Check by IMEI or serial number whether Apple's activation lock is still tied to a previous owner's Apple Account — the single most expensive thing to overlook when buying a used iPhone.
Activation Lock is an Apple security feature that switches on automatically with Find My. It binds the iPhone to the owner's Apple Account. While it is active, the device cannot be set up after a reset without that account's password.
No repair shop, no tool and no service can lawfully remove it. Only the registered owner can, by signing out or removing the device from their account. A locked iPhone is therefore worth little more than its spare parts.
Ask the seller for the IMEI or serial number and check it before you travel to meet them. If the lock is still active, the honest explanation is usually that the seller has simply not signed out yet — which they can do in a minute, and should do before you pay.
The two are independent and often confused. Activation Lock is Apple's account binding and blocks setup of the device. A blacklist entry is a network-side bar and blocks calls and mobile data.
A device can carry either, both or neither. Checking one tells you nothing about the other, which is why both belong in the same pre-purchase check.
Before purchase the answer is simple: do not buy until the seller has signed out and you have re-checked.
If you already own the device, the only lawful route is back through the seller or through Apple with proof of purchase. Services promising removal for a fee either fail or operate outside the rules — and a device that reactivates its lock at the next update is worth nothing.
Enter the IMEI or serial number here. The result shows whether Find My and the activation lock are active for the device.
Not lawfully and not permanently. Only the registered owner can release it by removing the device from their Apple Account. Paid removal offers do not survive updates.
No. Activation Lock ties the device to an Apple Account. A SIM lock ties it to a mobile network. They are separate restrictions and need separate checks.
If you buy used iPhones regularly: TR Vertriebs GmbH, which operates IMEI Safe, sells only devices with a verified deactivated activation lock. The Find My status is checked on every unit before dispatch, and the grading is documented in the catalogue.
Go to B2B wholesale for used iPhones
A service of TR Vertriebs GmbH – your partner for professional IMEI verification.