Locked iPad (not stolen) - What can be done?

[DaveM]

I've been a forum member here for a while, and because of the nature of this question I didn't want to do a first-time post in the iPads forum. I'm sure that I can get a good answer since iPhones are so close to iPads regarding this issue.

First of all, I'm not asking for anyone to tell me how to do anything illegal or immoral. I just need to know what can or can't be done. I got a call tonight from a casual friend who I've known for 35 years, but we don't see each other very often. He called me because he knows I'm a techie and I do know him well enough to know that what he tells me is straight up.

Tom says he bought a used iPad a while back from a guy who is an acquaintance, but not a close friend. At the time the guy asked Tom what password he wanted on it. Tom gave him a password and the guy set it up. It's been sitting for a while - Tom's wife has health issues and there were more important things to worry about. Tom picked it up the other day to play around with it and found that it's locked and the password doesn't work. He's tried to contact the guy but gets no response. Tom has never synced the unit with iTunes.

So the question becomes, is there anything that Tom can do with this iPad, or is he up the creek?

Thanks folks.

 

[willerz2]

The staff and members over on iPadForums aren't judgmental at all, very professional people that are understanding. And you're asking a pretty generic question so it's not just a reactionary "let's throw this guy under the bridge and call it a day" kind of question.

Assuming the device is just passcode locked and is not iCloud-locked, a simple restore will get it working again. If it's an iCloud-lock, then Tom will have to either meet up with the friend of a friend that sold it to him, or, that friend of a friend will have to detach his credit card, give Tom the password, let Tom get it activated, then change the AppleID password, then re-attach the credit card.

 

[DaveM]

Thanks for the quick (and friendly) response willerz. I'm glad to hear that about the iPad forums people. I don't own an iPad so I've had no reason to join there. So assuming that it's not locked iCloud-locked, what would the restore procedure be?

 

[willerz2]

Assuming it's not iCloud-locked, restoring in DFU or Recovery Mode will "bypass" the requirement to have the device unlocked to be able to restore the device or interact with it. When Tom sets up the iPad again, he'll have to undergo the usual activation process, and should not be prompted with the iCloud password requirement. If the iPad is currently on iOS 6 and not on iOS 7, then a DFU or Recovery restore will guarantee that the device is usable.

 

[DaveM]

I've never done a DFU mode recovery. From what I'm reading it sounds like most people do it as part of a jailbreaking procedure on iPhones. It looks like it needs to be connected to iTunes first and once in DFU mode iTunes will recognize that and ask if you want to restore it. Does that sound correct?

 

[willerz2]

Yes. Once the device is in DFU mode, iTunes will recognize it as Recovery Mode even though it's in DFU mode. iTunes does not (or rather cannot) differentiate between DFU mode and Recovery Mode, but the tell-tale sign of DFU mode is that iTunes recognizes the device in Recovery Mode, but the iPad itself does not show any signs of life (it appears as if the device has been turned off or placed into standby aka screen-locked device)

 

[DaveM]

Well, this will be an adventure. We're in the middle of this snow mess tonight. I told Tom it would likely be Thursday before I can get over there to play with it. I'll post back an let you know how things went. Thanks!

 

[willerz2]

Good luck

 

[Col.bris]

Hey mate we are here to assist and after 4 years on admin staff at iPad forums plus assisting here and other forums I can guarantee you we will answer your questions in a professional manner. Many users have been caught with the new security method adopted by apple in iOS 7. Please follow instructions above and respond back I also look forward to hour posts in iPad forums.

 

[DaveM]

Thanks Colin. I appreciate your post. I've only once seen anything here that I considered rude or unprofessional. My experience has been overwhelmingly positive. Everyone is helpful and I try to give back when I'm able. If I ever own an iPad I'll be sure to check out the iPad forums.

 

[DaveM]

Thinking about this and have another question. It's not possible to get the device into DFU mode and then not be able to get it back out again, is it? It will be one thing if I'm not able to help him, but I sure don't want to end up with the device worse than it was.

 

[willerz2]

It's definitely possible to get it out of DFU mode. Performing a hard reset while it's in DFU mode and plugged in will boot it back up to the disabled/locked screen.

 

[DaveM]

It's definitely possible to get it out of DFU mode. Performing a hard reset while it's in DFU mode and plugged in will boot it back up to the disabled/locked screen.

That's comforting to hear. Thanks!

 

[willerz2]

99% of actions are reversible one way or another. In most cases, when in doubt, just perform a hard reset.

 

[DaveM]

Success! It turns out I had misunderstood what Tom had told me. The iPad was brand new - he had purchased it locally. The "friend" had been over playing with it and "setting it up" for him. Tom knows practically nothing about them. In that process the friend put a lock passcode on it that Tom had given him, but when Tom finally got back to the iPad he had forgotten the passcode. His friend doesn't respond to attempts to contact him.

I got it into DFU mode the first try (yay!) and the process went smoothly. Now it's set up with iCloud and working good. Thanks again.