Company Defective Business Phone Apple ID Locked.

[SimplyiOS]

Please stop giving out incorrect information, you clearly have no experience in this area. If the device is unable to power on or water damaged, the activation lock can still be seen as active based on a serial/imei lookup.

You WILL be asked to remove the activation lock before a replacement can take place. In fact there is NO way to bypass this when going through the replacement screen for the staff until it has been removed from the account/activation lock. Like someone mentioned earlier, the lock can be removed from your account online at icloud.com, until that takes place, you will not get a replacement device.

because they're not doing what i said..

if you go into the store with the phone ON, then the genius bar will be able to see it's activation locked.

if you go with it off, and impossible for the phone to turn on, then they won't see anything and you can get it replaced for $269.

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just stop talking..

 

[scaredpoet]

Before iOS7 there was no need to keep everyones apple ID because i simply just wiped the phone and gave it to the next user. Spoke with the higher ups on it and we'll probably end up stopping support on apple devices as we're simply too lazy to implement proper IT device support policies.

Fixed that for ya.

Even if we do keep a log of every persons apple ID and password, they could easily change it if they wanted.

Not only is this something you shouldn't be doing, you don't HAVE to do it. Solutions for your issue that are policy related have already been suggested, including making the employee deactivate Find My iPhone while their boss or designated HR person watches. If they don't do it, it's the same scenario as if they destroyed the phone or refused to turn it in, and should be treated similarly.

Or you could implement a BYOD policy. What a smartphone? Buy it yourself. If the employee moves on or gets fired, there won't be any need to recover property you didn't buy for them.

You can't turn find my phone off if the phone doesn't power on.

Your story keeps changing on this. First, the phone was just powering off on its own now and then. Now you're saying it won't power on.

 

[GoCoogs]

Fixed that for ya.



Not only is this something you shouldn't be doing, you don't HAVE to do it. Solutions for your issue that are policy related have already been suggested, including making the employee deactivate Find My iPhone while their boss or designated HR person watches. If they don't do it, it's the same scenario as if they destroyed the phone or refused to turn it in, and should be treated similarly.

Or you could implement a BYOD policy. What a smartphone? Buy it yourself. If the employee moves on or gets fired, there won't be any need to recover property you didn't buy for them.



Your story keeps changing on this. First, the phone was just powering off on its own now and then. Now you're saying it won't power on.

You've clearly never worked with multi million dollar business before. After reading a BYOD policy suggestion, there's honestly no point in a discussion. If we could save the million+ dollars a month we spend on the phone bill if BYOD was an option, likely we would have taken it. We're clearly on two different thinking terms. But thanks for your input.

 

[balzz]

You've clearly never worked with multi million dollar business before. After reading a BYOD policy suggestion, there's honestly no point in a discussion. If we could save the million+ dollars a month we spend on the phone bill if BYOD was an option, likely we would have taken it. We're clearly on two different thinking terms. But thanks for your input.

Seems to work with for a multi billion dollar business (Cisco) *shrug*

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304244904579278560822979176

 

[acfusion29]

Please stop giving out incorrect information, you clearly have no experience in this area. If the device is unable to power on or water damaged, the activation lock can still be seen as active based on a serial/imei lookup.

You WILL be asked to remove the activation lock before a replacement can take place. In fact there is NO way to bypass this when going through the replacement screen for the staff until it has been removed from the account/activation lock. Like someone mentioned earlier, the lock can be removed from your account online at icloud.com, until that takes place, you will not get a replacement device.

okay.. keep thinking that

 

[blarivee]

OP already said he's going to be a guinea pig and try it out at the Apple store Let's hear what he has to say after he's tried it. I for one am curious, although if he manages to get it exchanged without deactivating AL, I suspect the no way people will say that particular Genius was not following protocol.

PS: OP I apologize if I addressed by by the wrong gender. I will edit the correct gender if you inform me.

Aside, for those with BYOD policy. If you start using your own device for company related stuff and there was an investigation, does that mean your own device could be collected as evidence?

 

[Thepoobear]

Does your multi million dollar company (aren't most companies worth a few million?) know you are spending this much time devoted to a locked iPhone?

I'd be pissed if my IT guys were spending their time on a forum, trying to get around activation lock rather than trashing the phone and getting other stuff done.

Honestly man, leave it alone. You guys fired the dude and failed to handle this correctly. Write up a policy so it doesn't happen again and move on.

 

[sxiss]

Lol, no, they won't.

And they will definitely in the most cases!

