When a second-hand iPhone comes into your possession there are a few problems that you might encounter.
For instance, you might find that the last owner didn’t remove all of their data, so a factory reset is needed.
The more annoying problem that you’re likely to have is that they forgot to sign out of their iCloud account/Apple ID.
This is incredibly problematic and could prevent you from using many features (including iMessage and Facetime), so this article will show you how to sign out of iCloud without password.
How to Sign Out of iCloud without Password?
The following methods works for iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch.
1Using AppleiPhoneUnlock
First on our long list of possible solutions is AppleiPhoneUnlock. This is a service-based solution that provides a pretty effortless way of signing out of iCloud.
Basically, AppleiPhoneUnlock disables the iCloud Activation Lock so that you can sign in with a different account. Here’s how it works:
Step 1 – Open an internet browser and go to AppleiPhoneUnlock iCloud Unlock page.
Step 2 – Enter the IMEI or serial number of your iCloud locked iPhone, it will automatically detect the model of your device. Then click Unlock iCloud.
Step 3 – On the next page, agree to the Terms of Service before choosing a payment option and paying for the service.
If you want the iCloud account removed as quickly as possible (in just 24 hours), add the additional service of FastTrack.
Step 4 – After you pay, you’ll receive confirmation of your order and you’ll be notified once the iCloud account has been removed.
Our Experience
Obviously, you’ll be paying for this service, but it’s still a very effective way of unlocking iCloud lock and signing out of iCloud without the password.
2Use a Free Software
Another way of signing out of iCloud without password is to use a free software solution. In this case, the tool we’d recommend is iRemove and it can remove/unlock Apple ID from most iPhone/iPad that has been activated.
Step 1 – Download and install the iRemove software on your computer.
Step 2 – Launch the program and connect your iPhone. You will be notified whether or not your iPhone is eligible to be unlocked.
Step 3 – Once you have confirmed that your iPhone can be unlocked, follow the instructions to place an order for the iCloud removal.
Step 4 – When they receive your payment, you will receive the next instructions that you must follow to delete Apple ID password.
Our Experience
This way is effective especially when you have a disabled Apple ID.
However, there are some downsides worth taking note of. Most importantly, iRemove only supports devices running iOS 11.3 and earlier. If you have iOS 11.4 or later installed, you can’t benefit from this free tool.
3Using Tenorshare 4MeKey
Another software that does a great job of signing out of any iCloud account without the password is Tenorshare 4MeKey. You’ll need to buy yourself a license to use this software, but you won’t be disappointed with the results. It’s useful when your iOS device is locked to iCloud Activation Lock.
Step 1 – Download Tenorshare 4MeKey to your computer and install it.
Step 2 – Connect your iPhone using a lightning cable and select Remove iCloud Activation Lock from the main menu.
Step 3 – Read the information about the process before clicking Start to continue. Read the warning, confirm that you read the agreement, and click Next.
Step 4 – You’ll then be instructed to jailbreak your iPhone and this part of the process will differ depending on if you’re using a Windows or Mac computer.
Follow the instructions that 4MeKey provides carefully.
Step 5 – After the jailbreak is complete simply click the Start button and the iCloud account/Apple ID will be removed from your iPhone.
Our Experience
When you’re looking into what this software can do for you, you’ll notice that a free version is available. However, you won’t be able to complete the iCloud account removal unless you purchase a license.
There’s also the downside of having to jailbreak your iPhone – not everyone is comfortable doing this and, in some cases, it may cause damage to the device.
To learn more, you can read our Tenorshare 4MeKey Review.
4Ask the Previous Owner to Remove
The simplest approach, especially if you bought the iPhone/iPad from someone else, is to have them remove the iCloud account remotely.
Doing this will wipe all the data from the device but is the quickest and most effective way to approach this problem.
Step 1 – Contact the previous owner and have them sign in to icloud.com using the same account which is signed in on your iPhone.
Step 2 – Next, they must select Find iPhone.
