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

[DudJet]

This just happened to me.

I bought my iphone 6 in the USA, January 2015, new from the Apple store.
I have had no plans to sell it, and I never posted online any pictures of the serial number or anything else.
I was using the phone today. The screen went black. I pressed the home button. The screen came back with the "activation lock" and a yahoo email address.
I have never had a yahoo email address. I have only used the same gmail account for more than 10 years.
I called Apple, and they were not nice about it. They said it would take two to three business days to fix, which is insane. This is my phone, but I need it for work.

 

[Pentium]

This just happened to me.

I bought my iphone 6 in the USA, January 2015, new from the Apple store.
I have had no plans to sell it, and I never posted online any pictures of the serial number or anything else.
I was using the phone today. The screen went black. I pressed the home button. The screen came back with the "activation lock" and a yahoo email address.
I have never had a yahoo email address. I have only used the same gmail account for more than 10 years.
I called Apple, and they were not nice about it. They said it would take two to three business days to fix, which is insane. This is my phone, but I need it for work.

so this thing is still happening?

 

[DudJet]

so this thing is still happening?

Yeah, here's my screen. No clue who this f*****@yahoo.com could be. I've never used yahoo email, certainly didn't use it to set up my phone.



I would love to know how this happened.

 

[simonsi]

I would love to know how this happened.

Good description from Post#1 onwards - haven't seen any new reports for a while on here but IIRC it looked like counterfeit phones being set up on a Chinese telco, the real phone once it is logged out or reset then finds the appleid the counterfeit was set up with and locks. Apple can sort it out with proof of purchase, takes a while as they have to circumvent what is normally an anti-theft measure...

Not sure why your phone's screen would suddenly go black during normal usage though, looks like it reset in some way???

 

[celticarms]

its still happening fyi, mines locked right now apple has the info and is working on unlocking it we will see how it goes as it was unlocked when i bought it second hand and then i updated the ios restarted and it locked with a random yahoo email so yay....ill let y'all know how it goes if y'all are still having issues

 

[hes_luckey]

Hi there

I bought an iPhone 6s plus 2 years ago and last year when I wanna to restore and sell it, it asked me an unknown email that did not belong to me. My problem is that I live in Iran and there isn't any Apple Store in our country and I bought the phone from a local reseller which of course I don't have a usable receipt but I have the original package. is there any advice on what I can do?

 

[960design]

I bought an iPhone 6s plus 2 years ago and last year when I wanna to restore and sell it, it asked me an unknown email that did not belong to me. My problem is that I live in Iran and there isn't any Apple Store in our country and I bought the phone from a local reseller which of course I don't have a usable receipt but I have the original package. is there any advice on what I can do?

Chalk it up to lesson learned. Purchase only from original source is reselling is part of the purchase decision.

No receipt and unknown email means this phone is controlled by someone else, that may or may not have been tracking you and reading your emails, iMessages, Contact information, Notes, Pictures taken, ect...

 

[mi7chy]

Get a new phone if you don't have a copy of the receipt. Random iCloud lock is another Apple scheme like throttling to force you to buy a new device to generate revenue.

 

[hes_luckey]

OK thank you all

 

[I7guy]

Get a new phone if you don't have a copy of the receipt. Random iCloud lock is another Apple scheme like throttling to force you to buy a new device to generate revenue.

Or it’s a high tech counterfeiting scheme, which Apple is trying to shut down.

 

[C DM]

Get a new phone if you don't have a copy of the receipt. Random iCloud lock is another Apple scheme like throttling to force you to buy a new device to generate revenue.

So there has been something out there to support that beyond purely wild speculation by a few random online users?

 

[960design]

So there has been something out there to support that beyond purely wild speculation by a few random online users?

Nope. Just simply wrong, like flat earth.

Apple randomly locking your device would cost the company more. Locked out users can go online, get a copy of their receipt ( if they do not have the original on hand ) and contact Apple Support. They would get directed to an online document, fill out some information, submit it via email and the device would be unlocked in 72 hours or less.

 

[Michael Goff]

Get a new phone if you don't have a copy of the receipt. Random iCloud lock is another Apple scheme like throttling to force you to buy a new device to generate revenue.

Are you serious?

 

[Cycling Asia]

Nope. Just simply wrong, like flat earth.

Apple randomly locking your device would cost the company more. Locked out users can go online, get a copy of their receipt ( if they do not have the original on hand ) and contact Apple Support. They would get directed to an online document, fill out some information, submit it via email and the device would be unlocked in 72 hours or less.

