Disabling the Activation Lock on the iPhone or iPad is a must before you can use it. Here’s a simple guide to delete the Activation Lock and deactivating the Find My iPhone security feature.

Apple’s iOS operating system comes with a feature called ‘Activation Lock’ that is designed to deter the stealing of iOS devices like iPhones and iPads. The feature prevents anyone from deleting and restoring an iPhone or iPad without the owner’s explicit permission. Due to the way Apple locks down the system on iOS, there’s no known workaround for this feature out in the wild. When the Activation Lock feature is enabled on your iPhone or iPad, even if a thief manages to steal your precious belonging, they won’t be able to wipe it clean or restore it as new for selling it off, as iOS would prevent them from erasing the device without your permission. Similarly, if you ever come across any iPhone or iPad that has the Activation Lock enabled, you must get the owner to enter their username & password to disable the feature.

Due to its strict implementation, you must disable the Activation Lock on your iPhone or iPad before selling it. If you’re buying a new iPhone or iPad from someone, you must ensure that the Activation Lock has been disabled by the seller, as you would not be able to use the device if the seller stops responding to your requests later.

How to remove Activation Lock on iPhone and iPad

The Activation Lock feature on iOS is directly integrated with the ‘Find My’ app on iOS. In order to remove the activation lock from an iPhone or iPad, turning off the Find My iPhone feature is the easiest approach.

Here’s how to remove the activation lock on iPhone and iPad and turn off the ‘Find My iPhone’ feature in iCloud settings:

1. Launch the Settings app on your iOS device.
2. Tap your name at the top.
3. Scroll and tap your device name.
   

4. Now, tap the Find My option and turn off the toggle.
   

5. Your iOS device will ask you to enter your Apple ID password.
6. Enter the password of the Apple ID and tap the Turn Off button.

How to remotely disable the Find My iPhone Activation Lock on an iPhone or iPad

You may find yourself in a situation where you may not have access to the iPhone, where the iPhone activation lock needs to be disabled. Or you may be holding a phone that has the activation lock enabled, and you are unable to delete the activation lock because the previous owner forgot to turn it off. How do you remotely disable the Find My iPhone Activation Lock on an iPhone or iPad? Here’s how:

These steps must be performed by the person whose account is currently enabled on the iPhone or iPad.

1. Open https://icloud.com in the browser and Sign in to iCloud.
2. Click the Find My icon.
   

3. Click All Devices at the top center of the screen, and select the device that you want to turn off the Activation Lock on.
4. If you’d like to remotely erase this device, click on Erase [device name].
   

5. Next, click Remove from Account to disable the Find My iPhone Activation Lock.

After you’ve followed the steps detailed above, the new owner of the device can then continue to erase or set up their iPhone or iPad by signing in with their own iCloud account and Apple ID.