Removing Activation Lock on an old iPhone 4s without proof of purchase

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Removing Activation Lock on an old iPhone 4s without proof of purchase

I found this phone when is was moving out but it has activation lock and I cannot recall having the email. I do not know when or where I bought it and I have no proof that I bought it. Without all of this information I cannot submit an activation lock removal to Apple and the store cannot help me. Can anyone tell me how to remove it?

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Original Title: I have an iPhone 4s that I bought years ago and it has activation lock on it

Earlier iPhone models

Posted on Oct 9, 2025 8:45 PM

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Answer 1

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Servant of Cats

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Oct 9, 2025 9:18 PM in response to bijou48

There is no bypass for Activation Lock. If the phone is Activation Locked, and the situation is as you describe, you will never be able to use the phone.

Not that you could get much use out of it if you could unlock it.

The Phone 4s only works with 2G and 3G cellular networks. In many parts of the world, those have been shut down or are in the process of being shut down, making the iPhone 4s useless as a phone. That phone cannot update past iOS 9.*, which makes it pretty much useless for running modern apps. (Since it has a 32-bit processor, it is possible that it can no longer access the App Store, or that all apps compatible with it will have been removed.)

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