So it could be that the conspiracy theory not be that apple is locking phones to force upgrades, but it could be that they're allowing the phones to be remotely locked to remove the second hand phone market. The theory being that it is safer to buy new because proof of original purchase (from apple) is much simpler to get if you're the user who has purchased from apple.

Note that I personally don't subscribe to the above theory, it's more like the problem with counterfeit or otherwise reused ids being used in non genuine iPhones (whether they're built from parts, or a cheap knockoff).

But for apple, I'm sure it could become a big headache if it gets common enough.

 

[hexagenia]

Are you serious?

Done it twice. No problem unlocking if you have the receipt. Complete rubbish that this isn’t doable if you are the phones documented owner.

 

[Michael Goff]

Done it twice. No problem unlocking if you have the receipt. Complete rubbish that this isn’t doable if you are the phones documented owner.

I meant the idea that this is malicious.

 

[tongefactor40]

Get a new phone if you don't have a copy of the receipt. Random iCloud lock is another Apple scheme like throttling to force you to buy a new device to generate revenue.

So people who get locked out after doing a restore to clean up their phone... is Apple going after them as well?

Ridiculous.

 

[Dash_Steering]

Anyone having this issue on an 8 or 8 Plus? I just sold my 8 Plus locally on Facebook marketplace this afternoon to a guy, and an hour later he says he's at the Boost Mobile store and they can't get past an activation lock. He sends me a pic, and the account it's locked to is a iCloud.com account, and I had a gmail.com Apple ID. Unsure what he gets out of returning the phone to me and getting his cash back, so I'm thinking maybe this activation lock scam is still going on?

 

[Cmd-Z]

Anyone having this issue on an 8 or 8 Plus? I just sold my 8 Plus locally on Facebook marketplace this afternoon to a guy, and an hour later he says he's at the Boost Mobile store and they can't get past an activation lock. He sends me a pic, and the account it's locked to is a iCloud.com account, and I had a gmail.com Apple ID. Unsure what he gets out of returning the phone to me and getting his cash back, so I'm thinking maybe this activation lock scam is still going on?

Yep, still going on ... having this issue now with my 8 Plus. Currently on the phone with Apple Support as I type this, same as last time I had this issue with my 6S Plus 18 months ago. Get your proof of purchase handy and call Apple, and see if you can escalate this with engineering right away, since the front-line support will not be able to resolve this (though they'll try to put you through all their canned questions). You must have your receipt to get the phone unlocked, so have that ready in advance, along with all the relevant facts.

 

[Dash_Steering]

Yep, still going on ... having this issue now with my 8 Plus. Currently on the phone with Apple Support as I type this, same as last time I had this issue with my 6S Plus 18 months ago. Get your proof of purchase handy and call Apple, and see if you can escalate this with engineering right away, since the front-line support will not be able to resolve this (though they'll try to put you through all their canned questions). You must have your receipt to get the phone unlocked, so have that ready in advance, along with all the relevant facts.

This is from you resetting your own phone? Or a buyer or potential buyer getting locked out? How tough has dealing with Apple been? I bought it second hand through Swappa and have my receipt but doesn’t show IMEI which supposedly Apple requires when I chatted with support yesterday. The Swappa seller who sold it to me has been cooperative and responsive and says he still has his Apple Receipt and also has access to his sale page which shows the ESN (IMEI) if I decide to refund the buyer and take the phone back. Is there anyway this can backfire on me and leave me with a paperweight?

 

[Cmd-Z]

Yes, my iPhone, I'm the original owner since new -- I signed out & erased it and passed to someone I know, they can't sign in since it is locked to an @iCloud.com ID (which is not mine). Apple has been very cooperative, they now want me to try signing in with my password (will do tonight when I get the phone back). I doubt this will work since it is not my ID that it is locked to, but I'll humor my advisor.

In your case, if you're not the original owner I can see that extra layer may be difficult. If possible, if the person that was the original buyer is willing to work with Apple, that's the best route. But if they can provide you with the original sales receipt, then you might be OK. Get the phone back from who you sold it to, refund their money, then get working with Apple to resolve it. It is a hassle, and you may need to escalate things but if you keep pushing and have the documentation, including original owner's receipt and your Swappa receipt, then you should be alright.

