Accidentally Locked Out? How to Bypass & Unlock iCloud Activation

Have you ever found yourself completely locked out of iCloud on your phone? Maybe you purchased an iOS device that was already locked out, or perhaps you’ve accidentally locked yourself out of a phone you’ve owned for months. Alternately, you may have found someone’s missing device and need to get around iCloud activation so you can find the owner’s details and return it to them. In any case, you’ll need to know how to bypass and unlock iCloud. Here’s how:

How to Perform a Quick Bypass on the iCloud Activation Lock

There is one easy way to bypass and unlock iCloud, but it is also temporary. You can use this method to check on a found phone and see who the owner is.

1. Press the Home button and select “Wi-Fi Settings.” When the list of available networks comes up, select the “i” symbol next to the network you want to join.
2. Tapping the “i” will take you to the settings for your chosen network. Here, you will be able to modify the DNS settings. After entering one of the following DNS codes, hit the “Back” button and click on “Activation Help”.

North America: 104.154.51.7Europe: 104.155.28.90Asia: 104.155.220.58Most other areas: 78.109.17.60Once you have finished the above steps, you should get a message telling you that you have successfully connected to your server. You should now be able to access most of the features on the device in question—certainly enough to see who it belongs to and return it to that party.

Performing a Permanent Bypass

In some cases, you will need to bypass the iCloud activation on a device permanently. If you have purchased a phone that is locked out of iCloud and want to use it normally, follow these additional steps:

1. Visit Menu>Applications>Crash and reboot the device.
2. During the reboot, choose the menu labeled “Language and Country”. Then press the Home button and select “More WiFi Settings”.
3. Tap the “i” next to your preferred network. This time, go to the “HTTP Proxy” section of the screen that comes up and manually erase the contents of the address bar.
4. Tap the Globe icon on your keyboard and type in 15 to 30 random characters, followed by “8888” in the Port field. Then click the “Back” button and select “Next”.
5. At this point, the device’s unlock screen and language selection pages will start appearing over and over again. Each time they do, slide the “Unlock” bar or choose your language until eventually the device displays its home screen. You will now be able to use many of the device’s features. However, any time you use the Phone app itself (or certain other apps like FaceTime), you will have to repeat the entire process.

Avoid Purchasing a Stolen Phone by Making Sure it Has Been Tested

You can use the tricks listed above to access a lost device and return it, but if you have purchased a stolen phone you will find that going through this process every time you want to call someone is labor-intensive. Instead, make sure that any used device you purchase has been tested and certified safe by a company like PhoneCheck before you purchase it. Doing so will provide you with greater security when buying second hand mobile devices, and save you from having to “hack” an iOS device just to use essential features.

It is possible to circumvent, bypass and unlock iCloud on a locked iOS device by using some clever tricks, but these should only be attempted to help identify the owner of a lost phone or as a last resort. Protect your purchases by looking for reputable used devices, encourage your friends to take good care of their devices, and you will hopefully be able to avoid the need to use these tactics.