Removing Activation Lock from an iPad

Activation lock is designed to prevent a lost or stolen iPad from being activated by an unauthorized person. It is enabled when the owner of the iPad has enabled the Find My feature when configuring the iPad. If a user, such as a teacher, has enabled activation lock, it can be difficult for the school to reset and reuse the device when the iPad is returned. The solution is to use the MDM to clear or bypass the activation lock.

When a supervised device enrolls into Securly MDM (either through Automated Device Enrollment or manual enrollment), Securly MDM captures the activation lock bypass code and stores it for later use.

If a device has not been reset and is still listed in Securly MDM, the activation lock can be removed by going to the Device Details tab for the device and selecting “Remove activation lock” from the three-dot menu at the top right.

Removing activation lock from multiple devices can be done in bulk by selecting the devices from the device list of a group then selecting "Remove activation lock" from the three-dot menu at the top right of the table.

If an iPad has already been reset, and is therefore no longer communicating with Securly MDM, the Activation Lock Bypass Code can be used. After reset, the device will prompt the user for the owner’s ID and password. Rather than entering an ID and password, leave the ID field blank and enter the "Activation Lock Bypass Code" as the password. The code can be found on the Device Details tab.