Step by step

What happens after you place the order

Every stage set out plainly: the IMEI you give us, the work done at Apple's end, and switching the handset back on afterwards.

Give us the IMEI

Open our iCloud unlock page and type in the handset's 15-digit IMEI, or its serial number. The model is identified from that automatically. If you do not know where to look, dial *#06# on an iPhone, or find it under Settings > General > About. On an Apple Watch, use the paired iPhone: Watch app > My Watch > General > About.

See the price before you decide

With the device identified, the price is worked out there and then. It turns on the model, the generation, and where the handset currently stands: clean, in Lost Mode, or flagged. The figure on the screen is the figure you pay, and no account is needed to see it.

Pick the right tier

Standard is for a handset with a clean record: nothing in Lost Mode, no blacklist flag against it. That is most second-hand purchases and most forgotten-password cases. Premium takes the harder ones, Lost Mode and flagged devices included, and moves through the queue faster.

Pay for it

Stripe handles the payment securely and every major credit and debit card works. A confirmation email follows, carrying your order reference, how long we expect the work to take, and a link for checking how far along it is.

We put the request in at Apple's end

Our team files a removal request through verified official channels, and the handset's entry in Apple's activation database is updated. Nothing is done to the phone in your hand; the change takes place inside Apple's own infrastructure. That is precisely why it holds — a factory reset or an iOS update cannot undo it, because what changed was Apple's record.

We tell you when it is done

An email goes out as soon as the removal has gone through. Standard orders usually run 1 to 5 business days, premium 1 to 3. You can look up where an order stands whenever you like on our order status page, using your email address and the reference.

Switch the handset on

Turn the device on, or restart it, and join a Wi-Fi network. Work through the setup wizard: the previous owner's Apple ID is not asked for again. Sign in with your own Apple ID to bring iCloud services back, or start it as a brand-new device. An Apple Watch needs pairing again through the Watch app.

Why this is called a server-side unlock

Apple's activation servers are what enforce Activation Lock. Set a device up, or restore it, and it calls those servers to ask whether the Apple ID tied to it has been verified. Without that verification the screen stays where it is.

What we change is the handset's entry in that activation database, marking the lock as properly released. The change sits at Apple's end. No software goes onto your phone and no hardware is altered.

So the next time the device reaches Apple's servers, which is the moment you join Wi-Fi during setup, it is told it is clear and walks past the Activation Lock screen on its own.

Questions about the process

The email arrived but the phone is still locked

Restart it, then join a different Wi-Fi network. Now and again a handset needs a fresh conversation with Apple's servers before it picks the new status up. If a restart does not clear it, tell our support team straight away.

Can I activate over mobile data instead of Wi-Fi?

Use Wi-Fi for that first activation if you can, because it holds a steadier connection while the device talks to the activation server. Once setup is finished, mobile data behaves normally.

Will this wipe the phone?

No. Nothing we do reaches the device itself; the change is entirely at the server end. That said, if somebody factory reset the handset before it came to you, whatever sat in the previous owner's iCloud account is most likely gone already. After the unlock you can set the phone up fresh under your own Apple ID.

Want to make a start?

Type in your IMEI and we will price it immediately. Step one above is where it begins.

Start My iCloud Unlock →