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How to Remove & Bypass Activation Lock on Apple Watch without Apple ID?

I know your pain:

Got a second-hand Apple Watch but found it asked for an Apple ID password when pairing with your iPhone?

This means your Apple Watch is locked by Activation Lock, you can do nothing with this watch unless unlock it.

If you’re lucky enough, the previous owner would help you to unlock it. But what if you don’t have access to the previous owner?

Don’t worry! In this free guide, I’m going to share our research on Apple Watch Activation Lock bypass with you.

No complex tech required (such as hacks, cheats, or jailbreaking). Just a quick and easy solution for you to permanently remove Activation Lock on Apple watch without Apple ID so you can use it as normal.

About Our Research on Apple Watch Activation Lock Bypass

Here is the summary of our research you may be interested in.

1Tested Methods

We mainly use three popular methods in this research:

2Tested Devices

We collected 8 Apple Watches from our readers for this research, the models are:

  • 1x Apple Watch Serials 3
  • 2x Apple Watch Serials 4
  • 2x Apple Watch Serials 5
  • 1x Apple Watch SE
  • 2x Apple Watch Serials 6

3Results

Have a quick look at the results of our research:

  • 1/1 Apple Watch unlocked by Method 1
  • 1/7 Apple Watch unlocked by Method 2, 1/7 was returned to the previous owner as its was lost
  • 5/5 Apple Watches unlocked by Method 3.

4Conclusions

If you haven’t got time to read our research you’ll be interested to know our suggestions for Apple Watch Activation Lock bypass:

  • The easiest way is to find the Apple ID password to unlock only if it’s your owner Apple watch and you just forgot the password. And this is the only way recommended by Apple [1]
  • Most of the previous owners refuse to offer help as the Apple Watches are stolen or lost from them
  • Third-party iCloud unlocking services can remove Activation Lock on Apple Watch without Apple ID, although the quality of service varies greatly between them. AppleiPhoneUnlock is most effective service in our research.

Research: 3 Ways to Remove Activation Lock on Apple Watch

1The Official Way for Apple Watch Activation Lock Bypass

As mentioned before, this is the only way which is recommended by Apple.

You can use this method when you’re the previous owner of the iCloud locked Apple Watch.

Results of This Method

In this research, only 1 Apple watch (Serials 3 from Johnson) can be unlocked via this method as Johnson just forgot his Apple ID password. And don’t know how to recover the password since he is not a “tech guy” as most of the aged.

Here is How We Test This Method

Step 1. Visit the Apple ID Account page [2].

Step 2. Enter Johnson’s Apple ID and click on the Continue button.

forgot apple id password 1

Step 3. Select one of the options to reset the Apple ID password.

forgot apple id password 1

After resetting the Apple ID password for Johnson, we guided him to follow the below steps to remove Activation Lock on his Apple Watch Serials 3.

Step 4. Keep iPhone and Apple Watch close together. And open Apple Watch app on iPhone. ‘

Step 5. At the top of My Watch tab, tap All Watches and then tap “i” icon beside your watch.

find watch info

Step 6. Tap Unpair Apple Watch.

unpair apple watch 1

Step 7. Enter the Apple ID Password to unpair.

unpair apple watch 2

After unpair, and the Activation lock on Apple Watch will be removed.

2Find & Contact the Previous Owner

So, after unlocking Johnson’s device, there were 7 Apple Watches left. These devices are all second-hand and our readers can’t find the contact info of the previous owners. That’s why they’re stuck.

Results of This Method

1. We managed to find the previous owners’ contact info (email addresses) of these 7 devices.

2. After dropping an email to the previous owner, we got replies from 5 of them.

3. Only one previous owner glad to offer help and unlocked an Apple Watch (Serials 5 from Valerie).

4. However, the funniest thing is that one Apple watch (Serials 6 from Jessica) was returned to the previous owner. Jessica found this watch 3 months ago at a park. She tried to find the owner but failed.

After we managed to find & contact the previous owner, Jessica returned this watch to the owner. What a lovely story!

Here is How We Find & Contact the Original Owner

Step 1. Find Contact Info

It’s not easy for most of us to get the info of the previous owner especially from an Activation locked Apple Watch.

Luckily, there is a service called iCloud Login Finder [3] that helped us to find the Apple ID email address of previous owner with Serial Number (it is unique for each device.)

icloud login finder email

First, we found the Serial Numbers of these locked Apple Watches and wrote them down.

Then submitted the Serial Numbers to the iCloud Login Finder service.

Finally, wait until they delivered the contact info (took 6 hours).

Step 2. Contact the Previous Owner

After receiving the email accounts. We tried to send an email to them. Here is the template we used:

Hey,
I’m Bryan from iActivation and helping our reader – Valerie – remove Activation Lock on Apple watch.

She recently bought an Apple Watch (Serial Number: XXXXXX) from XXX. But when she tried to set it up it asked for the Apple ID password of the previous owner.

Before she can set up and use this watch, could you please remove the Activation Lock from this watch?

Don’t worry, you can do this remotely by following the easy steps here: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201441

Thanks!
Byran
Co-founder of iActivation

If you’re lucky, you’ll get a reply like this:

positive email unlock watch

However, most of the original owners didn’t want to unlock the watches as this:

negative reply for apple watch unlock

So, if you’re confident to persuade the previous owner to remove the Activation lock on your Apple watch, try this method.

3Use a Apple Watch Activation Lock Removal Service

After trying to disable Apple Watch Activation Lock with the above methods, there are still 5 locked devices left.

We finally tested them with an iCloud unlocking service – AppleiPhoneUnlock. And the results are as following.

