How to turn off Find My iPhone Activation Lock? step by step guide

One of the security measures that Apple implements on its computers is he Activation Lock Find My iPhone, which works the same for iPod and iPad. This feature consists of locking all the files stored on the device once the number of attempts to unlock it is exceeded. Thus, It is guaranteed that in case of theftthe user’s information will not fall into the hands of third parties.

At the time, it was a function highly applauded by users since it gave them the possibility to protect their information and back it up with a backup in the cloud, but the fact of having to pay to do the latter was not so applauded. This is why many customers decide to disable Find My iPhone and resort to other methods to enable Activation Lock.

If you are part of this group of users and but you do not know how to deactivate the service, continue reading this article so that you can learn. We will teach you all the methods to disable Find My iPhone and how to apply each of them. In the end, you will end up learning everything related to this blocking function so that you can decide if it is really a good option to deactivate it or not.

Steps to disable “Find My iPhone” option

5-step guide to using the tool

• Step 1: Select the model of your mobile device
• Step 2: Choose your country (Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia…)
• Step 3: Select your company (Vodafone, Orange, Yoigo, Movistar…) and press “Release“
• Step 4: Enter your IMEI number (You can find out by dialing on your phone *#06#)
• Step 5: Click on “Unlock Now“and…. Done!

Find My iPhone is part of the iCloud service, the cloud storage platform that Apple offers its users. In general, it’s like a kind of Google Drive or Dropbox Exclusively for iPhone, iPad, iPod and MacOS users. Like any service, can be perfectly canceled by user decision. Here we show you the main methods to do it.

From my own iPhone or iPad

The easiest way to disable the service is through the same device. To do this you simply have to follow the following steps:

• Enter to settings menu of your iPhone, iPod or iPad and touch your username or Apple iD.
• Once inside your user menu, you must locate and select the iCloud service.
• Within the service menu, locate the option “Search my Iphone” which should be activated. Touch on it and disable it by unchecking the switch correspondent.
• You will need to confirm this action by entering your password. your Apple ID account.

Once this is done, Find My iPhone activation lock will be disabled. However, it will still belong to the same iCloud account it’s linked to. So if you bought the mobile used, You must deactivate directly from the service website.

From iCloud

The second option to remove the activation lock and unlink the mobile from its former owner is through the official iCloud website. To do this, the steps to follow are the following:

• Once in the iCloud web, sign in with your username and password.
• Click on your photo in the upper right corner of the screen and enter the section “iCloud settings”.
• Once there go to the section “Search” and select “Devices”, which will cause a subwindow to be displayed in which there will be a list with all the devices you have linked to that account.
• Select the device you want to unpair and click the X that appears next to him.
• Once this is done, you will have to confirm the action by entering the account password again iCloud and Find My iPhone will be turned off for that device.

This will not only remove the activation lock from the iPhone, but also it will also be unlinked from the iCloud account in question. So that if someone else can make it theirs in another profile. In the same way, you can re-link it to your account whenever you like.

If I forgot the password

Without iCloud password or Apple ID it will be impossible to disable activation lock since this is the only way to confirm that you are the owner of the mobile. So, in case you don’t have your password you must reset it with one of the methods that Apple makes available to you.

The easiest way is with two factor authentication. If you have this function activated in your account, follow the steps that we explain below:

• Enter the Apple ID website and select “Forgot your Apple ID?”.
• Once this is done, you will ask for a verification code which will be sent to your mobile.
• Enter the code and follow the steps of the wizard until it allows you to set a new password.
• Once this is done just log in with the new password and ready.

Two-factor authentication can be done directly from the mobile in case you can access it. For this you have to do the following:

• Get into the settings of your device.
• Touch your Apple ID user and go to the “Password and security”.
• Once there, select the option “Change Password”.

This will only work if you have version 10.3 or higher of the iOS operating system. In case you have a version 10.2 or lower the steps to follow are:

• Get into the device settings.
• Touch your Apple ID user and look for the iCloud section.
• Once in the service configuration, tap on “Forgot your Apple ID or Password?”
• Follow the steps of the wizard and set a new password.

Another way to reset your password is with security questions. To do this you simply have to perform the following steps:

• Enter the Apple ID website and select “Forgot your Apple ID?”.
• act followed you will be asked to answer security questions that you set when you opened your account.
• After placing the correct answers, indicate that you send verification by email.
• Check your inbox and follow the link they sent you.
• now you can write a new password and then log in with it.

In case you don’t remember the answers to the security questions you will not be able to apply this method to reset your passwordbeing able to do it only with two-factor authentication.

If it doesn’t turn on

If the mobile does not turn on and therefore you cannot access it, the only way to remove activation lock is to do it from the iCloud interface on its web page. To do this, simply follow the steps explained in the second method.

When will it be necessary to disable Find My iPhone Activation Lock?

Even if you don’t want to there are several circumstances that may force you to deactivate this service from iCloud. The most common cases are explained below.

Operating system damage

If for some reason some data of the operating system is damaged that prevents it from working correctly and you cannot start the mobile, you will need to perform a factory reset and for this you will have to disable Find my iPhone. This is because it is the only way to be able to re-activate the device by reinstalling the iOS operating system.

hardware failure

If any of the physical components of the mobile is failing and you can’t turn it on or start it, before taking it to Apple stores or authorized technician for repair, you will need to remove the activation lock. Otherwise, the expert will not be able to do his job freely and will not be able to reactivate the terminal in case the iOS system needs to be reinstalled after the repairs are done.

Advantages and disadvantages of having the “Find my iPhone” lock activated

Find my iPhone is a good service that seeks to protect the information of its users at all costs. As a security measure, it works perfectly, but it is possible that its way of proceeding could cause inconvenience to users. As everything in life, It has their advantages and disadvantages that must be evaluated to decide if it is worth keeping it active or not.

Advantage

The main advantage for the user is that ensures that no third party accesses the personal information stored on the device in case of loss or theft. In addition, you have the option of making a backup of up to 1GB, which you can expand by paying the iCloud subscription, to back up your information in case you have to perform a factory reset if the mobile has a software or hardware.

Secondly, there is the possibility of being able to locate your mobile via GPS. Entering iCloud and in the Search section, you will be able to know exactly where the device is even if it is turned off. This is extremely useful in case of theft or loss of the terminal.

Disadvantages

The main disadvantage is the possibility of the mobile being locked for life in case you forget the Apple ID password and cannot recover it. If this were the case, you would have to resort to calling the manufacturer directly and it is not guaranteed that they can solve the problem, since your user is the only way to verify that the mobile is 100% yours.

Anyway, There are more advantages than disadvantages of having this service on your mobileso it is best to keep it active and deactivate it with one of the methods that we teach you only when necessary.

5-step guide to using the tool

• Step 1: Select the model of your mobile device
• Step 2: Choose your country (Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia…)
• Step 3: Select your company (Vodafone, Orange, Yoigo, Movistar…) and press “Release“
• Step 4: Enter your IMEI number (You can find out by dialing on your phone *#06#)
• Step 5: Click on “Unlock Now“and…. Done!