Are you seeing a Locked to Owner screen when setting up a second-hand iPhone? Or are you stuck on the Locked to Owner interface after factory resetting the iPhone? Don’t worry, we will help you out by sharing the ways to bypass iPhone Locked to Owner, whether the device is second-hand or not.
What Is iPhone Locked to Owner
When we say "iPhone Locked to Owner", we’re referring to iCloud Activation Lock. It’s a safety feature that connects the iPhone to the owner’s Apple ID(Apple account), ensuring that only the real owner can use the device. It generally appears after erasing the iPhone with Find My enabled. To easily remove Locked to Owner on your iPhone, simply enter the associated Apple ID and password or screen passcode.
How to Bypass iPhone Locked to Owner Without Previous Owner
“Locked to Owner” is an issue commonly encountered when purchasing a second-hand iPhone online. It usually appears when setting up the used iPhone or after factory resetting the second-hand device to start it as new. If you are stuck on the Locked to Owner screen, the first action you should take is to contact the previous owner of the iPhone to remove the iCloud lock. They can directly enter the Apple ID and password on the device or remotely remove the Activation Lock via iCloud by following the steps in this Turn Off Find My Activation Lock on iCloud guide.
If you can’t reach out to the previous owner, follow the ways below to regain access to the iPhone without previous owner.
Way 1. Use Passixer iPhone Unlocker
Passixer iPhone Unlocker is a professional iOS unlocker, which provides 7 features to remove various security restrictions on your iPhone, including the Activation Lock bypass feature. With this iCloud bypass feature, you can bypass Locked to Owner on your iPhone without Apple ID. It helps a lot when you can’t provide the Apple ID because the iDevice is second- hand, your Apple ID is locked, or you fail to reset the Apple ID password.
Steps to Bypass iPhone Locked to Owner Using Passixer
Click the Bypass iCloud Activation Lock Option in Passixer
Launch Passixer iPhone Unlocker on your computer after getting it from the official website. Now, link your iOS device to the PC using a USB cable. Select the “Bypass iCloud Activation Lock” option on the main feed.
Proceed with the Start Button
Read the onscreen instructions and click “Start” to move on.
Jailbreak Your iPhone If You Haven’t Done It Before
Hit “iOS Jailbreak Tutorial” and follow the onscreen guide to jailbreak your iDevice.
Start Bypassing iCloud Lock on Your iPhone
After the jailbreak, Passixer will bypass “Locked to Owner” for you. Once the bypassing process ends, you will be prompted with "Activation Bypassed Successfully".
✍Quick Summary: Effective(99% success rate) and affordable($29.99) way to bypass iCloud lock on iDevices within 30 to 60 minutes.
Way 2: Use IMEI
There are online tools enabling you to complete the Locked to Owner bypass via IMEI, though they are not free. UnlockMaker is one of such tools. If you don’t want a desktop tool to help remove Locked to Owner on your iPhone, you can give UnlockMaker a try.
You might encounter a situation where you have to pay a second time. Even worse, you could pay twice and still fail to remove iPhone Locked to Owner status.
Step 1. Go to the UnlockMaker official site and click Locked to Owner in the top pane.
Step 2. Fill in the required information, including your name, email, device type, IMEI, etc. After that, hit Start My Unlock and follow the onscreen steps to complete the service purchase.
✍Quick Summary: Bypass iPhone Locked to Owner remotely and easily, but sometimes with high cost and low success rate.
Way 3. DNS Bypass
If your iPhone has an iOS 8 to iOS 10 version, you can unlock it using the DNS method. This trick makes your iPhone believe it’s unlocked by exploiting a loophole in the WiFi DNS settings. Here are the detailed steps of DNS bypass.
Step 1: Link your iPhone to a Wi-Fi network.
Step 2: When your iPhone is connected to Wi-Fi, tap the “i” icon next to the Wi-Fi name.
Step 3: Switch the DNS server based on where you are. Look at the list below and copy the right DNS server for your iPad.
- USA: 104.154.51.7
- South America: 35.199.88.219
- Europe: 104.155.28.90
- Asia: 104.155.200.58
- Australia and Oceania: 35.189.47.23
- Other: 78.100.17.60
Step 4: Tap back and join your WiFi network with the related password.
