I know you found a few ways to unlock Apple ID on Google or YouTube. Here I tell you what will work and which is not and then why.
By the way, I’m Lim – a professional Apple logic board repair instructor.
Below is the list of unlocking methods that currently available in 2021.
NOTE: 2022 onward, we don’t have such service anymore. Only certain iPad models can be unlocked.
Unlock activation methods in 2021
Reset Password
Reset the password from the email. I’m not going to talk about this since you can easily find it on Google.
I know this is a stupid answer because I know you can’t access the same email.
Third-Party software
This is by far got most people cheated. Most of them are just fake software to scam your money. Especially you found them on top of the Google search results.
Do not expect to have a program and with just a few clicks and it can be unlocked.
Proxy Method
If you understand the activation actually is going to Apple Server, and you expect there is a server that can do that then you will be disappointed. Because the process of this is required to decrypt the serial number, IMEI, and send an activation command back to the device.
So there won’t be a “free” server to do this.
Official Unlock
If you’re the real owner, you can bring the receipt back to Apple Center and they can do it for you.
But you must need an official receipt that is from an “authorized” Apple seller. If you expect you can trick them with a fake receipt, they will know it by checking the serial number to know where it is supplied to.
Hardware Unlock
Yes, we can do this at a fair price. Cheaper than replacing the whole logic board.
I think It’s considered a hardware modification. But we can only do it for iPads. iPhone is NO. Why?
First, you need to know how the Apple activation works.
The lock status is not stored inside the memory of the device. It’s from the Apple Server.
The server recognized the lock status from the device’s IMEI and Serial Number both.
But IMEI cannot be changed. It’s paired with the hardware. No tool can change the IMEI.
If just change SN alone, the server still recognizes the device from IMEI. So this trick won’t work for iPhone.
But Serial Number can be changed easily. Because SN is stored inside the hard disk. We have the programming tool to edit the hard disk.
But this trick still works for iPads. Because IMEI only exists for the devices that support SIM cards. Some iPads models are just WiFi version, no cellular, so they can be unlocked.
As for iPad that have IMEI, we can disable it and change the SN. By sacrificing the SIM card function to use the iPad again.
But we cannot do this for iPhone. If the iPhone lost the SIM function, Apple is not to allow the device to be activated. What’s the point of the phone if it doesn’t support the SIM function?
Interested to read more? I wrote an article on old blog, it’s about How to Unlock an iPad Pro 12.9.
If you have an iPad need to unlock with this way, you can contact us.
Change Logic Board / Motherboard
This option is expensive. The price is almost can buy another second-hand device. Technically saying, this is not an unlocking method. The ID locked is gone because you replaced a motherboard that is completely a new set of IMEI and SN. Of course, the Apple server recognizes this as a new device.
Jailbreak bypass activation (chenckr1n)
This process involved jailbreak and only support a certain of the iOS version. The latest iOS is not always supported.
Also, not all models are supported. Only older models like iPhone X and older.
This method is to use an exploit bug to bypass the activation menu, and there is a special server that helps you activate the device. This kind of server is not free.
The unlock is not permanent. You cannot update the iOS, or else it will be locked again and might be unable to unlock again due to the latest iOS version fixed the exploit.
By the way, I don’t have do this service at all.