You call AppleCare, you will explain them the situation, that the device is locked to some Apple ID and that you don't know the password, they will escalate the case to the second level, they will double check it and forward your case to another department, within 2-10 days the device is unlocked.
Important here is, you need to have the device registered to yourself and you need to have a proof that it is your device (invoice) and be able to submit it to Apple.

And this is something I know for sure

 

[I7guy]

And they will definitely in the most cases!

You call AppleCare, you will explain them the situation, that the device is locked to some Apple ID and that you don't know the password, they will escalate the case to the second level, they will double check it and forward your case to another department, within 2-10 days the device is unlocked.
Important here is, you need to have the device registered to yourself and you need to have a proof that it is your device (invoice) and be able to submit it to Apple.

And this is something I know for sure

So I can do this with any phone I buy from eBay, even if it's activation locked?

 

[sxiss]

So I can do this with any phone I buy from eBay, even if it's activation locked?

The recommended way is of course to contact the owner of the Apple ID (if you know who it is) and ask them to log in on iCloud.com and remove the device from there to disable the Activation Lock, so you can use it.

But if you are unable / or it is not possible, then when you are the owner and you can prove it with the invoice (needs to include date/seller/serial) than you can do it. As mentioned, in the most cases it will be approved or they will tell you a reason why it can not be approved.

The only limitation is, if the device is in Lost Mode, then even Apple can not assist you.

 

[I7guy]

The recommended way is of course to contact the owner of the Apple ID (if you know who it is) and ask them to log in on iCloud.com and remove the device from there to disable the Activation Lock, so you can use it.

But if you are unable / or it is not possible, then when you are the owner and you can prove it with the invoice (needs to include date/seller/serial) than you can do it. As mentioned, in the most cases it will be approved or they will tell you a reason why it can not be approved.

The only limitation is, if the device is in Lost Mode, then even Apple can not assist you.

If it was this easy or common knowledge the countless threads that exist on "bypassing activation lock" would cease to exist. Right?

 

[sxiss]

If it was this easy or common knowledge the countless threads that exist on "bypassing activation lock" would cease to exist. Right?

If they are searching for answers on the net, instead of trying to call AppleCare...
Even that maybe not all advisors at Apple know this, but they should.
I am definitely sure, after iOS 7 they had a lot of calls related to this.

It just my personal experience with Apple and they solved it like this, so that is why I expect, they handle it like this with most of the cases.
The advisor at Apple told me this informations and the fact, that my brother can now use the iPhone he bought second hand is the proof

 

[I7guy]

If they are searching for answers on the net, instead of trying to call AppleCare...
Even that maybe not all advisors at Apple know this, but they should.
I am definitely sure, after iOS 7 they had a lot of calls related to this.

It just my personal experience with Apple and they solved it like this, so that is why I expect, they handle it like this with most of the cases.
The advisor at Apple told me this informations and the fact, that my brother can now use the iPhone he bought second hand is the proof

Well that's a good to know in case I ever forget my apple id

 

[cynics]

In regards to withholding a paycheck you need to be careful and look into the state laws. In some states that is highly illegal. Why being a good practice in general doesn't make it right. Even a contract signed by an employee during the hiring process doesn't trumph state law.

It would need to be pursued in court in the employee is still withholding company property or in this case keeping a device from operating.

 

[scaredpoet]

You've clearly never worked with multi million dollar business before.

You clearly are a woefully poor judge of what other people do for a living, not to mention someone who is clearly suggesting their britches are a lot bigger than they truly are.

After reading a BYOD policy suggestion, there's honestly no point in a discussion.

Oh, there's plenty point in discussion, especially considering that many businesses, quite a few of which are multi-bilion-dollar enterprises, are effectively managing both enterprise-bought and BYOD iOS devices, while using remote management and activation lock to their advantage, rather than viewing it as a non-starter.

And when one bothers to read a little, it's clear than even a mom and pop shop like yourself can do it.

But, Then there are companies who are set in their ways, refuse to be agile much less innovative, and will not adapt. This is why Blackberry is still around.


Anyway, best of luck on your device strategy.

 

[I7guy]

You clearly are a woefully poor judge of what other people do for a living, not to mention someone who is clearly suggesting their britches are a lot bigger than they truly are.



Oh, there's plenty point in discussion, especially considering that many businesses, quite a few of which are multi-bilion-dollar enterprises, are effectively managing both enterprise-bought and BYOD iOS devices, while using remote management and activation lock to their advantage, rather than viewing it as a non-starter.

And when one bothers to read a little, it's clear than even a mom and pop shop like yourself can do it.

But, Then there are companies who are set in their ways, refuse to be agile much less innovative, and will not adapt. This is why Blackberry is still around.


