My sister-in-law is incarcerated for the next six years and wanted her iPhone repurposed for her father. The phone has Stolen Device Protection enabled, which requires Face ID for actions such as disabling the protection or erasing the device through Settings. We have the phone, its passcode, access to her Apple Account and passwords, the original box, and the purchase receipt. It is also tied to her family's mobile account, so ownership is documented. Apple Support approved an Activation Lock removal request after reviewing the original proof of purchase, but we still cannot fully erase or reset the phone because it insists on Face ID and does not offer a passcode fallback. We do not have access to an Apple computer, and using Find My also appears to request Face ID. Is there a legitimate way to restore and completely reset the phone without the owner being physically present for Face ID, or is it unusable until that requirement can be satisfied?
3 Answers
The Apple Account credentials alone may not be enough to change security settings while Stolen Device Protection is active, but they should still let you complete setup after a recovery-mode restore. If the account sign-in loops or throws an error, make sure the phone is connected to the internet and that you are using the exact account associated with the device. Apple Support may need to resolve an account-side issue if the approved Activation Lock request is not being reflected.
A computer restore is the usual route. On Windows, install Apple Devices; on a Mac, use Finder. Put the iPhone into recovery mode and restore it from there, which bypasses the normal Settings erase flow and should not require Face ID. Afterward, the phone may show Activation Lock during setup. Sign in with the owner’s Apple Account, or use Apple’s approved proof-of-purchase process to clear that lock.
Since you don’t have a Mac, the Windows Apple Devices app is the practical option. You may need another computer temporarily, because the phone has to be restored through a wired connection.
Sending an erase command through Find My is worth trying, but it is not guaranteed to bypass Stolen Device Protection. If the device still demands Face ID, that method will not solve the problem. The legitimate fallback is a wired restore using Apple Devices or Finder, followed by Activation Lock removal or account sign-in during setup.
The trust prompt is part of the normal pairing process, but the phone disconnecting when Face ID fails is why recovery mode is preferable. A recovery-mode restore does not depend on trusting the phone while it is fully booted.