s almost always a security feature called Activation Lock. It’s there to stop thieves, but it catches out plenty of honest owners too. Here’s what’s going on, and how to get back in.
On an iPhone
- On the “iPhone Locked to Owner” or Activation Lock screen, tap the small ⓘ button. The IMEI is shown there.
- Or pull out the SIM tray. On most iPhones the IMEI is printed on it in tiny writing.
- Or look on the barcode sticker on the box it came in.
On an Android phone
- Tap Emergency call on the lock screen and type *#06#. On most phones the IMEI pops up straight away. Nothing is actually dialled.
- Or look on the sticker under the battery or on the back of the phone.
- Or check the barcode sticker on the original box.
What you’re probably seeing
Activation Lock shows itself in a few ways. Most people see one of these:
“iPhone Locked to Owner”
Appears after the phone has been reset or restored.
“Activation Lock”
Asks for the Apple ID and password that were used on the phone.
An Apple ID you don’t recognise
Shows part of an email address you’ve never used.
Why it happens
When “Find My” is switched on, the iPhone is tied to the Apple ID of whoever set it up. Wiping the phone doesn’t undo that link. That’s deliberate: a stolen iPhone is useless to a thief because they can’t get past this screen.
The trouble is that the same thing happens when someone forgets an old Apple ID, inherits a relative’s phone, or buys a second-hand iPhone from a seller who didn’t sign out first.
Before you pay anyone, try these
Some of the best fixes are free. We’d rather you tried them first:
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1
Reset the Apple ID password
If it’s your own Apple ID and you’ve just forgotten the password, Apple’s account recovery at iforgot.apple.com can get you back in.
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2
Ask the previous owner
If you bought it second-hand, the seller can remove it from their account at iCloud.com in a couple of minutes, without needing the phone.
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3
Ask Apple, if you have the receipt
If you bought it new and kept proof of purchase, Apple can sometimes remove the lock itself.
When none of that works, start with a diagnosis
Our diagnosis reads your iPhone’s records and tells you exactly what you’re dealing with: which lock is on, whether the phone has been reported lost or stolen, and which model it is.
If there’s a fix we can offer for your particular phone, we’ll show you what it costs and how it works before you pay for it. If there isn’t, we’ll tell you that too, and explain why.
Common questions
I’ve only forgotten my screen passcode. Do I need you?
Probably not. A forgotten passcode can be cleared by putting the iPhone into recovery mode and restoring it with a computer, and Apple has a free guide for that. The catch is that this erases the phone, and if Find My was switched on, the phone will then ask for the Apple ID. That second lock is the one we can help you understand.
Will Apple remove Activation Lock for me?
Sometimes, yes, and for free. If you bought the iPhone new and still have the receipt, Apple may remove the lock through its own support request. If that route is open to you, your diagnosis will say so and we’ll recommend it before anything we sell.
I bought the iPhone second-hand. What should I do?
Contact the seller first. If they can sign in to iCloud.com and remove the phone from their account, the lock disappears in minutes and it costs nothing. Our diagnosis is useful when the seller can’t be reached, or when you need to know whether the phone has been reported before deciding what to do.
Will I get my photos and data back?
We can’t recover data, and nobody honest can promise to. If the phone has already been reset, what was on it has gone, unless it was backed up to iCloud or a computer. Getting past the lock gives you a working phone, not the old contents.
What does “iPhone Locked to Owner” mean?
It’s Apple’s newer wording for Activation Lock. The phone is linked to an Apple ID, and it won’t set up until someone signs in with that Apple ID or the link is removed.
Let’s find out what’s locking your iPhone
Start with the IMEI. We’ll do the checking and explain everything we find.
Check my phone