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Apple Removes Tool to Check if an iPhone or iPad is Activation Locked
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So Apple apparently CAN unlock phones that are activation locked, even though they tell everybody who has lost their passwords that they can't. I lost my iCloud account recently, because my recovery password wouldn't work. We are still not sure what happened there, Apple wasn't sure either but couldn't really help. Luckily my thousands of dollars worth of iTunes purchases was under another Apple ID, and I've been able to start rescuing the notes and pictures off of an iPad that still is logged into that iCloud.
That's a good excuse Apple can use. Their solution will be people going to a physical Apple store to check serial numbers. Hackers can't repeatedly check numbers with that method and Apple can get a cut of used iPhone sales by charging a $10 service fee. Win-Win. Tim is a genius.
Password protect the EFI so they can't boot into Recovery mode or off an alternative disk.
So someone has to spend all afternoon at the Apple Store instead of 10 seconds at her house to figure out if the device is iCloud locked or not.
Obviously there is a reason Apple does this and that and a lot of times they have good intentions but lately they are behind the ball and Apple does not wear that well. They also fail to communicate due to their secrecy policy and lately their public reasons are too weak and nobody buys it.
Wow. This news was like a day or two late. Haha. iCloud activation lock status page gone?
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?sh...-lock-status-page-gone?.2029898/&share_type=t
I've been using this site.
http://www.imeipro.info/check_imei_iphone.html
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?sh...-lock-status-page-gone?.2029898/&share_type=t
I've been using this site.
http://www.imeipro.info/check_imei_iphone.html
I didn't realize that topic was listed in the article. Thanks for the info. That explains what's happening to a a few of the phones I've purchased. I bought about 1000 last year and a few owners swore that they erased their iCloud. Last month was the first time one of my phones that I reset showed up with an activation lock suddenly. Companies that spend a certain amount of money with Apple, say a half million dollars, get access to service tools such as GSX for submitting service requests and verifying IMEI/SN status. Some of those companies use their tools to solicit business from the thousands of independent phone repair/resale/service companies. A few simple GSX checks are free if you google them, which include FMI checks.
You're saying if I buy a new phone; reset it for resale and find it's activation locked with an unknown ID; and then, having thrown away my original receipt, proceed to produce a fake receipt, that constitutes immoral behavior?
You're saying if I buy a new phone; reset it for resale and find it's activation locked with an unknown ID; and then, having thrown away my original receipt, proceed to produce a fake receipt, that constitutes immoral behavior?
or they got sued by people saying that they used it and ended up buying a bad used phone.
The liability potential seems like it could be fairly high for Apple.
Apple could've explained why they removed it. Maybe someone working at Apple asked if they should redirect those trying to access the feature to a page explaining why this useful feature was removed and the guy in charge said why the fudge would we do that, we're Apple. Let them guess about it on MacRumors.
Probably because admitting to being hacked or having a security issue is probably the worst thing you can do in terms of PR as a huge tech company right now. Apple, rightly, has a reputation as being amongst the most safe and secure products and platforms available to the general consumer. Of course they want to protect that reputation. We on MacRumors are a tiny little minority. Most Apple customers don't even know the tool existed, so coming out with a press release explaining why would be like shooting themselves in the foot.
OK, so know we know why they took it down. Apparently the serial number in an IOS device can be changed. Theives will make up any random serial number and place then inside a stolen phone but first check if that random number is not that of a reported lost phone.
What is STUPID is that Apple designed their phone with a changeable serial number. That SN needs to be recorded using fused links, This kind of memory has a "destruct" feature in the part that does the writing. SO at the factory that write the SN then burn up the part of the chip that does the writing, like blowing a fuse. I bet not doing this saved Apple 50 cents on each phone.
What is STUPID is that Apple designed their phone with a changeable serial number. That SN needs to be recorded using fused links, This kind of memory has a "destruct" feature in the part that does the writing. SO at the factory that write the SN then burn up the part of the chip that does the writing, like blowing a fuse. I bet not doing this saved Apple 50 cents on each phone.
It's really easy to get serial numbers of brand new apple products, these operations will have people working in retail stores that can supply these, for these the activation locker checker is not needed.
Whatever the reason, it's a shame it was useful.
[doublepost=1485764069][/doublepost]Sounds like it's not an update, as reference to it has been removed, and no need to turn off functionality cause you plan to make the tool look better
This is exactly what happened to me when I was in the midst of selling an iPhone recently. Luckily, a phone call to Apple Support and emailing them my proof of purchase was all it took to "reset" and clear the lock.
Yes.
I'm having to fill in a few blanks because you haven't been explicit.
Based on your posts it sounds like you purchase second hand iPhones, there wouldn't be any need to reset for resale if they were brand new. If a second hand phone is iCloud locked it is quite possibly stolen. In my country that is more than immoral, it's an offence called 'handling stolen goods'.
This is about the 3rd time in the last 2 months that Apple removes a service or feature instead of fixing it?
However justified their motivation is (and we don't know because they never say anything), i see a pattern there. All of you defending Apple, think about this: maybe next time they will remove a feature *you* depend on.
However justified their motivation is (and we don't know because they never say anything), i see a pattern there. All of you defending Apple, think about this: maybe next time they will remove a feature *you* depend on.
How do you fix it? it has a key flaw which is in order to get information you need to give information. Bad people will just use random strings to check which one is available and reprogram the chips in stolen devices and then someone will buy a new iPhone which will be iCloud locked out of the box.
Geolocation. It can be done to an extent that it will make it unfeasible for mass reprogramming iphones while it will be just a minor inconvenience to legit trades. But then Apple was never famous for knowing how to do online services, just hardware.
The means you propose are insufficient and doesn't really fix anything, but require shooting a bird with a canon. Discontinuing this tool statistically will be better.
nice presumption but it's more likely the site is getting abused by resellers and thiefs using it somehow
I used to see it all the time....reseller comes into store with two no power iPhones, as they were likely stolen and then tampered with. Turns out in Apple's system they are still activation locked so they can't be replaced. Reseller makes a phone call, visits a shady IMEI website, and magically activation lock is off and phone can get swapped
