Apple has pulled its iCloud Activation Lock page which helped users find out if an iOS device was locked to an iCloud account.
The tool could be used to verify that a used iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch wasn’t stolen before you purchased it — but the website’s URL now leads to an error page.
Introduced with iOS 7 in 2013, Activation Lock was designed to deter thieves from stealing iOS devices. It disables a device until it is reactivated again using the owner’s iCloud credentials. Without those, it’s pretty much worthless — even after a complete restore.
And it works! A February 2015 report revealed that iPhone thefts in major cities have nosedived by as much as 50 percent since Activation Lock was introduced. But for some reason, it just got a little less helpful.
Apple used to offer a tool that allowed users to check the status of Activation Lock simply by entering a device’s IMEI or serial number. It was a quick and easy way to establish whether a used device had previously been stolen before you purchased it.
However, that tool has now been removed. Visiting iCloud.com/ActivationLock now throws up an error page that reads, “iCloud can’t find that page.” Apple has also removed all mentions of the tool from its Activation Lock support document, which suggests it isn’t coming back.
It’s still unclear why the tool was pulled, but without it, there’s no way of verifying if an iCloud account has been removed from a used iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch without having physical access to the device.
We’ve contacted Apple for comment and we’ll update this post if we get a response.
Via: 9to5Mac
Killian Bell is a freelance writer based in the U.K. He has an interest in all things tech and also covers Android over at CultofAndroid.com. You can follow him on Twitter via @killianbell.
4 responses to “Apple pulls tool that helped identify stolen iOS devices”
When there are errors with a device’s IMEI or serial number, horrible things can happen. An Apple employee somewhere a while back entered an iPhone’s serial number incorrectly after a customer reported it stolen, and that incorrect serial number turned out to be the same as my iPhone, so that when I sold my phone to a friend and did an erase/restore to factory settings, my phone came back up with an Activation Lock and wanting that incorrect User ID and Password for their iTunes account. I entered my iTunes ID and password but it would not work. I called Apple and got the third degree saying this phone was stolen and that I would have to produce my paperwork to prove it was mine. Luckily I had kept all my documentation, so when I went to the Apple Store with it, the guy was confused, everything matched up except that the serial number had been supposedly deactivated years before. It was when I erased my phone that things fell apart. He was able to correct things and I sold the phone. Maybe Apple is working on ways to prevent things like this from happening in the future. It is a great service and should be kept around.
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I think it was a better tool for thieves. If you are buying a device don’t buy anything until you can get to a home screen and make sure the device is connected to a functional network (cellular or wifi). Then go to settings>iCloud and make sure no one is signed in.
Ps. If you are buying a device or Mac that seems too cheap, it’s probably activation locked and stolen. If you think you can walk into an Apple Store and have them remove it without an original receipt, not a handwritten one, forget it.
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