Users Report Some iPhone 7 and 6s Models Activation Locked With Wrong Apple IDs

[Cmd-Z]

Some people have reported repeat issues.

Indeed, Apple's 1st unlock of my 6S+ only lasted 24 hours, it re-locked again to some random iCloud email. Glad I held it before returning to Gazelle for the second time. I contacted Apple again and my case was escalated to "a higher level" and whatever that team seemed to do held long enough for Gazelle to process my sale to them.

My advice ... keep a record of this, hopefully you have a case number that you can refer to if you ever need this addresses again someday.

 

[GrizzledAtoms]

Chaps. It took me three weeks to get my Ipad unlocked. Yes, someone has hacked your icloud account, or probably better put, hijacked your serial number and used it for a cloned device. Whatever the method we all have (had) the same issue, being unable to access our devices because it was locked to an icloud account that is nothing to do with us. It took three weeks because I purchased mine 3 years ago (new) and it took that long to get a copy invoice AND I had to prove who supplied the Apple reseller I purchased the Ipad from because Apple only had the original supplier on their system. I ran up £6 in phone bills, and many hours trying to sort it myself initially, then ending up with THREE case numbers.

I wrote to Apple customer care suggesting an Itune voucher might be appropriate given the issue was not of my making and it took up so much of my time. They rang me to say sorry about all of the problems but no form of goodwill gesture would be forthcoming because they don't do that (!).

I managed with a kindle fire while the Ipad was down (£35). There's a message in there, as I pointed out politely but firmly to the Apple Customer service rep......!

Actually, this issue often does NOT involve hacking of any kind. There is a bug in Apple's security. I had the activation lock thing happen and was able to get it resolved but it was a LOT of trouble. I was told that during the reset of my 6s+ a random Apple ID was assigned to my phone.

 

[Septembersrain]

Actually, this issue often does NOT involve hacking of any kind. There is a bug in Apple's security. I had the activation lock thing happen and was able to get it resolved but it was a LOT of trouble. I was told that during the reset of my 6s+ a random Apple ID was assigned to my phone.

I'd worry about that guy in China who got caught selling stolen iPhones. Were they recovered? If not, they probably had their IMEI blacklisted so cloning would be the way around that. Get into the database, pick a random IMEI that's currently clear and tada! Since someone did find out the email attached to one of their activation locks originated in China, it makes me think a bit about it.

 

[WillRRRR]

My iPhone 7 Plus (Black/256GB/At&t) just fine working already running iOS 11 beta. My iPhone 7 Plus (Black/256GB/At&t) never get Activation Locked With Wrong Apple IDs.

 

[redpandadev]

It’s super simple why this happens - people committing fraud are using the imei and/or serial number to obtain fraudulent service through AppleCare. The most common scenario is that someone purchases the phone with AppleCare, calls for support and provides the serial number. When they receive a replacement device in the mail, they ship back a different, broken or modified device (different from the one they stole the serial number from) and then return the phone with the stolen serial number to the store they bought it from. Most apple stores open the packaging and return the device as open box so that it does not get resold as new for exactly this reason. Sometimes that doesn’t happen.

Another scenario is one where the imei of a new in box phone is flashed to a stolen device in order to bypass carrier activation and then the device which had its imei stolen is returned to the store in the same manner.

It is scenarios like these that result in the false iCloud activation lock, not any kind of security breach or glitch in the system.

 

[kwazimoto]

So, what is the verdict here on Activation Locked phones that we bought directly from Apple store AND have proof of purchase - call AppleCare or go to store? How long did your experiences take?

I called AppleCare, uploaded my electronic receipt and they tell me it will take up to 72 hours for them to unlock my phone over the air. I've been waiting impatiently (it's been just over 48 hours). For those who called in - how long did it take? Did the phone just unlock on its own, or did you have to do something to the phone once you got an email?

The rep I spoke to said it makes no difference if I go to the store to have this issue resolved because the store would still have to call AppleCare and submit the info to security. He implied it was faster to just call and wait. But reading here, it seems some were able to get it unlocked on the spot?

I'll wait another day before calling them to see what's up, but this is very frustrating.

 

[960design]

So, what is the verdict here on Activation Locked phones that we bought directly from Apple store AND have proof of purchase - call AppleCare or go to store? How long did your experiences take?

I called AppleCare, uploaded my electronic receipt and they tell me it will take up to 72 hours for them to unlock my phone over the air. I've been waiting impatiently (it's been just over 48 hours). For those who called in - how long did it take? Did the phone just unlock on its own, or did you have to do something to the phone once you got an email?

The rep I spoke to said it makes no difference if I go to the store to have this issue resolved because the store would still have to call AppleCare and submit the info to security. He implied it was faster to just call and wait. But reading here, it seems some were able to get it unlocked on the spot?