Anyway, best of luck on your device strategy.

Except that the blackberry solution is a more unified and better implemented strategy and provides extremely granular detail of phone policies.

 

[CellTalent]

okay.. keep thinking that

Sorry but you are misinformed. EVEN IF the phone does not power on or is smashed to a pancake Apple will NOT replace it for a OOW claim until you remove the device from the original iCloud account if findmyiphone is enabled. When they process the claim they simply lookup the IMEI which is located on the back of the phone or if you try to be sneaky and scratch it off, the serial number is printed on the logic board so they just need to open up the screen to see it. Once they look it up in their system a big box will immediately come up saying find my iPhone is enabled and they will not do anything with it, PERIOD.

The only way around it is IF you are the ORIGINAL owner meaning you purchased it from an authorized dealer ie. Apple, carrier location, Walmart, etc. NOT ebay and have proof of purchase which shows the IMEI on it. Then you can call up AppleCare and talk to a senior advisor and it will be escalated to a specialist who will then remove. This takes a lot of time and hassle but will eventually be done.

Because OP's company is supposedly the purchaser then it is easy for him to get proof and take care of it or as he also said he has the users email, then he can get the apple id password through the email and remove it himself by logging into iCloud.com.

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If they are searching for answers on the net, instead of trying to call AppleCare...
Even that maybe not all advisors at Apple know this, but they should.
I am definitely sure, after iOS 7 they had a lot of calls related to this.

It just my personal experience with Apple and they solved it like this, so that is why I expect, they handle it like this with most of the cases.
The advisor at Apple told me this informations and the fact, that my brother can now use the iPhone he bought second hand is the proof

Wow your brother is very lucky as I have seen hundreds of cases denied, may I ask where he bought it used that had a receipt that showed the IMEI number on it?

 

[scaredpoet]

Except that the blackberry solution is a more unified and better implemented strategy and provides extremely granular detail of phone policies.

It's all perspective and marketing, and someone who's bought into the hype is often not easily persuaded. Especially when they can recite the marketing buzzwords.

Still, buzzwords have little substance. No one yet has been able to explicit tell me what exactly is "better implemented" about BlackBerry's "strategy," whatever that may be. Some even parrot that Blackberry is "more secure," yet can't explain why that is. And what exactly is more "granular" about Blackberry MDM than an Exchange-based profile, or iOS configuration policies? And even if you insist that Blackberry's "strategy" and "granularity" are "better," then shouldn't iOS devices still be in the picture, since Blackberry's enterprise management software also supports iOS?

There is no doubt that in the early 2000s, these arguments, though thin on substance, were still valid. Of course the only platform with any security encryption or security polices was "more secure." Of course having any mobile device management system at all, would be "more granular" than no MDM policy whatsoever. But Blackberry isn't an "only" in these arenas anymore, even though they haven't bothered to change the marketing fluff to reflect that.

Fewer available features, a dearth of apps, and an outdated OS if you're one of the 3 out of 4 Blackberry users still buying BBOS7 devices, to me does not translate to nor get balanced out by this "better implemented strategy."

 

[acfusion29]

Sorry but you are misinformed. EVEN IF the phone does not power on or is smashed to a pancake Apple will NOT replace it for a OOW claim until you remove the device from the original iCloud account if findmyiphone is enabled. When they process the claim they simply lookup the IMEI which is located on the back of the phone or if you try to be sneaky and scratch it off, the serial number is printed on the logic board so they just need to open up the screen to see it. Once they look it up in their system a big box will immediately come up saying find my iPhone is enabled and they will not do anything with it, PERIOD.

The only way around it is IF you are the ORIGINAL owner meaning you purchased it from an authorized dealer ie. Apple, carrier location, Walmart, etc. NOT ebay and have proof of purchase which shows the IMEI on it. Then you can call up AppleCare and talk to a senior advisor and it will be escalated to a specialist who will then remove. This takes a lot of time and hassle but will eventually be done.

Because OP's company is supposedly the purchaser then it is easy for him to get proof and take care of it or as he also said he has the users email, then he can get the apple id password through the email and remove it himself by logging into iCloud.com.

i just looked at my iCloud account and ALL of my iPhone's are located there (including the ones that have been replaced under warranty), not one time was i asked to remove this from my iCloud account before getting a replacement.

do you see how dumb you sound now? you're the misinformed one, not me.

 

[bmac4]

It's all perspective and marketing, and someone who's bought into the hype is often not easily persuaded. Especially when they can recite the marketing buzzwords.



