Check iPhone IMEI, Unlock Status and Whether It is Stolen Using Activation Lock Status Tool
After the hacking attempts on iCloud and the increasing cases of stealing of iOS devices, Apple has become quite conscious in providing security features to the users of its devices. Apple has released another great tool for the purpose of increasing the security of your iOS devices. This tool is called as the “Find My iPhone Activation Lock” or more simply, Activation Lock tool. It will tell you the status of the device you are going to buy. The device may be locked by the iCloud.
The Activation Lock was introduced with iOS 7. It allows the legal users to wipe out and lock the data on the stolen devices. The device becomes completely useless. When this feature is activated, it doesn’t allow the intruders to disable Find My iPhone utility. The data will be wiped out and the device will be reactivated under the different name. For gaining the access again, you need to input the Apple ID and also the password associated with the specific device.
When this feature was implemented, the Activation Lock was really praised by many security agencies worldwide. This feature led to a huge reduction in the iPhone-related thefts, all over the world. This tool is undoubtedly a wonderful thing for iOS users. One of the biggest drawbacks of the tool is that the new user cannot use the device at all if the previous owner enabled the Find My iPhone feature on it.
Many users wipe out their iCloud data entirely once they find their iOS device stolen. When you erase the device, the Activation Lock will come into play. It will force you to enter the Apple ID and password associated with the device to regain its access.
The Activation Lock Status tool simply checks the status of the Activation Lock on the device. If it is enabled, then there are chances that the device you are looking to buy is stolen.
For using the Activation Lock Status tool, the users are prompted to input the IMEI of the iOS device or the serial number. It is then matched with the Apple’s database for making sure that the Activation Lock is not currently enabled for that device.
This process is really useful for the people who are willing to buy the second-hand devices. They would require the security feature disabled for gaining access to the device.
As a precaution, the Activation Lock is enabled by default with the latest iOS 8 devices, complemented by the feature called as “Send Last Location”. The latter feature forwards the iOS device’s last known coordinates before the battery wipes out.
In short, Apple has attempted to prevent the iOS devices from getting stolen or theft by incorporating a novel security feature in the form of Activation Lock tool.