Step 3 – click All Devices at the top of the screen, and choose your iPhone from the list.
Step 3 – On the popup window that appears they now must select Erase iPhone, confirm the action, and your iPhone will be remotely wiped.
Step 4 – Finally, once the erase is done, they must click Remove from Account.
Our Experience
You should try this straight away if possible because there are no instances where this would be unsuccessful.
If you don’t know who the previous owner is then we’d suggest using iCloud Login Finder.
This tool will give you the Apple ID account email that is linked to the iPhone/iPad and you can use that to contact the owner directly.
5Reset the Apple ID Password
Perhaps the reason you can’t sign out of iCloud is that you forgot the account password. No problem – there are a few ways you can reset the iCloud/Apple ID password so that signing out is possible.
Step 1 – Go to the https://iforgot.apple.com/password/verify/appleid.
Step 2 – Enter the iCloud account’s email address and click on Continue.
Step 3 – Choose one of the password recovery methods (e.g. phone number, security questions) and follow the steps that are shown.
Step 4 – If you successfully complete one of these methods, you’ll be able to set a new iCloud password for the iCloud account which can be used to sign out.
Our Experience
Obviously, if you have someone else’s iCloud account signed in on your iPhone then this isn’t going to get you very far.
However, if it’s your account and you simply forgot the Apple ID password, as long as you have access to the email address then this will do the trick.
6Using iFile
The next method we’ve got for you is a bit more technical as it requires you to have a jailbroken iPhone/iPad. As we mentioned before this does have some risks, but if you look past those then you can give this solution a shot.
Step 1 – Jailbreak your iPhone if it isn’t already jailbroken (there are many guides online which can be used to help you do this).
Step 2 – Open the Cydia application that is now installed on your iPhone and tap the Changes tab at the bottom of the screen.
Step 3 – Tap on Refresh to load the most recent list of apps you can download, then search for iFile and install this app on your iPhone.
Step 4 – Make sure you close any other app that you have open in the background before launching iFile and going to the directory /var/mobile/library.
Step 5 – Open the Accounts folder and delete the following files by swiping them to the left and tapping the Delete button that appears:
- Accounts3.sqlite
- Accounts3.sqlite-shm
- Accounts3.sqlite-wal
Step 6 – Go back to the directory /var/mobile/library and this time enter the ConfigurationProfiles folder.
Step 7 – Delete the file named ClientTruth.plist and then restart your iPhone.
Step 8 – After your iPhone has restarted you’ll find that the iCloud account has been signed out and removed, so you can sign in with a different account.
Our Experience
Alongside the risks of jailbreaking an iOS device, it’s also worth mentioning that this solution has only proven to work if you’re running earlier versions of iOS (specifically iOS 9 and earlier).
7Using a Bug
Finally, if you’ve been slacking and haven’t updated your iPhone/iPad past iOS version 7.1 (or simply have an older model), you can try this bug to sign out of iCloud without password.
Step 1 – Launch Settings app, tap on your iCloud name at the top, and go to iCloud Account.
Step 2 – Tap the password entry box and delete the existing password, then type any other password and tap Done.
Step 3 – When iCloud alerts you that the details are incorrect, tap on OK followed by Cancel.
Step 4 – Go to iCloud Account again and tap the description entry box, remove the text from it, and tap Done.
Step 5 – You’ll be taken back and you will notice that Find My iPhone is now disabled.
Simply swipe down this menu, tap on Delete Account, and confirm this by tapping Delete.
Our Experience
Anyone who has a newer Apple device which runs the latest iOS won’t be able to take advantage of this method, but for older iPhone owners this will serve you well.
Conclusion
That sums up all the solutions we have that can be used to sign out of iCloud without password and you shouldn’t have any problems getting rid of an iCloud account that you no longer have access to.
These solutions are particularly useful for anyone who recently bought a second-hand iPhone in the hopes of getting a cheap model, only to find themselves locked to someone else’s Apple ID.
We’re confident one of these will help you but if not, feel free to leave a comment below.
