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An activation lock is a security feature that prevents others from accessing your phone if lost or stolen. To let someone else use your iPhone, you need to remove your Apple ID activation lock. If you don't remove it, the phone can't be used by anyone else.
If you have an iPhone with an activation lock, don't worry. The lock can be removed remotely through iCloud. If you still have the phone, you can also turn it off using your computer and iCloud account.
To remove the activation lock from your iPhone, turn off Find My iPhone from the phone's iCloud settings.
Now that you have signed out of Find My iPhone, you can Factory Reset your Apple device.
If you're unsure if everything is removed after these steps, contact us. We have a tool to check if an Apple ID activation lock is still on an iPhone.
If these steps don't work, you can remove the activation lock online through your iCloud account.
If you've purchased your iPhone and it's still associated with a previous owner's Apple ID, try these steps. You can also use this method to remove the activation lock on your own phone.
The previous owner needs to erase the device remotely and remove it from their iCloud account. You can send them a link to this article so they can follow the steps below.
Log into the iCloud account linked to your device from any device or computer.
Click on the All Devices drop-down and select the device in question.
Click Erase iPhone/iPad. This will erase the device but not any of your stored backups in the cloud.
Enter your Apple ID password and click Next.
Don't enter a phone number on the next screen. Just click Next. You don't need to enter an optional message. Simply select Done.
Now that the phone is erased, click Remove from Account. Then, click Remove.
The phone is ready to activate! The new owner should be notified.