How to Remove Apple ID from Unactivated Device

Did you find that there is an Apple ID attached to your device even though you are yet to activate it? Part of the activation process for an iOS device is to connect the device to an Apple ID to bring all features together, but also to ensure that the device and its data remain secure.

While this may be an unusual situation to find yourself in, it can happen when if the device is a second-hand purchase.

All too often, the previous owner forgets to remove their Apple ID from the device, creating all sorts of problems for the new owner of the device.

Here, we will talk about this particular issue and find out the solutions to remove the Apple ID from your device.

If There's an Apple ID on the Device, It Is Activated

If you find that you are getting stuck on the "Activation Lock" screen, then it means that the iPhone you are trying to activate has previously been activated.

The very fact that you are been asked to enter the Apple ID, means that the device has already been activated.

If the person who sold the device to you said it was not activated, they lied and it seems you have been scammed. Only the previous owner can remove the Apple ID and activation lock. If you can contact the seller, ask them to remove the Apple ID or remove the device from "Find my iPhone" or "iCloud.

(User Story) How They Remove Apple ID with Apple's Help

Even though this situation generally occurs with second-hand devices, we found an unusual case of someone who found another Apple ID (not his own) attached to a device that he had previously activated with his own Apple ID. Here's how he tells it:

"My wife recently dropped her iPhone and since we couldn't get it fixed right away, I gave her my old iPhone that I was planning to sell for her to use while we fixed her device. I am the original owner of this replacement device and I have never used anyone else's Apple ID on it.

Before giving her the device, I erased it by going to Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Contents and Setting. Doing this should have deactivated the activation lock.

But when I attempted to set up the device, the activation lock screen appeared again, indicating that the device was still locked.

Thinking it was just a strange mistake, I entered my Apple ID and password, but I got the error "Apple ID cannot be used to unlock this iPhone."

I asked Apple for assistance, but they said that they couldn't see the Apple ID my device was connected to."

Apple should be able to remove the activation lock if the owner of the device can provide proof of purchase. But that is not how it went for our user above:

"I ordered the iPhone on https://apple.com so I had a receipt. But the situation was far from complicated. I had ordered a T-Mobile phone while I was on AT&T. AT&T refused to activate wireless calling on the device and so at the time, I went to an Apple Store to replace the T-Mobile model for an AT&T one. There wasn't any paperwork for this change so, I didn't have a receipt.

Luckily a senior advisor used the proof of purchase I had and the original iPhone and eventually they activated it for me after finding an old record of the change of devices."

If you don't have proof of purchase, Apple will not be able to unlock the device for you. You may use some of the unlocking tools, but these tools have a questionable success rate. Most of them don't even work at all.

If Apple Support Couldn't Help, Try Unlocking Tools

Since online tools are not a reliable solution and if you don't have the right documentation to get Apple to help, your best option is Unlockit iPhone.

This is the third-party tool that may be able to help you unlock your device if it is somehow connected to a different Apple ID.

Here are its main features:

• Unlockit iPhone has a simple user interface, allowing you to unlock your iPhone in a few simple steps. You don't need any technical expertise to use it.,
• When the device is unlocked, you will be able to access all the features on the device. But calls, cellular functions, and iCloud will be inaccessible.
• The device will be yours to use. The owner of the Apple ID attached to it will not be able to manage it or erase it remotely.
• It supports all iOS device models and all versions of iOS from iOS 12 to iOS 14.8.

Follow these steps to use Unlockit iPhone to remove the activation lock from your device:

Step 1: Download and install Unlockit iPhone on to your computer. Open the program and choose "Remove iCloud Activation Lock." Click "Start" to begin and then connect the device to the computer using its lightning cable.

Step 2: To unlock the device, you will need to jailbreak it. Unlockit iPhone will begin downloading the jailbreak package that you need to jailbreak the device. When the download is complete, click on "Jailbreak" and then put your device in DFU mode.

Step 3: Once the jailbreak is complete, click "Remove" and Unlockit iPhone will begin bypassing the iCloud Activation lock.

In a few minutes, the device will be unlocked and you can then continue with the setup process.

If You Can Still Get into Your Device, use the "Remove Apple ID"

If you have set up the screen passcode and enabled the Two-Factor Authentication on your device, you can try to "Remove the Apple ID" instead. Here's how to do it:

Step 1: Open Unlockit iPhone and choose "Remove Apple ID" from the main interface.

Step 2: Connect the iPhone to the computer. If you have set up the screen passcode and enabled the Two-Factor Authentication on your device, the program will detect the device. Click "Next" to continue.

In a few minutes, the Apple ID on the device will be successfully removed and you should be able to set it up and access it now.

Activation Lock can be a big problem, particularly if you don't have the password. Online tools do not work and Apple will only be able to help you if you can provide proof of purchase. Only Unlockit iPhone has proven useful in this situation.