How to Remove iCloud Activation Lock on iPhone or iPad

This wikiHow teaches you how to disable iCloud activation lock on your iPhone or iPad. You can have the previous owner remove the phone from Find My iPhone settings, use an alternate DNS server during setup, or use a paid unlock service.

Table of Contents

Thanks to the previous owner

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Have the previous owner remove the iPhone from Find my iPhone. This is the easiest and fastest way to remove the activation key. The rest of the steps in this method need to be done by the previous owner.

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Sign in to https://www.icloud.com with a web browser. Previous owners must use an account signed in on an iPhone or iPad.

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Click Find my iPhone .

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Click All Devices. A list of iPhone and/or iPad will appear. ^{[1] X Research Source}

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Click on the iPhone or iPad to remove the activation lock.

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Click Remove from Account . If you don’t see this option, click All Devices again and select Delete next to the iPhone/iPad icon.

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Follow the on-screen instructions to confirm the deletion. Once erased, iPhone/iPad will no longer be locked.

Use DNS instead

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Power on iPhone/iPad. If your phone or tablet is already on, restart it so you can set it up as a new device.

This method will help you to access your locked iPhone/iPad using an alternate DNS address.

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Complete the setup process until you reach the “Choose Wi-Fi network” screen. Before you get here, you need to select your language, country, and other information.

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Press the Home button located at the bottom of the screen.

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Tap More Wi-Fi Settings . A list of Wi-Fit networks will appear.

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Tap the circle with the letter “i” inside next to the Wi-Fi network.

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Click Configure DNS .

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Click Manual .

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Click +Add Server . An empty space will appear.

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Enter the server address of the current location. Here are some options:

United States/North America: 104.154.51.7
Europe: 104,155.28.90
Asia: 104.155.220.58
Africa, Australia and other locations: 78,109.17.60

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Click Save .

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Click the back button. You will return to the network information page.

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Click Join this Network . If the network requires a password, a dialog will pop up.

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Enter the network password and press Join . This action is in the upper right corner of the screen.

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Press the back button when the iPhone/iPad tries to activate. You’ll return to the Wi-Fi page, where something similar to “iCloudDNSBypass.net” will appear at the top of the screen.

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Continue setting up your iPhone/iPad. After using these special addresses, you will pass the encryption layer. You can now set up your phone/tablet as usual.

Use the unlock service

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Find a reputable iCloud unlocking service website. There are many pitfalls in this area, so it is important that you do your research.

It’s rare for any company to accept activation lock removal for free, so if you use services that claim to do this, it’s most likely a scam.
If you’re not sure about a company, check out user reviews on RipoffReport, TrustPilot or Trustmark Reviews.
Some recommended premium sites are iPhoneIMEI.net and Official iPhone Unlock.

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Find out your iPhone’s IMEI code. Services will need this code to unlock the phone. Here is how to determine IMEI code on different models: ^{[2] X Research Source}

On iPhone 6s, 6s Plus, 7, 7 Plus, 8, 8 Plus, iPhone X: You need to find the IMEI code in the SIM tray. Push the SIM eject tool (or the pointed end of a paper clip) into the hole in the tray on the right side of the phone. ^{[3] X Research Source} Pull out the tray and find the IMEI number on the outer edge of the tray. ^{[4] X Research Sources}
On iPhone 5, 5c, 5s, SE, 6, 6 Plus, iPad: The IMEI code is printed towards the bottom of the back of the phone. The first part of the code will be “IMEI”.

Steps

Thanks to the previous owner

Use DNS instead

Use the unlock service

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