Unable to remove Activation Lock on second-hand iPhone 12

KhemM03 wrote:

> I bought this iPhone 12 second-hand from my friend from Laos last year in 2025. He sold it to me at a cheap price. At that time I did not know his Apple ID was still signed in.

> 1. I tried to contact my friend from Laos to ask him to remove the device from his iCloud, but I cannot reach him anymore.

> 2. I tried to sign out the previous Apple ID but I don't have the password.

> 3. The iPhone is now locked with Activation Lock and shows the previous owner's email.

> Please help me to remove the Activation Lock. Thank you.

Bummer. If you can't reach your "friend" anymore, you're out of luck. Read the link Katana-San provided. That phone is utterly, completely, totally useless to you and since you most assuredly won't have the original purchase receipt, which clearly shows the iPhone Serial Number on the receipt, Apple will NOT help you in any way.

Recycle the phone responsibly or use it as coaster and go buy a new iPhone.

Without the help of the owner whose Apple Account is signed into the phone, the credentials for that account, or the original sales receipt, you cannot remove the Activation Lock. It is an anti-theft measure you cannot bypass.

If your "friend" (the one who sold the phone to you for a cheap price, then became impossible to reach) was the owner of the phone, he should have carried out the steps outlined here:

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

Because he didn't, he has left you high and dry, without your money, and without a working phone. You can use that phone as an interesting paperweight or you can recycle it, but it will never work as a phone for you.

Next time you are tempted to buy a used phone to save money, please read

The All Too Common SAD Reality of Buying a Used iPad/iPhone – Apple Community

first, so that you are aware of the potential pitfalls.

Realistically, you are never going to be able to use that phone. Not being able to contact your "friend" that sold you the device is a big red flag. That is exactly who you would need to contact for the information to remove the lock, or return it to them if they could not unlock the phone for you. Apple does not get involve in third party sales, so even with that receipt it would likely not even be accepted.

There really is no difference in the phone you now have and if you had lost your phone and someone else just picked it up. In either case, the phone will not be usable, and that is a good thing and the reason why Activation Lock is so beneficial in securing users devices.

Hello ~ Have a look here as it explains well…its a user tip written by *lobsterghost1*

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-250001038

~Katana-San~

If you have its original purchase receipt, click here and submit an unlock request. Otherwise, you can't.

The activation lock is an anti-theft measure.

(265492)