I'll wait another day before calling them to see what's up, but this is very frustrating.

On average it takes 5 - 7days for the unlock, if you are turning in receipts and 2 - 3 days for enterprise devices. No one should get an activation lock unlocked on the spot. The store goes through the same process as you are doing.

It would be strange for the AppleCare person to tell you 72 hours as they not part of the unlock team. They have to forward your documents on. Maybe they have a friend on the unlock team and know the current scheduling?

Last week I requested an unlock and it took 72 hours.

 

[tongefactor40]

So, what is the verdict here on Activation Locked phones that we bought directly from Apple store AND have proof of purchase - call AppleCare or go to store? How long did your experiences take?

I called AppleCare, uploaded my electronic receipt and they tell me it will take up to 72 hours for them to unlock my phone over the air. I've been waiting impatiently (it's been just over 48 hours). For those who called in - how long did it take? Did the phone just unlock on its own, or did you have to do something to the phone once you got an email?

The rep I spoke to said it makes no difference if I go to the store to have this issue resolved because the store would still have to call AppleCare and submit the info to security. He implied it was faster to just call and wait. But reading here, it seems some were able to get it unlocked on the spot?

I'll wait another day before calling them to see what's up, but this is very frustrating.

Weird. Happened to me a while back and I brought my receipt in and they unlocked it on the spot... so there is absolutely a way for them to do it onsite.

 

[kwazimoto]

On average it takes 5 - 7days for the unlock, if you are turning in receipts and 2 - 3 days for enterprise devices. No one should get an activation lock unlocked on the spot. The store goes through the same process as you are doing.

It would be strange for the AppleCare person to tell you 72 hours as they not part of the unlock team. They have to forward your documents on. Maybe they have a friend on the unlock team and know the current scheduling?

Last week I requested an unlock and it took 72 hours.

Wow. 5-7 days on average? Well, hopefully I’ll have the same experience as you and it’ll unlock in 72 hours or so.

Yes, he did say he has to forward the info to securities division and it was not him that would unlock the device.

Thanks for the reply!
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Weird. Happened to me a while back and I brought my receipt in and they unlocked it on the spot... so there is absolutely a way for them to do it onsite.

Interesting... if it doesn’t reset in the next few days, I’ll consider bringing it in. Thanks for the input.

 

[WolfSnap]

I'm really very surprised that this is happening still....

But, it does make my decision to keep my unused devices logged into a dedicated iCloud account to prevent this sort of nonsense.

 

[hexagenia]

So, what is the verdict here on Activation Locked phones that we bought directly from Apple store AND have proof of purchase - call AppleCare or go to store? How long did your experiences take?

I called AppleCare, uploaded my electronic receipt and they tell me it will take up to 72 hours for them to unlock my phone over the air. I've been waiting impatiently (it's been just over 48 hours). For those who called in - how long did it take? Did the phone just unlock on its own, or did you have to do something to the phone once you got an email?

The rep I spoke to said it makes no difference if I go to the store to have this issue resolved because the store would still have to call AppleCare and submit the info to security. He implied it was faster to just call and wait. But reading here, it seems some were able to get it unlocked on the spot?

I'll wait another day before calling them to see what's up, but this is very frustrating.

Having had this happen to me twice, I feel your frustration. In both cases I ended up at the store, despite getting it unlocked through the Mothership. In one instance, the unlocking didn't hold and in the other, I was advised that they wanted the iPhone to study (and to exchange it in store). In both cases, my iPhone ultimately was not unlocked, but instead swapped, for a refurbished device. This was at the height of this scam, and wow was I frustrated. Your phone will get unlocked, but my advice, make sure you lock it to your iCloud immediately. Good luck!

 

[kwazimoto]

Having had this happen to me twice, I feel your frustration. In both cases I ended up at the store, despite getting it unlocked through the Mothership. In one instance, the unlocking didn't hold and in the other, I was advised that they wanted the iPhone to study (and to exchange it in store). In both cases, my iPhone ultimately was not unlocked, but instead swapped, for a refurbished device. This was at the height of this scam, and wow was I frustrated. Your phone will get unlocked, but my advice, make sure you lock it to your iCloud immediately. Good luck!

Thanks for the reassurance - still waiting. Will definitely associated it with my iCloud once I’m able to access it.

 

[pseudonamedhero]

So if I want to buy a used or refurbished iPhone, am I basically screwed if this happens to it? If I get the original proof of purchase from the old owner, would that be enough to prove the phone is mine if I need it unlocked?

 

[hexagenia]

It worked for me, and more to the point, it is your only option. Without the original proof of purchase, Apple will not unlock.

