My mum passed away several years ago, and her iPad and iPhone have been stored in a drawer ever since. I recently tried to use them, but both are activation-locked. Apple Support suggested taking them to a store, so I brought them in with her death certificate. However, I was told they also needed the original proof of purchase, which I no longer have after eight years. The store said the devices might need to be recycled, but they could not accept them because they still contained her data. Is there any other way to recover or unlock them, or securely recycle them?
4 Answers
If the devices can’t be unlocked, you can erase them with Finder on a Mac or the Apple Devices app on Windows before recycling them. That protects the personal data, but it won’t remove Activation Lock, so the devices would still be unusable to whoever receives them. An electronics recycling service or the manufacturer’s recycling program should be able to handle them safely.
Try contacting Apple again with the death certificate and any other evidence you can find, such as an invoice, carrier record, account information, or documentation showing that your mum owned the devices. Store employees may be limited by policy, while Apple’s account-support team may be able to explain exactly what documents are accepted.
Activation Lock generally can’t be bypassed without the Apple Account credentials or acceptable proof of ownership. A death certificate may not be enough if the store also requires the original receipt or other purchase documentation. It may be worth checking whether the devices were linked to a family account and recovering the Apple Account password through Apple’s account-recovery process.
Recycling isn’t necessarily wasteful. Certified recyclers securely destroy the data and recover components and metals for reuse. It’s frustrating that an expensive device can become a paperweight because of Activation Lock, but without the account credentials or ownership documents, recycling may ultimately be the only practical option.
I know the email address that was used, but I don’t know the password or device passcode. I’ll look into account recovery before giving up on them.