Still, buzzwords have little substance. No one yet has been able to explicit tell me what exactly is "better implemented" about BlackBerry's "strategy," whatever that may be. Some even parrot that Blackberry is "more secure," yet can't explain why that is. And what exactly is more "granular" about Blackberry MDM than an Exchange-based profile, or iOS configuration policies? And even if you insist that Blackberry's "strategy" and "granularity" are "better," then shouldn't iOS devices still be in the picture, since Blackberry's enterprise management software also supports iOS?



There is no doubt that in the early 2000s, these arguments, though thin on substance, were still valid. Of course the only platform with any security encryption or security polices was "more secure." Of course having any mobile device management system at all, would be "more granular" than no MDM policy whatsoever. But Blackberry isn't an "only" in these arenas anymore, even though they haven't bothered to change the marketing fluff to reflect that.



Fewer available features, a dearth of apps, and an outdated OS if you're one of the 3 out of 4 Blackberry users still buying BBOS7 devices, to me does not translate to nor get balanced out by this "better implemented strategy."

So you talk about marketing buzzwords. Isn't Apple king of this? Doesn't Apple use this stuff all the time? Blackberry, Apple, Google, and Microsoft are all the same.

I am in no way a BB fan. I have not owned a BB since 2007. With that said. All these things you say BB are not the only business in town anymore. Could you please tell me how Apple is doing it more securely? While the OPs problem does not really describe a security flaw. What it does bring up is a very big security issue for a lot of business. Sure companies need to write new policies for iOS 7, but that does not change the fact that it makes it much harder for companies to use iOS 7. Sure you make a policy that says if they don't removed the their lock they have destroyed company property, but that want stop people from leaving the phone lock to their account and leaving. If big companies are constantly having to consider iPhones bricks because the can't use them. They are going to have some major issues.

I know BB is not what it once was, but I don't see Apple being this huge security increase for companies. Sure they offer more in the way of features, but over all security. I just don't see it.

 

[960design]

Chock it up to lesson learned and begin issuing company Apple IDs for your devices. I've issued over 2200 Apple IDs so far for the very reason you state.

Also supervise the device, Do not allow any mac sync, and turn off account changes via MDM or manually if you really like tapping glass.

Good luck.

 

[sxiss]

Wow your brother is very lucky as I have seen hundreds of cases denied, may I ask where he bought it used that had a receipt that showed the IMEI number on it?

It was in Switzerland, it was bought trough Ebay and got it with invoice (bought from carrier Swisscom), when we tried to activate it, we were asked for the Apple ID password, so we tried to contact the seller, but he never answered, tried Google, as well no good solution there, so we tried at least AppleCare and they were able to help us. After one week the activation lock was removed and we were able to use it.

 

[I7guy]

Still, buzzwords have little substance. No one yet has been able to explicit tell me what exactly is "better implemented" about BlackBerry's "strategy," whatever that may be.

You may need to do your own research. Talk to a MDM administrator from a company that has both devices.

Some even parrot that Blackberry is "more secure," yet can't explain why that is. And what exactly is more "granular" about Blackberry MDM than an Exchange-based profile, or iOS configuration policies?

You have to look into BES features to understand.

And even if you insist that Blackberry's "strategy" and "granularity" are "better," then shouldn't iOS devices still be in the picture, since Blackberry's enterprise management software also supports iOS?

Does Apples’ MDM manage BB?

There is no doubt that in the early 2000s, these arguments, though thin on substance,

But long on functionality.

were still valid. Of course the only platform with any security encryption or security polices was "more secure." Of course having any mobile device management system at all, would be "more granular" than no MDM policy whatsoever. But Blackberry isn't an "only" in these arenas anymore, even though they haven't bothered to change the marketing fluff to reflect that.

I still don’t understand what Apples MDM is, for we can’t use theirs.

Fewer available features, a dearth of apps, and an outdated OS if you're one of the 3 out of 4 Blackberry users still buying BBOS7 devices, to me does not translate to nor get balanced out by this "better implemented strategy."

Reminds me of the prettiest and most popular girl in high school where beauty was only skin deep. IOS wins the popularity contest, but thankfully better overall technical and more elegant solutions, like BBOS, are out there.

 

[iapplelove]

OP, I would recommend at least trying to talk to Apple about the activation lock. I've heard if you have proof of purchase for the device, and in very specific situations, they are able to unlock it.

Good luck =)

This is false. I still don't understand why people can't grasp the fact that apple can't undo the activation lock under any circumstance.

 

[617aircav]

This is false. I still don't understand why people can't grasp the fact that apple can't undo the activation lock under any circumstance.

I agree with you on this.