Activation Lock for iPhone and iPad

Activation Lock is a powerful feature for supervised Macs, iPhones, and iPads that ensures that a lost or stolen device is useless to a bad actor. After a device with Activation Lock is erased, it will check in with Apple's activation servers before allowing Setup Assistant (those screens you see when first powering on a new device) to finish. If the Activation Lock cannot be cleared, the device is functionally useless. 

We recommend most organizations leverage Activation Lock to keep your devices secured and to disincentivize theft. It does, however, add an additional step when you need to erase an existing device to reassign it. Remember, this institutional Activation Lock is only applicable to devices owned by your organization and registered with Apple Business.

Here's how to clear Activation Lock on your oragnization's supervised iPhones and iPads.

1. You'll be prompted that the device is locked to an Apple Account - this account will either be your organization's Apple Business account used by Ntiva to set up the device, or it could be a previous employee's Personal Apple Account.
   
2. Contact the Ntiva Service desk with your device's serial number. You'll be provided with an MDM Bypass Code - type that code into the Password field, leaving the "Email or Phone Number" field blank. Only if you've typed in the exact number of characters for the code will the Next button in the top-right corner become interactive.
   Remember, bypass codes always use numeral zero (0) and never the letter "O".
   
    
3. It may take a few minutes for your iPad to activate - if you see an error message, select Try Again, otherwise wait for the connection to go through:
   
    
4. If you reach the Device Management screen, you're all set and can continue setting up your device. Note that the organization name will either show as your company or as Ntiva:
   

Does your organization need to erase and reassign devices frequently? Please reach out to your Account Manager - Apple Business supports a mechanism where a user account with the Device Manager role can input their Managed Apple Account credentials to clear the lock without requesting a bypass code.

Troubleshooting

The most common issue with Activation Lock is identifying if the device is eligible for a bypass code or not. The device in question must be supervised and registered with Apple Business to be eligible, enrolled via ADE (Automated Device Enrollment). 

In some circumstances, it may become necessary to disable Activation Lock through Apple Business:

• Log into Apple Business, then click Devices and Inventory
• Locate and select the target device
• See if the button for Turn Off Activation Lock is interactive - if not, the device is ineligible for this resolution:
  

If the device is not in Apple Business, this method will not work - please contact Apple directly for support and next steps.