iCloud and Google lock: the costliest mistake when buying second-hand
A phone still tied to someone else's account cannot be used. Here is how to check before paying.
Activation Lock (iPhone/iPad) and Factory Reset Protection (Android) are anti-theft measures. They work well — which is why a phone that has not been released by its previous owner is practically a brick.
Checking an iPhone
· Settings → the name at the top → must be empty, i.e. nobody signed in.
· Settings → General → Transfer or Reset → if it asks for an Apple ID password, the device is NOT released.
· "Find My" must be off.
Checking an Android
· Settings → Accounts → there must be no Google account.
· After a factory reset the device must not ask for a previous account.
How it should be done
The seller removes the account in front of you and performs a factory reset; you turn the device on and go through the initial setup all the way to the home screen. Only then do you pay.
If you already bought a locked phone
The only lawful route is for the previous owner to remove it from their account — remotely, via iCloud.com or their Google account. Services promising to "unlock" it for a fee do not work at best.
In our showroom every device is checked and handed over released and reset.
Have a question about a specific device?
Call us or drop by the showroom — we check the device together.