Activation Lock on gifted iPad mini and iPhone 4S

saylin146 wrote:

Hello everyone, so I have an IPad mini that was given to me by my fourth grade teacher. When I was in fourth grade I didn’t have any access to electronic devices to do my assignments online, so she decided to give it to me. I also have my mother’s iPhone 4S, her brother gave it to her, but now she also has the activation lock on like my iPad. Could you please help us please. We have proof that this electronics is ours, but we don’t have the proof of where it was bought. I still know where my fourth grade teacher is located and my mother knows about her brother. Please help us.

Neither you nor we can bypass Activation Lock. Nor will Apple consider removing it given that you do not have the original proof of purchase for either device. Absent help from the individuals to whom the devices are locked, the iPad mini and the iPhone 4S will remain locked.

If your fourth grade teacher is willing to help you, take the iPad mini back to her, and have her do this:

What to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support

If your mother is willing to help you, take the iPhone 4S back to her and have her follow the same steps. Note that the iPhone 4S is so old that you might not be able to activate and reuse it even if she can remove Activation Lock. That phone can only place cellular voice calls over 2G/3G networks that are shut off in many parts of the world. It doesn't meet current requirements for accessing any iCloud services (including backup and restore). And – to the best of my knowledge – it won't be getting a patch for a key security certificate that will be expiring around the end of next January.

Activation Lock is a theft deterrent, and is intentionally difficult to bypass. We can’t help, and — absent convincing proof of ownership — Apple won’t help.

Without the assistance of the holder of the Apple Account, or the original purchase receipt from Apple or an authorized reseller, these devices won’t be useful.

Further, iPad mini 1st gen and iPhone 4s are both 32-bit processors, with approximately no third-party app support, and their upper limit iOS 9 probably won't even activate based on reports around here.

Most cellular carriers no longer support the cellular hardware here, either.

Put differently, even ignoring Activation Lock, these won’t be useful.

Add them to a memento collection. Or recycle them.

Even with proper preparation, you may never be able to activate them. Based on hundreds of reports here, it appears that Apple's change in the system requirements for iCloud services about a year ago have taken down activation servers for devices that cannot run a minimum of iOS 11 or iPadOS 11. I know the iPhone 4s cannot run 11. Neither can an iPad Mini first generation.