RKRajesh wrote:
Dear Apple Support Team,
This is a user-to-user forum. You are not speaking to Apple.
In my Find My account, the device status shows “Will be removed on 12 January 2026.” I am concerned about the implication of this message and whether, after this date, the device could be removed from my Apple ID and potentially reused by an unauthorized individual.
If there is a message like this, it means that you – or someone who knows your credentials – has removed the phone from the list of devices associated with your account.
By any chance, did you receive a message from "Apple" or the "Police", asking you to enter your Apple Account ID and password, or to remove the phone from your list of devices? Such messages are not from Apple or the police, but from the thieves or fences, hoping to trick you into helping them "make your phone their own."
My primary concern is device and data security. I want to ensure that:
The device remains • permanently protected by Activation Lock
Too late. The instant the phone was removed from your account, that cleared Activation Lock. Even though that phone may still be visible through Find My for up to 30 days, the thieves may "make your phone their own" at any time, and there is no way to remotely turn Activation Lock back on.
There is a special case where if the thieves leave the phone unmolested for a month or more, then let it connect to the Internet, Activation Lock might turn back on by itself. But I don't expect the thieves to wait long enough to let that happen.
It cannot be erased, reset, or reused• by any third party
• My Apple ID and personal data remain fully secure at all times
If your phone was passcode-locked, with a passcode that the thieves do not know and cannot easily guess, and it had the screen locked at the time they stole it, the chances of them getting into the data on the phone itself would be slim and none. There are 1 million possible six-digit passcodes, and the phone would only allow the thieves and fences to make 10 incorrect guesses before going into a state where you had to erase it to get back in.
It is much more likely that they have compromised your Apple Account, especially if you do not remember removing your phone from your list of devices, but do remember responding to a "phishing" message. If they have done that, they could get at synchronized and backed-up data in iCloud, and there are other risks which I don't want to outline in detail. Thus, if you think your Apple Account has been compromised, you should secure it immediately.
If you think your Apple Account has been compromised - Apple Support
1. Kindly clarify the following:
What exactly does “will be removed on 12 January 2026” mean?
How to remove Activation Lock - Apple Support
I believe it means that you, or someone else, removed the phone from the list of devices associated with your Apple ID. That would have required knowledge of your Apple ID and/or device credentials.
2. Will the device continue to remain Activation Locked after this date?
The Activation Lock has already been cleared.
Remove a device from Find Devices on iCloud.com - Apple Support
"If the device is offline, Activation Lock is removed immediately, and the device is removed from Find My after 30 days."
3. Is there any additional action required from my side to ensure the device remains permanently unusable for the thief?
The only thing that you can do is to ask your carrier (phone company) to blacklist the phone. This will not prevent the thief or fence from resetting the phone and using it as an iPod touch, given the removal of the Activation Lock. However, blacklisting will keep the phone from getting cellular voice, messaging, and data service from any carrier who honors the blacklist.
I confirm that I have not shared my Apple ID credentials with anyone, and two-factor authentication is enabled. Please let me know if you require the IMEI, serial number, or any additional verification to assist with this matter.
The fact that you are seeing the "will be removed" message indicates to me that
- Your credentials are compromised, or
- You made the mistake of removing the phone from the list of devices associated with your Apple ID
Either way, the phone is gone, but if your credentials are compromised, that could be just the beginning of it.
Do not post any credentials, personal information, or serial numbers in this worldwide, user-to-user forum. I would hope that most of the readers here are honest people, but for all we know, thieves could be reading these forums in hopes of finding such information.