 

[Dash_Steering]

Yes, my iPhone, I'm the original owner since new -- I signed out & erased it and passed to someone I know, they can't sign in since it is locked to an @iCloud.com ID (which is not mine). Apple has been very cooperative, they now want me to try signing in with my password (will do tonight when I get the phone back). I doubt this will work since it is not my ID that it is locked to, but I'll humor my advisor.

In your case, if you're not the original owner I can see that extra layer may be difficult. If possible, if the person that was the original buyer is willing to work with Apple, that's the best route. But if they can provide you with the original sales receipt, then you might be OK. Get the phone back from who you sold it to, refund their money, then get working with Apple to resolve it. It is a hassle, and you may need to escalate things but if you keep pushing and have the documentation, including original owner's receipt and your Swappa receipt, then you should be alright.

Ok. Yeah I don’t really want to screw over the buyer if he is indeed telling the truth, and I can’t see how he could be pulling a fast one on me unless he’s just hoping I’d accept the return and then try to blackmail me for unlocking it after the fact for more cash in person, but I’ve got the guys FB account info and it doesn’t appear to be a fake. The only possibility outside of this possibly Chinese cloning thing that has been mentioned in this massive thread is that maybe he had very quick buyers remorse and needed a good reason to return it? I’ll definitely know if he tries to return a different iPhone 8 to me.

Has Apple resolved your 6s plus and 8 plus issue? And how long does it take and is it all over-the-air activation fixes? Did they explain about what was going on and where/why it was activated? Did you just upload supporting documents or go to an Apple store (closest one in an hour away, but I’ll be passing through the area next weekend most likely and can stop by if they’re able to do it on-site during the same visit.

 

[Cmd-Z]

Has Apple resolved your 6s plus and 8 plus issue? And how long does it take and is it all over-the-air activation fixes? Did they explain about what was going on and where/why it was activated? Did you just upload supporting documents or go to an Apple store (closest one in an hour away, but I’ll be passing through the area next weekend most likely and can stop by if they’re able to do it on-site during the same visit.

The 6S Plus got resolved back in 2016 when this happened, but it took two attempts by Apple to unlock it (after first attempt it again locked to an ID that was not mine, and different from the first time). After the 2nd escalation with engineering, the unlock held and Gazelle was able to validate the iPhone, though I lost about $50 in value with them while trying to sort this out. Apple never explained anything, as usual. I did everything via email and over the phone, did not have to go into the store ... which they'd be pretty useless anyway given the deep dive that engineering had to do to resolve this.

 

[Dash_Steering]

The 6S Plus got resolved back in 2016 when this happened, but it took two attempts by Apple to unlock it (after first attempt it again locked to an ID that was not mine, and different from the first time). After the 2nd escalation with engineering, the unlock held and Gazelle was able to validate the iPhone, though I lost about $50 in value with them while trying to sort this out. Apple never explained anything, as usual. I did everything via email and over the phone, did not have to go into the store ... which they'd be pretty useless anyway given the deep dive that engineering had to do to resolve this.

Ok thanks. How long did it take for the second activation lock issue to poo up? Id prefer to deal with it myself again instead of down the road, especially if the second time I sell it it sells in Swappa and I’ve paid fees and shipping (both ways). You havent had any issues two years later with the person you sold/gave the iPhone6s Plus to? I think I’m going to cross my fingers and hope for the best and return the cash for the phone as I don’t think I could handle screwing this guy over if he’s innocent.

 

[Cmd-Z]

Ok thanks. How long did it take for the second activation lock issue to poo up?

"poo up" is right If I recall, Gazelle shipped the phone back to me the first time it was locked, that's when I contacted Apple and they got it unlocked after a bit of explaining on my part. It seemed to work as I was able to sign in with my ID, so to make sure I signed out and erased it, and then tried again with my ID -- that's when it locked for the 2nd time. Contacted Apple and that's when they escalated it to engineering. Once they unlocked it, I was able to sign in/sign out/erase multiple times, confirming that the issue was resolved. I then re-submitted the phone to Gazelle and they accepted it this time, so I presume that the unlocking held out OK.

You havent had any issues two years later with the person you sold/gave the iPhone6s Plus to? I think I’m going to cross my fingers and hope for the best and return the cash for the phone as I don’t think I could handle screwing this guy over if he’s innocent.

I have no idea who eventually got the iPhone from Gazelle, but I never heard anything further so either the unlocking held OK for the new buyer, or Gazelle took it on the chin if it locked again after their incoming QA approved it.