Video · 1:25
How to turn off Find My iPhone before selling (in under a minute)
Find My iPhone is Activation Lock: while it's on, the phone stays linked to your Apple account and a buyer can't set it up, so a locked iPhone is worth almost nothing. This walkthrough shows the exact taps to turn it off on the phone, the iCloud.com route if you no longer have the device, and the clean erase that wipes your data and signs you out properly.
Key takeaways
- Find My iPhone is Activation Lock. While it's on, the phone stays linked to your Apple account and nobody else can set it up, so buyers reject it or pay scrap value.
- On the phone: Settings, tap your name, Find My, Find My iPhone, switch it off, then enter your Apple account password.
- No longer have the phone? iCloud.com, Find My iPhone, All Devices, pick the phone, Remove from Account.
- Finish with a clean erase: Settings, General, Transfer or Reset iPhone, Erase All Content and Settings.
- Once Find My is off you can skip the erase: we wipe every device to a certified standard, email you the certificate, and pay the same day we inspect.
Full transcript
0:00Before you sell or trade in your iPhone, there's one step you cannot skip: turning off Find My iPhone. Skip it, and the buyer gets a locked phone that's worth almost nothing. Here's how, in under a minute.
0:13First, why it matters. Find My iPhone is tied to something called Activation Lock. As long as it's on, the phone stays linked to your Apple account, and nobody else can set it up. A trade-in company literally can't accept it.
0:28Here's the fastest way. On the iPhone you're selling, open Settings, tap your name at the top, then tap Find My, then Find My iPhone, and switch it off. Enter your Apple account password when it asks. That's it.
0:43If you no longer have the phone, you can still do it. Go to iCloud.com on any computer, sign in, open Find My iPhone, click All Devices, pick the phone, and choose Remove from Account.
0:56Then do a clean erase. Settings, General, Transfer or Reset iPhone, Erase All Content and Settings. This wipes your data and signs you out properly, so the phone is ready for its next owner.
1:10Once Find My is off, you can skip the erase. Send it as it is. We wipe every device to a certified standard, email you the certificate, and pay you the same day we inspect it. Get your instant quote at BuyBackBear.com.
Sell your iPhone · Free IMEI checker · When to sell · How we wipe devices
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How to Turn Off Find My iPhone Before Selling (Under 1 Minute)
Turning off Find My iPhone is the one step you cannot skip before selling. It's tied to Activation Lock: while it's on, the phone stays linked to your Apple account, nobody else can set it up, and a trade-in company can't accept it. Get an instant quote for your iPhone: https://buybackbear.com/sell/iphone?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=find-my-iphone Full written steps: https://buybackbear.com/watch/find-my-iphone?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=find-my-iphone CHAPTERS 0:00 Why you can't skip this step 0:13 Find My iPhone is Activation Lock 0:28 Turn it off on the phone 0:43 No phone? The iCloud.com route 0:56 The clean erase 1:10 Or we do it for you WHAT WE DO We buy iPhones, Samsung Galaxy, Google Pixel, iPads, MacBooks, Apple Watch and AirPods. Cracked, damaged or dead too. - We beat any written quote by $2 - Free prepaid shipping label - Certified data wipe (NIST 800-88) with your certificate emailed free - Paid the same day we inspect: PayPal, Venmo, debit or bank transfer BuyBackBear https://buybackbear.com
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Captions file: video/find-my-iphone/captions.srt in the repo. Thumbnail: video/find-my-iphone/thumbnail.png. After upload, put the video ID into lib/videos.ts and the player switches to the YouTube embed automatically.
The most cash
Beat carrier credits and kiosks. Real money, not 24-month bill credits.
Paid the same day
Free prepaid label, FedEx drop-off, and payout the day we inspect.
Your data, erased
Certified NIST 800-88 wipe with a free Certificate of Data Erasure.
Good for the planet
Every device reused or responsibly recycled. ~58kg CO₂ saved per phone.