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My daughter has an iPhone 12, and she forgot her Apple ID password. We are trying to trade in the phone with AT&T for an iPhone 15, but in order to wipe the phone the find my phone function has to be turned off. To complicate matters, she also doesn't remember the password for the gmail address she had established for the account, and she no longer has the phone number tied to that account. The phone number (and phone) tied to the gmail account are also old, so she can't reset the gmail password. Any attempt to reset the Apple ID password sends a code to the gmail address she can't get to, or to the old phone number she doesn't have. We have tried this:
On your iPad, iPhone, or Apple Watch, go to Settings, tap on your name at the top, and choose Password & Security.
Choose Change Password.
You'll be prompted to enter your device passcode and then enter a new password and confirm it.
Tap Change.
But that still prompts her for her Apple ID password.
AT&T said she can take the paid receipt from the purchase of the iPhone 12 to an Apple store, and they should be able to wipe that phone. Does anyone know if that is true? That is our next step. Otherwise is would appear the phone is next to worthless. She could keep it and keep using it, but would never be able to sell it or trade it in since she can't wipe it.
Doing what they suggested is literally your only hope.
Don't remember 2 passwords, Gmail or Apple ID and don't have access to the phone number? You have to understand how skecthy that sounds.
Go to Apple. Good luck.
Status:
"I didn't do it, nobody saw me"
(set 2 days ago)
Location: Ocala, FL
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I remember when the iPhone was first introduced, Apple set up these security standards and the iPhone was one of the most commonly stolen phones for its time. It was done for a good reason.
I've wondered what people do with stolen iphones because of this?
There is a scam where the person who is in possession of the phone contacts the rightful owner, purporting to be from Apple and attempting to trick said rightful owner into removing the block. If the initial contact is not successful, they degenerate into threats of violence, because the phone is basically a brick at that point. They can break it down and use *some* of the parts, but not all (because they are serially tied to the phone and will not function correctly if installed in a different phone), it is much less valuable as parts than as a working phone.
If your iPhone gets stolen, do not respond to any messages attempting to convince you to un-brick it, just block and ignore.
To put clossure to this thread. The Apple store couldn't help, but Apple has a web page you can use to reset your page . Pretty simple, you put your information in, take a copy of the purchase receipt, and within a couple of days the phone is reset.
I've wondered what people do with stolen iphones because of this?
One thing that helped me re my own Windows 2-in-1 laptop….but that also sort of scares me…..is that you can reinstall Windows without ever logging in.
Someone could steal a computer and the just reinstall windows.
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