I sold an iPhone 11 Pro Max that would not turn on at the time, so I could not fully reset it. It was asking to be connected to a computer. I removed the phone from my Apple Account, but the buyer says it now powers on and displays "iPhone Locked to Owner," asking for an activation code. The device no longer appears in my iCloud device list. Why is Activation Lock still showing, and what should I do?
1 Answer
First confirm the exact wording on the screen. If it says “iPhone Locked to Owner” and identifies you, the phone still has Activation Lock information stored on it. Since it was offline when you removed it from your account, it may not have received that change yet. Have the buyer connect it to Wi‑Fi and restart the setup process. Once it contacts Apple’s activation servers, the removal may be recognized.
The buyer confirmed that it says “Locked to Owner” and that it identifies me. I’ll have them connect it to Wi‑Fi and try the setup again.