3GS not iCloud locked

[darrylcn]

Hi,

Yes this thread is from 2016, hehe. My 6S Plus was recently swapped out at an Apple Store (yahoo!) without charge. I have a replacement iPhone 5 as well which doesn't match the original IMEI on the iPhone 5 box I have, so I was running IMEIs last evening after seeing a thread here for Apple's lock check. As expected the serials on my 6S Plus and iPhone 5 box show as NOT iCloud locked, whereas my current phones do. I decided to run the serial on my 3GS (which was never replaced and matches box) and it shows as Off for activation lock. It's running iOS 5.1.1, and I've installed Find My iPhone from the App Store. Everything looks signed in, shouldn't it show activation locked too? The chances of me losing it are remote as it's second in line behind my 5 as a garage/shovelling/yard work phone, but I was curious. Thanks!

 

[eyoungren]

Hi,

Yes this thread is from 2016, hehe. My 6S Plus was recently swapped out at an Apple Store (yahoo!) without charge. I have a replacement iPhone 5 as well which doesn't match the original IMEI on the iPhone 5 box I have, so I was running IMEIs last evening after seeing a thread here for Apple's lock check. As expected the serials on my 6S Plus and iPhone 5 box show as NOT iCloud locked, whereas my current phones do. I decided to run the serial on my 3GS (which was never replaced and matches box) and it shows as Off for activation lock. It's running iOS 5.1.1, and I've installed Find My iPhone from the App Store. Everything looks signed in, shouldn't it show activation locked too? The chances of me losing it are remote as it's second in line behind my 5 as a garage/shovelling/yard work phone, but I was curious. Thanks!

It shows correct.

iCloud Activation Lock did not come as a security feature until iOS 7. If the iPhone cannot run iOS 7, and the 3GS can't, then it won't show as iCloud locked.

 

[darrylcn]

Ok. Was thinking it was an iOS limited thing. That's kind of crazy looking at it from today's perspective. Does that mean anyone could find an old phone and just overwrite the iOS version and be good to use it?

 

[eyoungren]

Ok. Was thinking it was an iOS limited thing. That's kind of crazy looking at it from today's perspective. Does that mean anyone could find an old phone and just overwrite the iOS version and be good to use it?

Well, not overwrite. But with iOS 6 and below all you have to do is a restore of the phone to wipe any PIN code on the lockscreen.

That's why Apple introduced iCloud Activation Lock with iOS 7. Since the iPhone 4 is capable of running iOS 7 it means the iPhone 4 all the way to the iPhone 7 can have this feature.

Not too many people in developed countries using the 3GS as a primary phone anymore - relatively anyway.

 

[darrylcn]

For sure. Makes sense. Thanks for the insight.