Apple has put an activation lock on my Ipad.

[Hubert]

My sister in law, in her late 60s, is having trouble with her Ipad 2. She can't remember her password and since January has been in contact with Apple in California. She can't find her bill so Tech support in California has put an activation lock on the Ipad. Is this the end of the Ipad? She is the original owner.

 

[twerppoet]

Did Tech Support say they put activation lock on her iPad? Because that seems unlikely? It's not a tactic I've heard of from any tech company, let alone Apple.

If they did not, then here are the likely causes.

Trying to unlock an iPad with the wrong password too many times and it will lock itself. Depending on the settings, this can be temporary or it can wipe the iPad. It defaults to temporary, and should time out after a bit.

There is also the new anti-theft security stuff; which happens to be named Activation Lock. Attempting to restore an iPad without the owners Apple ID and password locks the iPad down. It will be unusable.

http://support.apple.com/kb/PH13695

I'm not sure if it is possible to recover an Apple ID and then use that to unlock or restore an iPad; but it should work. Here is Apple's support page on recovering your password, in case you don't have it already.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5787

 

[Hubert]

Did Tech Support say they put activation lock on her iPad? Because that seems unlikely? It's not a tactic I've heard of from any tech company, let alone Apple.

If they did not, then here are the likely causes.

Trying to unlock an iPad with the wrong password too many times and it will lock itself. Depending on the settings, this can be temporary or it can wipe the iPad. It defaults to temporary, and should time out after a bit.

There is also the new anti-theft security stuff; which happens to be named Activation Lock. Attempting to restore an iPad without the owners Apple ID and password locks the iPad down. It will be unusable.

http://support.apple.com/kb/PH13695

I'm not sure if it is possible to recover an Apple ID and then use that to unlock or restore an iPad; but it should work. Here is Apple's support page on recovering your password, in case you don't have it already.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5787

Tech Support said there is nothing they can do if she can't show the bill of sale from the store. It was the agent at the Apple Store in the mall who said there is an Activation Lock and only Apple can fix that. But we have given up on that after 7 months of dialog with them. There are too many passwords for older people to deal with.

 

[J. A.]

If you forget your password, you can reset it at My Apple ID (appleid.apple.com) or by contacting Apple Support and verifying your identity. Once your password has been reset, it will work normally with Find My iPhone and Activation Lock.

If you forget your password and cannot reset it, you will lose access to your Apple ID and may be unable to use or reactivate your device. To help prevent this, visit My Apple ID periodically to review and update your account information.
(Apple Support)

This means she should try to reset it, following the link in my post (My Apple ID), and the instructions from twerppoet's second link, then she should be able to activate her iPad.

 

[Hubert]

If you forget your password, you can reset it at My Apple ID (appleid.apple.com) or by contacting Apple Support and verifying your identity. Once your password has been reset, it will work normally with Find My iPhone and Activation Lock.

If you forget your password and cannot reset it, you will lose access to your Apple ID and may be unable to use or reactivate your device. To help prevent this, visit My Apple ID periodically to review and update your account information.
(Apple Support)

This means she should try to reset it, following the link in my post (My Apple ID), and the instructions from twerppoet's second link, then she should be able to activate her iPad.

Do you not have to get past the activation lock before you can reach there?

 

[J. A.]

You can do this on a computer as well. You don't need the iPad to manage your Apple ID.

 

[Mesqueunclub]

Tech Support said there is nothing they can do if she can't show the bill of sale from the store. It was the agent at the Apple Store in the mall who said there is an Activation Lock and only Apple can fix that. But we have given up on that after 7 months of dialog with them. There are too many passwords for older people to deal with.

May be you could contact the store/place you originally purchased the iPad from and ask if they can trace a bill of sale. If it was an Apple store this should not be too difficult.

 

[Hubert]

May be you could contact the store/place you originally purchased the iPad from and ask if they can trace a bill of sale. If it was an Apple store this should not be too difficult.

We have since found a copy of the original bill of sale. Now we have to convince Apple to remove the activation lock.

 

[col.bris]

We are sorry you have an issue however proof of purchase is essential when resolving issues with any product you own. Security is there for a reason just like credit cards post office private access and banking. We do every thing we can to assist users in trouble so hopefully having a receipt will assist.

 

[Hubert]

We are sorry you have an issue however proof of purchase is essential when resolving issues with any product you own. Security is there for a reason just like credit cards post office private access and banking. We do every thing we can to assist users in trouble so hopefully having a receipt will assist.

We spent another 1 1/2 hours with tech support before the agent said she will send the request to have the activation lock removed. When she first asked for help, Why did they lock it in the first place. Don't they know most seniors have problems with computers because Computers became popular after their youthful era?

 

[col.bris]

The security method used protects more than 800 million users from theft of their phones and or iPads plus iPod touches.

This statement was made in 2013 about thefts of Apple iOS devices in USA .
"In New York, police say so-called 'Apple picking' is the fastest growing crime in the city with 113 devices stolen or lost every minute across the US."

In fact on all new iPads, phones and iPods a second 4 digit code is required (though this can be switched off by the user) so one has a 4 digit code plus email iTunes password If either is entered several times incorrectly the device will lock access until the user contacts Apple by email , phone or in person. It should be reasonable to understand if all else fails Apple must ensure you are in fact the owner and proof of sale provides that.

It took only 1 1/2 hours to resolve the issue once proof of sale was submitted which is really only a short time. I assume much of this time was waiting for a support person as usually it is only 30 minutes.

I understand your frustrations however this is for your protection. Like any product one purchases it is critical to keep passwords and receipts in a safe area or at least know whom you purchased it from. If the device is a gift from friends or family members they need to provide a receipt of goods or at least give you a copy. I have had customers whom lost there passwords on a PC only to find to recover it cost them in 2 cases over $100 so it can be expensive and in both cases the customers had receipts so in fact Apples method is much easier. As our members stated above Apple provides several ways to recover passwords and if that fails the final step is proof of purchase. If it helps I am almost 70 so I to understand your dilemma . Hope that explains every thing.