Step 5: Next, your device will attempt to activate, just click the ‘Back’ button. Then, set up your iPhone like you usually would.
✍Quick Summary: Temporary and troublesome way to access an iCloud-locked iPhone.
How to Bypass iPhone Locked to Owner When You’re the Original Owner
Things become easier if you are the original owner of the iPhone. Next, we will introduce 4 ways to bypass Locked to Owner on iPhone for free.
Way 1. Input Apple ID Credentials
This is the simplest way to bypass iPhone Locked to Owner on your iPhone. If you can’t provide the Apple ID or password because your Apple ID is disabled or locked, or you forget the Apple ID password. You can follow the guides below to recover your Apple ID account or reset your Apple ID password.
Apple ID Guides
✍Quick Summary: The easiest way to permanently remove iCloud Activation Lock on iPhone.
Way 2. Enter Screen Passcode
If you see a Unlock with Passcode option under the blank field in the Locked to Owner screen, congratulations! You can use the device passcode to remove the iCloud Activation Lock on your iPhone and here are the steps.
Step 1: Touch the option that says “Unlock with Passcode” from the activation screen. Then, choose “Use Device Passcode”.
Step 2: Type in the screen password that your device used to have.
Step 3: You will be able to get into the iCloud-locked iPhone without any problems.
✍Quick Summary: Best alternative to Apple ID for Activation Lock removal.
If you can’t see the “Unlock with Passcode” option on the iCloud Activation Lock screen, it’s because you haven’t enabled two-factor authentication and set a device passcode, or your iPhone is running iOS 11.4 earlier. It’s strongly recommended to set them up so you can use the screen passcode to bypass iCloud lock next time.
Way 3. Erase and Remove iPhone Using Find My
By using the Find My feature, you can remotely erase your iPhone and remove it from your Apple ID. Once done, the Locked to Owner screen will be gone and you can set up your device as new without any problems. To access the Find My option, you can open the Find My app or go to the iCloud site. Note that you need the Apple ID and its password to apply this way.
Via iCloud Site:
Step 1: Launch a browser and navigate to the website of iCloud. Log in with the iCloud account using on your locked iPhone.
Step 2: After logging in, just choose “Find My”.
Step 3: On the next screen, click “All Devices” and select your iPhone.
Step 4: Press “Erase This Device” first and wait for the erasing to be completed. Finally, choose “Remove from Account”.
Through Find My App:
Step 1: Grab an Apple device that is signed in with the same Apple ID as the locked iPhone.
Step 2: Open the Find My app and go to the Devices tab.
Step 3: Locate the locked iPhone in the list and choose it.
Step 4: Tap Erase This Device and type in the Apple ID password.
Step 5: Once erased, hit Remove This Device to unlink the iPhone/iPad from the Apple ID. Lastly, you will find that the Locked to Owner screen is successfully bypassed.
✍Quick Summary: Free way to try when you need to remove iPhone Locked to Owner without touching the device.
Way 4. Submit Unlock Request Online
Instead of calling Apple Support or go to Apple Store for immediate help, you can submit an online request to Apple to remove Locked to Owner screen, namely Activation Lock. Apple Support will decide whether to bypass the Activation Lock for you based on whether the owner credentials you provide are sufficient to prove that you are the legal owner. You will get the decision by email, which usually takes a few hours or days.
Step 1: On your computer, access this official site.
Step 2: Read the onscreen notes and terms and then click "Continue".
Step 3: Provide your email address and serial number of the iDevice which is stuck on iCloud lock. Apple Support will send a confirmation link to the offered email. After confirmation, follow the onscreen steps to complete your submission. You will need to upload the proof of purchase during the process.
✍Quick Summary: Official way to remove iPhone Activation Lock with a waiting time.
If the ways above don’t work for you, don’t worry. Passixer iPhone Unlocker is here to help.
Bypass iCloud Activation Lock or Locked to Owner on iPhone/iPad/iPod touch without Apple ID, screen passcode or previous owner.
Conclusion
In this article, we have explained how to bypass iPhone locked to owner. Whether your iPhone is second-hand or not, you can find your ways here. Out of all the ways to bypass iPhone locked to owner without Apple ID, Passixer iPhone Unlocker is the simplest and quickest. We highly suggest you give Passixer a free try first.