Is iOS 8 Kill Switch tied to Apple ID?

[DEMinSoCAL]

Is the iOS 8 Kill Switch technology based on your Apple ID, or some hardware ID? Does the iPhone have to be configured with the users Apple ID for the user to flip the Kill Switch?

Just wondering if I buy a used iPhone and install iOS 8, can the original owner trigger the kill switch after I have the phone setup for my Apple ID?

 

[BittenApple]

Is the iOS 8 Kill Switch technology based on your Apple ID, or some hardware ID? Does the iPhone have to be configured with the users Apple ID for the user to flip the Kill Switch?

Just wondering if I buy a used iPhone and install iOS 8, can the original owner trigger the kill switch after I have the phone setup for my Apple ID?

The original owner would have to log out of the iPhone and make sure it is not associated with any Apple ID.

You can check whether it has a Apple ID associated with it here
https://www.icloud.com/activationlock/

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

The original owner would have to log out of the iPhone and make sure it is not associated with any Apple ID.

You can check whether it has a Apple ID associated with it here
https://www.icloud.com/activationlock/

If Activation Lock shows ON (using the URL above) does that mean that the "kill switch" has been turned on, or just that the iPhone's Find My iPhone is turned on and associated with an Apple ID account?

 

[C DM]

If Activation Lock shows ON (using the URL above) does that mean that the "kill switch" has been turned on, or just that the iPhone's Find My iPhone is turned on and associated with an Apple ID account?

The latter.

(What exactly is meant by "kill switch" and by it being "turned on" in this context?)

 

[iapplelove]

The latter.

(What exactly is meant by "kill switch" and by it being "turned on" in this context?)

Only thing I can think of by kill switch is to remote wipe the device

 

[sbailey4]

If Activation Lock shows ON (using the URL above) does that mean that the "kill switch" has been turned on, or just that the iPhone's Find My iPhone is turned on and associated with an Apple ID account?

Yes sorta. FindMyPhone and the "kill switch" are both related to the activation lock. A user would have to turn off findmyphone to clear activation lock. So before purchasing a device make sure it is not showing activation locked at the provided URL.

To further answer you, its tied to the ID so once a user turns off FMP and signs it out of iCloud, the device can be erased and setup for the new user/owner.

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The latter.

(What exactly is meant by "kill switch" and by it being "turned on" in this context?)

Only thing I can think of by kill switch is to remote wipe the device

I believe the OP is referring to Activation Lock feature itself as the "kill switch".

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

Yes sorta. FindMyPhone and the "kill switch" are both related to the activation lock. A user would have to turn off findmyphone to clear activation lock. So before purchasing a device make sure it is not showing activation locked at the provided URL.

To further answer you, its tied to the ID so once a user turns off FMP and signs it out of iCloud, the device can be erased and setup for the new user/owner.

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I believe the OP is referring to Activation Lock feature itself as the "kill switch".

I thought Activation Lock was iOS 7 and something newer was incorporated in iOS 8. Maybe they are the same thing, but it's basically the ability to render a iPhone inoperable if lost/stolen.

I went to buy a used iPhone 5s, saw it was not configured with an iCloud account (empty field where the email address would be), we did an erase contents to wipe the phone and I thought I was good, so I paid for it and brought it home. It's for my daughter who has an old iPhone 4.

The previous owner used it on Verizon, but I am AT&T, and since the 5s does both, I tried activating it online through my account at AT&T wireless site. It said there was a problem with the IMEI and to call. I tried putting my SIM card into the 5s and it worked fine. I could call and use the LTE data. I reset the 5s again, and configured it for my daughters Apple ID and restored the phone from her iCloud backup. That's when I checked the Activation Lock was ON for the 5s. I checked my iPhone 6 serial number on the same site, and it says Activation Lock is OFF, but I have Find My iPhone turned on. That's what is confusing. One phone shows on and one shows off, but both have Find My iPhone turned on.

In any case, I researched trimming a micro sim down to a nano sim and did that using the iPhone 4 SIM, and popped it in. Works like a champ. Find my iPhone using my daughters Apple ID locates the phone fine, and doesn't say it's locked (which, of course, it isn't since it's working).

So, I'm just making sure that somehow a previous owner hasn't claimed the phone lost/stolen and maybe Verizon has initiated the Activation Lock status to ON? To be honest, I don't recall seeing the phone go through the activation screens when I set it up with my daughters account on AT&T.

I'm afraid to update to iOS 8.x (it's still on 7) if iOS 8 has something that can lock the phone and render it useless, considering the Activation Lock status says ON.

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Only thing I can think of by kill switch is to remote wipe the device

Here's an article concerning the kill switch feature in iOS 8. Lots of other article if you search the internet for "iPhone Kill Switch".

 

[sbailey4]

I thought Activation Lock was iOS 7 and something newer was incorporated in iOS 8. Maybe they are the same thing, but it's basically the ability to render a iPhone inoperable if lost/stolen.

