Find My iPhone ON or OFF: what it means before you buy
Activation Lock is Apple's anti-theft feature, and it works. That is the problem when you buy a used iPhone: if the previous owner did not switch Find My iPhone off, the phone will ask for their Apple ID after the next reset, and no one — not Apple, not a repair shop — will remove it for you.
How Activation Lock works
Find My iPhone ties the phone to an Apple ID. From then on, erasing the phone or setting it up again requires that Apple ID and password. The lock lives on Apple's servers, not on the phone, so a reset, a new SIM or a firmware restore changes nothing.
This is why a phone that is 'working fine' in the seller's hands can become a paperweight the moment you erase it to make it yours.
Check it before money changes hands
Run the free Find My iPhone check with the IMEI or serial number. It answers ON or OFF straight from Apple's records. Do this before you meet the seller, and again in front of them before you pay — a lock can be switched on remotely at any time.
What to ask the seller when it is ON
Ask them to open Settings › [their name] › Find My › Find My iPhone and switch it off. They will need their Apple ID password. Then ask them to sign out of iCloud and erase the phone in front of you (Settings › General › Transfer or Reset iPhone).
If they cannot do that — they 'forgot the password', the 'previous owner had it', or it was 'a gift' — walk away. There is no other way to get a locked phone open.
FMI OFF is not the whole story
A phone with Find My iPhone off can still be blacklisted by a carrier, or locked to a network you do not use. The three checks together take under a minute and are all free.
Run the checks this guide talks about
Questions people ask
Can I remove Activation Lock without the previous owner?
No. Apple removes it only with proof of purchase from the original owner. Any service promising an 'iCloud unlock' is either bypassing it illegally or taking your money.
Does Find My iPhone ON mean the phone is stolen?
Not necessarily — most people simply forget to switch it off. But a seller who cannot switch it off does not own the phone in any way that matters to you.
Can I check FMI with just the serial number?
Yes. Apple keeps the status against both the IMEI and the serial number.
Does this apply to iPads and Apple Watches too?
Yes. Activation Lock works the same way on iPad, Apple Watch and Mac. The free check accepts their serial numbers.