Hi everyone! I'm seeking advice on behalf of my dad who recently bought a refurbished iPhone in Austria. After retiring, he attempted to migrate data from his old work iPhone, which was managed by his company's IT. Now, the new iPhone is locked with a message saying it is property of his former company, even though the company IT confirmed they don't see the device in their management system and can't unlock it. We've already contacted Apple Support, and they said only the managing company can remove the lock. We're looking for any possible solutions or ways we might persuade the company IT to try something else, like checking by IMEI. We want to keep it legit and avoid shady unlocking methods. Any help or experiences would be greatly appreciated!
4 Answers
Unfortunately, if it’s stuck in an inactive MDM setup, it might end up being e-waste, especially with how Apple handles these cases. It’s frustrating, but that could be the reality we're looking at.
Have you tried resetting the phone to factory settings and setting it up as a new device, without restoring from the old one? There’s a possibility that the lock is tied to the data from your old phone rather than the phone itself. Testing it as a clean phone might provide clarity. If that works, you can selectively restore just your photos or contacts later. If not, you may need to export your important files to another device before doing a complete factory reset again.
Yeah, those Apple devices can be tricky once they’re locked. You can’t bypass the lock if it’s MDM controlled.
Did the setup ask to install an MDM profile at any point? If not, definitely restore it as new without transferring anything from your old phone. That might help.
Consider doing a DFU restore instead. It wipes everything completely and sets it up as a brand new device. It's the most thorough way to clear it if the lock isn’t too restrictive. Just keep in mind that if it’s MDM locked, this option might not be viable either.
That’s true, a DFU restore can help, but we've learned it won’t work if the phone remains MDM locked.
We think that's a good idea, but we struggled with the reset. Each time we tried, the same lock showed up again. It seems like the company has some protective measures locked in place.