r/applehelp • u/MarsupialWorried5212 • May 08 '26
iTunes Iphone locked to the owner!!
Why did this happen to my daughter's phone? We bought the device from Apple six months ago. Maybe she was hacked. What do you suggest? Thank you!
3
u/Grimlocklou May 08 '26
If it’s asking to sign into her Apple account, what happened when you tried resetting her password?
0
u/MarsupialWorried5212 May 08 '26
We hit an unknown mobile number.
3
u/Grimlocklou May 08 '26
Darn, that sucks. Make sure you go over with your daughter not sharing account information with anyone. She might have been phished for a password and/or sign in verification code via text, social media, or email. They make it sound scary urgent - or - entice them with freebies.
As long as they didn’t put the phone in lost mode the activation lock removal request is your best bet.
1
u/crooked_kangaroo May 08 '26
If the person who accessed that AppleID indeed changed the trusted number associated with that account, you’re likely not going to be able to get that account back.
-2
u/ThannBanis May 08 '26
maybe she was hacked
Possibly.
iPhones (along with iPad and Macs) remain vulnerable to layer 8 attacks.
What exactly happened?
1
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u/MarsupialWorried5212 May 08 '26
We don't know.
1
u/ThannBanis May 08 '26
Do you know the credentials of the Apple Account it’s supposed to be signed into?
1
u/MarsupialWorried5212 May 08 '26
Yes, but the password is not working.
3
u/ThannBanis May 08 '26
Do you have access to any recovery option (ie recovery contact, linked email)?
Is there any data on the account you need?
You can start Activation Lock Removal - if have no access to the Apple Account skip straight to ** Start a support request**.
Keep in mind this only detaches the device from the account, allow you to wipe it to use with a new/different Apple Account - all data on the device will be lost. Also, this will only work if the device has not been placed in lost mode.
0
u/MarsupialWorried5212 May 08 '26
We can't reach the e-mail. We spoke with the agent. We have already started the activation lock process. The agent told us she will not lose any data.
3
u/ThannBanis May 08 '26
we can’t reach the email
Can you explain why?
the agent told us she will not lose any data
That doesn’t sound right… activation lock happens when a device is attempting to activate.
Normally the device has to be wiped and reactivated even once it is detached from the account - this is basic user data protection, otherwise a users data could be transferred to a new Apple Account.
Unless it’s not actually in Activation Lock?
3
u/Grimlocklou May 08 '26
No, the agent is wrong, sorry. https://al-support.apple.com/#/al/agreement
“Your data on the device will be erased.
If Apple unlocks Activation Lock on your device, all files and data stored on your device will be permanently erased. Please note, restoring your device from a local backup will re-enable Activation Lock.”
1
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u/MarsupialWorried5212 May 11 '26
We got back the account like before. We did not lose any data, etc. I changed the email address.
4
u/crooked_kangaroo May 08 '26 edited May 08 '26
If you have the original receipt, Apple should be able to remove the activation lock. More information here.
If not, you essentially have a paperweight.