I went to buy a used iPhone 5s, saw it was not configured with an iCloud account (empty field where the email address would be), we did an erase contents to wipe the phone and I thought I was good, so I paid for it and brought it home. It's for my daughter who has an old iPhone 4.

The previous owner used it on Verizon, but I am AT&T, and since the 5s does both, I tried activating it online through my account at AT&T wireless site. It said there was a problem with the IMEI and to call. I tried putting my SIM card into the 5s and it worked fine. I could call and use the LTE data. I reset the 5s again, and configured it for my daughters Apple ID and restored the phone from her iCloud backup. That's when I checked the Activation Lock was ON for the 5s. I checked my iPhone 6 serial number on the same site, and it says Activation Lock is OFF, but I have Find My iPhone turned on. That's what is confusing. One phone shows on and one shows off, but both have Find My iPhone turned on.

In any case, I researched trimming a micro sim down to a nano sim and did that using the iPhone 4 SIM, and popped it in. Works like a champ. Find my iPhone using my daughters Apple ID locates the phone fine, and doesn't say it's locked (which, of course, it isn't since it's working).

So, I'm just making sure that somehow a previous owner hasn't claimed the phone lost/stolen and maybe Verizon has initiated the Activation Lock status to ON? To be honest, I don't recall seeing the phone go through the activation screens when I set it up with my daughters account on AT&T.

I'm afraid to update to iOS 8.x (it's still on 7) if iOS 8 has something that can lock the phone and render it useless, considering the Activation Lock status says ON.

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Here's an article concerning the kill switch feature in iOS 8. Lots of other article if you search the internet for "iPhone Kill Switch".

Its the same thing. Here is some info you may find helpful. http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201365

 

[C DM]

I thought Activation Lock was iOS 7 and something newer was incorporated in iOS 8. Maybe they are the same thing, but it's basically the ability to render a iPhone inoperable if lost/stolen.

I went to buy a used iPhone 5s, saw it was not configured with an iCloud account (empty field where the email address would be), we did an erase contents to wipe the phone and I thought I was good, so I paid for it and brought it home. It's for my daughter who has an old iPhone 4.

The previous owner used it on Verizon, but I am AT&T, and since the 5s does both, I tried activating it online through my account at AT&T wireless site. It said there was a problem with the IMEI and to call. I tried putting my SIM card into the 5s and it worked fine. I could call and use the LTE data. I reset the 5s again, and configured it for my daughters Apple ID and restored the phone from her iCloud backup. That's when I checked the Activation Lock was ON for the 5s. I checked my iPhone 6 serial number on the same site, and it says Activation Lock is OFF, but I have Find My iPhone turned on. That's what is confusing. One phone shows on and one shows off, but both have Find My iPhone turned on.

In any case, I researched trimming a micro sim down to a nano sim and did that using the iPhone 4 SIM, and popped it in. Works like a champ. Find my iPhone using my daughters Apple ID locates the phone fine, and doesn't say it's locked (which, of course, it isn't since it's working).

So, I'm just making sure that somehow a previous owner hasn't claimed the phone lost/stolen and maybe Verizon has initiated the Activation Lock status to ON? To be honest, I don't recall seeing the phone go through the activation screens when I set it up with my daughters account on AT&T.

I'm afraid to update to iOS 8.x (it's still on 7) if iOS 8 has something that can lock the phone and render it useless, considering the Activation Lock status says ON.

----------



Here's an article concerning the kill switch feature in iOS 8. Lots of other article if you search the internet for "iPhone Kill Switch".

iOS 8 doesn't really have anything newer than what iOS 7 has as far as Activation Lock. Being able to lock and remotely wipe the phone was actually something available even before iOS 7 through Find My iPhone.

Verizon and other carriers can list the phone as stolen which should prevent it from working on their network, but they aren't really related to Find My iPhone or Activation Lock as that's just on Apple basically.

If the iCloud account isn't on the device then that account can't control the device in any way. So if there's no account on it or another account on it is now then some older iCloud account no longer has any attachment to it and can't control/affect it.

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

iOS 8 doesn't really have anything newer than what iOS 7 has as far as Activation Lock. Being able to lock and remotely wipe the phone was actually something available even before iOS 7 through Find My iPhone.

Verizon and other carriers can list the phone as stolen which should prevent it from working on their network, but they aren't really related to Find My iPhone or Activation Lock as that's just on Apple basically.

If the iCloud account isn't on the device then that account can't control the device in any way. So if there's no account on it or another account on it is now then some older iCloud account no longer has any attachment to it and can't control/affect it.

I appreciate the info/advice. So, if it's working in iOS 7 then you don't think there is any harm in updating to iOS 8?

 

[C DM]

I appreciate the info/advice. So, if it's working in iOS 7 then you don't think there is any harm in updating to iOS 8?

There shouldn't be. Just to double-check you can disable Find My iPhone before upgrading too.

Of course all kinds of glitches can happen and have happened to people when upgrading, generally being fairly rare, so it's hard to say anything with 100% certainty, but given the information so far it should be all fine as far as Activation Lock goes.