Everything You Should Know about iCloud Activation Lock (Bypass It)

Updated Sep 20,2016 | by Niko

What is iCloud

Launched on October 2011, iCloud is a cloud computing and cloud storage service from Apple, and it can get all your Apple devices connected. Using iCloud, you will be able to keep your photos up-to-date, keep all your files & documents stored safely, share music, books and more with others, locate, lock and track your devices and etc.  

What is iCloud Activation Lock

iCloud Activation Lock is actually not a standalone feature or application, while it is closely linked to Apple iCloud Service. iCloud Activation Lock is considered as a protective measure of Apple iOS security system, and it needs another feature – Find My iPhone to get itself into work. Simply put, if your iPhone/iPad/iPod/Mac/Apple Watch is lost or stolen, iCloud Activation Lock can effectively prevent others from using your devices. In this way, your privacy is well protected.

How iCloud Activation Lock works? In the following, let’s introduce Apple iCloud Activation Lock in detail.

As we mentioned above, Find My iPhone Activation Lock can protect your privacy. Besides, it increases the chance of finding your lost iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch/Mac or Apple Watch (watchOS2 or later) as well.

So, first of all, you need to enable Find My iPhone. When this feature is enabled, your Apple ID will be stored on Apple’s activation servers securely and linked to your iOS device. Once your iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch is lost or stolen, iCloud Activation Lock will work immediately and make it very hard for anyone to use or sell your device.  

To turn off Find My iPhone on your device or erase your device, your Apple ID and password is required. Moreover, without the correct Apple ID and password, people cannot install ipsw file, reactivate and use your device.

Generally, Find My iPhone, Apple ID and Activation Lock function together to protect your iOS devices.

How to turn off find my iPhone

Sometimes, you may need to turn off Find My iPhone feature. How to turn off Find My iPhone? Here, we introduce you 2 ways allowing you to turn off Find My iPhone properly.

1. turn off Find My iPhone on iPhone (iPad/iPod touch) device

Go to Settings > open your Apple account information > iCloud > Find My iPhone, then enter your Apple ID and password to turn off Find My iPhone.

You will receive an email confirmation from Apple once you turn off Find My iPhone.

2. turn off Find My iPhone from iCloud.com

·         visit: www.icloud.com, enter Apple ID and password to login

·         open Settings

·         scroll down and find “My Devices”. All your Apple devices are listed

·         click the device that you want to disable Find My iPhone feature

·         click “X” and remove the device

How to turn on and use Find My iPhone and iCloud Activation Lock?

Since iOS 7, Activation Lock will be automatically enabled when you turn on Find My iPhone feature. How to turn on Find My iPhone on your iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch? Go to Settings > iCloud > scroll to the bottom and enter your Apple ID and password to turn on Find My iPhone.

To turn on Find My Mac, go to Apple menu > System Preferences > iCloud > opt Find My Mac. (To properly enable Find My Mac feature, you have to make sure the Location Services is properly enabled first)

If your iOS device is lost or stolen, you need to sign in to icloud.com/find from computer and put your device into Lost Mode. Lost Mode will lock your device screen with a 4-digit or 6-digit passcode and you can display a custom message with contact number to help you get your device back. In addition, you are allowed to erase your device remotely. But don’t worry, the custom message with phone number would continue to display and Activation Lock would also work. As for any operation on your device, your Apple ID and password is required.

To know more about what to do if your iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch is stolen or lost, check out: How to Track your iPhone – Detailed Instructions to Find My iPhone App.

Is There Any Chance to Bypass iCloud Activation Lock?

Some of you are wondering, is there any chance to bypass iCloud Activation Lock? Indeed, there are many bypass iCloud Activation Lock articles and videos available on the Internet. 

With the continuous update and improvement, so far, the security of iOS system and iCloud Activation Lock remain extremely high level. It’s almost impossible to fully bypass iCloud Activation Lock and reactivate iOS device without correct Apple ID and password. 

If you happened to have an iPhone that is locked, luckily, there is a method that allows you to use your iCloud locked device to watch videos, shot pictures, listen to music,  surf the web and more, while waiting for full iCloud activation bypass. 

One more word, no matter you are going to sell your iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch/Mac or purchase a used device, you have to make sure iCloud Activation Lock is disabled, and the device has already been removed from your or a previous owner’s Apple ID. 

How to Bypass iCloud Activation Lock on iPhone/iPad

If you get a locked iPhone, there is a workaround that can help you get the major functions of the device, including the settings. You follow the steps below to bypass iCloud activation lock.

Step 1. At the Activate iPhone screen, tap on Home button and select “Wi-Fi Settings”.

Step 2. Tap "i" symbol at the right side of the WiFi network you want to connect to. Replace the DNS with one of the following according to your location:

America: 104.154.51.7

Europe: 104.155.28.90

Asia: 104.155.220.58

Other loaction: 78.109.17.60

Step 3. Tap the Back button and enter the password to connect to this Wi-Fi network. When connected, tap Activation Help.

After that, you will be prompted with a message saying that “you have successfully connected to my server”. Then you can see the available apps and access data on this iPhone. You can also use iPhone transfer software IOTransfer to copy files from iPhone to PC or back. 

You May Also Like:

How to Bypass Locked iCloud - Some Effective Methods to Unlock

How to Track your iPhone – Detailed Instructions to Find My iPhone App

iCloud Sign in Account – iCloud Login & Use iCloud. com

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