Results of This Method

1. All the tested Apple Watches were unlocked by AppleiPhoneUnlock.

2. Delivery time:

  • 2x Apple Watch Serials 4 (8 hrs/12 hrs)
  • 1x Apple Watch Serials 5 (15 hrs)
  • 1x Apple Watch SE (29 hrs)
  • 1x Apple Watch Serials 6 (9 hrs)

3. Cost: $28 each

Here is How We Test This Method

Step 1. Visit AppleiPhoneUnlock iCloud Unlock page.

appleiphoneunlock

Step 2. Submit the Serial Number.

Step 3. Complete the payment.

They wait until they complete the Apple Watch Activation Lock bypass. After that, set up the Apple Watch and pair it with your iPhone.

apple watches unlocked

$28 may be expensive for you, but it worth the price. AppleiPhoneUnlock delivers the unlock faster than what they claim on their website.

They can perform unlocks worldwide, I appreciated this honesty.

For more information and to buy an Apple Watch Activation Lock removal go to the AppleiPhoneUnlock website.

FAQs On Removing Apple Watch Activation Lock without Apple ID

What is Apple Watch Activation Lock?

Activation Lock is a feature of Find My and available on watchOS 2 or later. It is specially designed to keep your device secure.

When you turn on Find My on your paired iPhone, the Activation Lock will be enabled on your Apple Watch automatically. It will ask for the Apple ID and password when someone:

  • Unpair your Apple Watch from your iPhone
  • Pair your Apple Watch with a new iPhone
  • Trying to turn Find My off

So, it’s highly recommended that you turn on Activation Lock on your Apple Watch to prevent someone else from using it when it’s stolen or lost.

What is Apple Watch Activation Lock bypass hack cheats?

Currently, there is no hack or cheats to turn off Activation Lock on Apple Watch. The above 3 methods are not hack or cheats, they’re legal to use.

How do I check Apple Watch Activation Lock status?

Planning to purchase a second-hand Apple Watch? Then it’s wise for you to check the Activation Lock status, blacklist status, warranty status using an IMEI checker [4]

Can Apple remove activation lock on Apple Watch without proof of purchase?

I’m afraid not. Apple will only help the original owner who can offer the purchase proof to remove Apple Watch Activation Lock.

It’s necessary for you to ask the seller for proof of purchase before contacting Apple.

Can you bypass Activation Lock on Apple Watch?

Yes! You can unpair your Apple Watch with your iPhone to remove the Activation lock if you’re the previous owner of this watch.

However, if you are not the original owner, then AppleiPhoneUnlock will help you remove Activation Lock on Apple Watch without Apple ID.

How do I remove someone else’s Apple ID from my Apple Watch?

If the previous owner is glad to help, just let him visit iCloud.com and remove this Apple Watch from his iCloud account. This will automatically remove Activation Lock from your watch.

If not, use a trustworthy iCloud unlocking service to remove activation lock without previous owner.

Can you reset a stolen Apple Watch?

In fact, it’s possible for thieves to reset a stolen Apple Watch by performing a hard reset.

Keep holding the side button until the power menu appears. Then force touch the screen until the Erase All Content and Settings option appears. Tap that option to reset the watch.

Will a factory reset remove iCloud lock on Activation Lock?

No! In fact, you can reset an Apple Watch even when it’s locked to iCloud lock. This will erase all content and settings from it, except the Activation Lock.

After resetting, the Apple ID & password is necessary to be able to activate this Apple Watch.

Can you unlock Apple watch without Apple ID Password?

Of course! The only way to unlock Apple watch without Apple ID or password is to use AppleiPhoneUnlock. We’ve tested this service and it’s reliable.

Can a jailbreak bypass Activation Lock on Apple Watch?

I’m afraid not. Jailbreak just gives you the freedom to tweak the iOS system and most of the apps or functions. It can’t bypass Activation Lock.

Can an Apple Watch be tracked?

Yes! Your watch can be tracked when Find My has been enabled.

Just visit iCloud.com or open the Find My app on your iPhone, your watch will be showed on a map with accurate location.

apple watch find my

You can play a sound to locate it if it’s nearby.

What to do if I got an iCloud locked Apple Watch?

  • Unlock it according to our research to use it as brand new
  • Return it to the seller
  • Re-sell it

Can you unlock a stolen Apple Watch?

Although it’s possible to unlock stolen Apple Watch with an unlocking service, we highly recommend not using a stolen device as it’s illegal!

How do I wipe my stolen Apple Watch?

It’s easy for you to wipe your watch using Find My app or on iCloud.com:

Step 1. On Find My app on your iPhone or visit iCloud.com via a browser.

Step 2. Select your stolen watch from the Device list.

Step 3. Tap Erase to wipe your Apple Watch

The Bottom Line

This is all about our research on Apple Watch Activation Lock Bypass.

If you’re the original owner and forgot the password to unlock your watch, they recover the password and unlock it with Method 1 is much straightforward for you.

Of course you can try to find & contact the previous owner to unlock your Apple Watch with our Method 2.

Finally, if you want to remove Activation Lock on Apple Watch without Apple ID, then using a service such as AppleiPhoneUnlock will help you with this.

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Bryan is a tech-aficionado whose superpower lies in blabbering interminably about new technologies. He is passionate about helping people solve their iPhone problems with easy and practical solutions.

2 thoughts on “How to Remove & Bypass Activation Lock on Apple Watch without Apple ID?”
    • Hi Fraink,

      All the methods mentioned here can help you unlock your watch and set up your own iCloud account/Apple ID.

      Eric

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