 

[pseudonamedhero]

Does a device have to have FindMyiPhone enabled on it in order for activation lock to work? Or is that irrelevant?

 

[simonsi]

Does a device have to have FindMyiPhone enabled on it in order for activation lock to work? Or is that irrelevant?

It comes to light when it is signed out of FMiPh and attempt is made to sign it in to the new AppleID by the new user, it then shows a message saying it is now locked to a different AppleID (not the genuine old one).

 

[pseudonamedhero]

It comes to light when it is signed out of FMiPh and attempt is made to sign it in to the new AppleID by the new user, it then shows a message saying it is now locked to a different AppleID (not the genuine old one).

So does this only happen if you log out of FMiP? because I've seen some accounts of people who had it happen without logging out of it. I was hoping there was some way of preventing this.

 

[simonsi]

So does this only happen if you log out of FMiP? because I've seen some accounts of people who had it happen without logging out of it. I was hoping there was some way of preventing this.

Asfar as I am aware but any activity that requires you to log back in can expose it - so if you reset the device etc.

 

[hexagenia]

I can only speak to my experience, but both times it happened to me I had logged out of FMiP. In both cases, a foreign AppleID appeared, each time after what happened to be a reset. So I could never log back in with my own credentials. I don't know of any scenario where either intentionally or inadvertently, this hijacking wasn't occasioned by a log out.

 

[bopajuice]

I have read several comments about the unknown Apple ID's being associated with China. I wonder if maybe phones are being cloned? Maybe there are iPhones that "fell of the truck" leaving the Chinese factory and are then being cloned with an existing serial number or IMEI, and then activated with a different iCloud account?

It appears all goes on as usual until you reset or restore the phone. Maybe it then assigns the cloned users credentials with your IMEI when you try to log back in? Essentially the cloned credentials take over.

Maybe Im watching too many spy movies...

 

[Cmd-Z]

I have read several comments about the unknown Apple ID's being associated with China. I wonder if maybe phones are being cloned? Maybe there are iPhones that "fell of the truck" leaving the Chinese factory and are then being cloned with an existing serial number or IMEI, and then activated with a different iCloud account?

It appears all goes on as usual until you reset or restore the phone. Maybe it then assigns the cloned users credentials with your IMEI when you try to log back in? Essentially the cloned credentials take over.

Maybe Im watching too many spy movies...

In my case, over the time I had my iPhone 6S+ I had signed out of iCloud on multiple occasions to restore it, and had no problem setting it back up. It wasn't until I signed out of iCloud and then "Erase All Content and Settings" that triggered the phony credentials to take over.

Normally I would not do "Erase All Content and Settings", and only did so in preparation for selling it. So the recipient (Gazelle) is the one that notified me of the problem and returned it to me. I had bought the phone new from Apple, and it never went in for service. So I suspect that there is some glitch in Apple's servers that cause this, and it takes a high escalation within Apple Support to get it corrected.

 

[hexagenia]

Bopajuice-

Not spy movies at all. That's exactly what happened to me. I was on the phone with an Apple Senior Engineer and they could "see" my IMEI on an iPhone in China. Cloning was real and was happening. I think the removal of the "Is my iPhone locked" tool was the result of criminals searching and confirming available devices and Apple knew it and decided to stop it. Also, way too much posting of serial numbers and IMEI on eBay and assorted forums, just inviting this abuse. I bought exclusively AppleCare Plus devices, and in both my cases, the serial number was advertised in a photo when advertising AppleCare Plus. My bad for buying, but I have learned my lesson.

 

[pseudonamedhero]

OK so in fact it's probably best to make sure that next phone I get, I do log in to FMiP right away and never log out if I can avoid it. And to only own a phone if I have the original receipt for it, just in case.

At least now I know not to buy a phone that has it's IMEI posted in the ad - I found out about this whole thing cause I wanted to find out why some people selling their phones were adamant about not sharing it, after so many people said I should insist on knowing it before purchasing. Now I know better.

 

[hexagenia]

I think that's a good strategy with one proviso. The reason some sellers are reluctant to share their IMEI is precisely because of the potential of going down this rabbit hole. So folks may naturally be reluctant to share. A service like Swappa requires an IMEI check that THEY do before they allow a phone to be listed. It's not visible to you as buyer, but it has been checked by Swappa to assure that the phone isn't blacklisted. Kind of a nice way to handle this challenge, imho.

 

[pseudonamedhero]

A service like Swappa requires an IMEI check that THEY do before they allow a phone to be listed. It's not visible to you as buyer, but it has been checked by Swappa to assure that the phone isn't blacklisted. Kind of a nice way to handle this challenge, imho.

Yes that sounds good, unfortunately Swappa has very few UK users and no way to search for only UK devices. I'll be hit with import taxes if I get one from the US.