I bought a brand-new iPhone 16e from Best Buy for my mother and still have the receipt, box, and proof of purchase. I restored her old iPhone X backup from a Mac, which also transferred an Apple Account she can no longer access. She does not remember the account password, the password for its associated Gmail address, or the passcode for an older trusted iPhone.
Apple sends a verification code during account recovery, but after it is entered, the process requires the passcode from that old trusted device. We therefore cannot reset the password, sign out, disable Find My, or erase the new phone normally. The old iPhone X and its Mac backup are still available and have not been erased.
I have tried recovery through Settings, contacted Apple Support multiple times, visited an Apple Store, submitted Activation Lock requests with proof of purchase, and sent a written escalation. Apple said its system did not show Activation Lock, but Find My remains enabled and the phone still requests the old account credentials. Best Buy will not accept the return because I cannot erase the device and remove the account first.
What is the safest next step? Should I restore the phone through Finder or iTunes and set it up as new, or could that trigger an Activation Lock screen? If that does not work, who should handle the return or account issue: Best Buy or Apple? Is there another official escalation route or recovery option for the forgotten trusted-device passcode?
2 Answers
Because Best Buy sold the phone, they are the retailer you would normally deal with for a return or exchange, while Apple controls the account and activation systems. The practical issue is that the phone must still be removed from the old Apple Account before another person can use it.
Ask Best Buy to document the refusal in writing and request a manager or returns escalation. Give Apple the purchase receipt, serial number, and a clear explanation that this is a new retail purchase whose setup was affected by restoring the old phone's backup. Apple may not be able to remove a valid account lock solely because you own the hardware, but an official restore and a proof-of-purchase review are the appropriate next steps. If both companies continue referring you to each other, keep every case number and receipt and pursue the retailer's formal customer-relations or consumer-protection escalation process.
A full restore through Finder on a Mac or iTunes on Windows may clear the current local setup state and force the phone to contact Apple's activation servers again. Use the official restore process, choose “Restore iPhone,” and then try setting it up as a new device rather than restoring the old backup. Restoring that backup again could bring the inaccessible account back onto the phone.
A restore does not bypass Activation Lock. If Apple's servers still associate the phone with your mother's account, setup will continue to require that account. In that case, submit the original Best Buy receipt through Apple's official Activation Lock support process and keep copies of all correspondence.
Would putting it into DFU or restoring it cause Apple to mark it as stolen or activate an account lock? I want to avoid making the situation worse.
A restore can reveal an existing server-side Activation Lock, but it does not create one or mark the phone stolen. It only erases the device and checks its status again during setup.
I already contacted Apple by phone, chat, and in person, but each representative said there was nothing more they could do. I will try to get Best Buy's position and the refusal documented instead of relying on verbal conversations.