How to Unlock A Stolen/Found iPhone? [100% Work]

The security features on the iPhone are so robust that many users wonder if and how to use a locked iPhone. Your iPhone can get locked if it is stolen or lost. You can head over to the iCloud website to locate your lost iPhone. You can then mark your phone as lost on the website and Apple will lock the phone for you.

Then, can someone unlock my stolen iPhone? Can a thief unlock my iPhone without passcode and Apple ID if the phone ever gets stolen? Or on the contrary, if you buy a second-hand iPhone and find that it is a stolen and locked one, can a stolen iPhone be used? The answer is YES. Here in this post, we will share some methods for how to unlock a stolen iPhone. So that, you can get to know can a stolen iPhone be used by the thief and what security features you should and should not use on your phone. Also, what you should do if you want to unlock a found iPhone?

Find the iPhone screen broken? You may also need this guide to know how to unlock iPhone with broken screen.

How to Unlock A Stolen iPhone via Default Password

When someone steals your iPhone, the first thing that they are going to do is guess your screen passcode so they can access the phone. They will most likely start with a simple passcode such as 000, 1234, 6666, 8888, and so on. This is the most basic thing they will do to get into your phone.

In case they succeed in entering the correct passcode, they should have access to your iPhone and all the contents stored on it. However, if they fail to enter the correct passcode, your iPhone will remain unlocked.

Your iPhone only offers a certain number of attempts for entering the incorrect passcode. If the thief exceeds this limit, your iPhone will get disabled. A disabled iPhone requires even further steps and certain verifications for it to be unlocked. This is something they will not be able to do without the help of the original owner.

What that basically tells you is that you should always keep a complex passcode as your iPhone’s screen passcode. This way, if anyone ever steals your device, they will not be able to guess the passcode and as a result, they will not be able to use your iPhone.

Someone can also unlock a stolen iPhone with some professional iPhone unlocking tools. These unlocking software are designed to help users who forgot their iPhone passcode get into the locked phone. Therefore, a locked iPhone can be unlocked through that. You can check the details below.

Unlock A Locked iPhone without Passcode or Face ID Directly [SAFE]

Can you unlock a locked iPhone? Getting an iPhone locked is pretty common these days. If you’ve ever forgotten your iPhone passcode, or you found a locked iPhone, you fail to access it without a password. That is when an app like AnyUnlock – iPhone Password Unlocker can help you. All you need to do is connect your iPhone to your computer, click on an option, and the iPhone screen passcode can be reset in seconds.

• Unlock a stolen iPhone or found iPhone in simple clicks.
• Support unlocking any iOS screen locks such as digital password, Face ID, fingerprint recognition, PIN, pattern, etc.
• Simple to use and no tech knowledge is requested.
• AnyUnlock is for both Windows and Mac. Even supports iOS 16/17 and iPhone 13/14/15.
• 12 password unlocking tools: Unlock iPhone screen / Apple ID / Bypass MDM / iCloud Activation lock / Screen Time passcode, etc.

To unlock a locked iPhone with AnyUnlock:

Step 1. Free download AnyUnlock on your computer > Connect locked iPhone via USB cable > Click Unlock Screen Passcode. If you need to remove Apple ID, click Unlock Apple ID.

Step 2. Download a matched firmware before unlocking.

Step 3. Once the firmware is downloaded, click Unlock Now to start the unlocking process.

Step 4. Wait for a minute, and the screen passcode was removed successfully.

If the Find My iPhone has been enabled, the Activation lock will be activated once someone factory reset the locked iPhone. AnyUnlock can also help you bypass the activation lock, and you can check some detailed steps to bypass the activation lock on iPhone or iPad.

How to Unlock A Stolen iPhone via IMEI24

If your iPhone gets stolen and the thief tries to erase iPhone with the iTunes, your phone will get locked when it is erased. This erased iPhone will then keep prompting for the original owner’s iCloud password. If that password cannot be entered, the phone remains locked.

That very issue has actually given birth to many iPhone unlocking websites. There are dozens of sites out there that help you remove the so-called iCloud activation lock from your phone. IMEI24 is one of these sites and it allows you to remove the activation lock from your iPhone for a small fee.

To use the site, you can just open the site in your browser, enter your iPhone’s details, make a payment, and your iPhone will be unlocked in a few days. Someone who has stolen your iPhone can actually use that site to get rid of the lock from the device. They can then use the phone without worries of any locks.

To prevent that from happening, you can actually do one thing. You can mark your iPhone as lost with Apple and Apple will blacklist your phone. This way it will become a bit harder for the thief to get your iPhone unlocked.

How to Unlock A Stolen iPhone via IMEI Unlock SIM

IMEI Unlock SIM is yet another website that helps you to remove various locks from your iOS-based devices. Since a stolen iPhone could have mostly only one type of lock which is the activation lock, this site offers you that unlocking service as well to get rid of the lock from your phone.

A thief can access this site using their browser and enter the stolen iPhone’s IMEI or serial number. They can then go ahead and make a payment for the unlock. In about five to ten days, the service can remotely unlock the iPhone making the phone available free to use by anyone.

This is one of the many services out there that help people remove the activation locks from their devices. While this is definitely a great service for the occasions like when you buy a second-hand iPhone and you cannot contact the original owner to unlock the phone, it is not a good thing for someone whose iPhone has just been stolen.

If you mark your iPhone as lost with Apple and Apple blacklists the phone, there is less likely that the thief will be able to unlock your device. Blacklisted iPhones are extremely difficult to unlock, if not impossible.

How to Unlock a Stolen iPhone via Recovery Mode

One of the ways for someone to enter your locked iPhone to some extent is to use the iOS recovery mode. This mode comes built with your iOS device and you can use it to repair many features on the phone. This mode is mainly used to restore the iPhone using Finder or iTunes. If you have ever had issues with your phone before, you have likely used this method to repair your device.

Unfortunately, if the thief knows how to use this iOS recovery mode, they can actually erase your device including all the content you have ever stored on it. They can then try to get into your device and use the phone like it is theirs.

However, they will not be able to do that. That is because the phone will require the user to enter the original owner’s Apple ID details. If they fail to do that, the phone will remain locked. If you are curious about how this procedure works, the following shows the procedure step-by-step.

Step 1. Launch the Finder if you are on Mac or launch iTunes if you are a Windows user.

Step 2. Connect your iPhone to your computer using a USB cable.

Step 3. Depending on what model you have, use one of the following key combinations to enter the recovery mode:

• iPhone 8 or later: press Volume Up and release it, press Volume Down and release it, press and hold down the Side button and you will enter recovery.
• iPhone 7/7 Plus: Press the Side or Top button and Volume Down button together. You will see the recovery mode on your iPhone.
• iPhone 6S or earlier: press and hold down the Home and Side or Top buttons at the same time. Your iPhone will reboot into recovery mode.

Step 4. Find your iPhone in Finder or iTunes. You will get a prompt that asks if you want to restore your device. Click on the Restore button to restore your iPhone.

Faqs About Unlocking Stolen iPhone

By the end of the article, we collect a list of frequently asked questions about unlocking a stolen iPhone. No matter if you found an iPhone or your iPhone was stolen, you’d be suggested to keep reading to learn more about this topic.

How to Lock Stolen iPhone? 

You can use Apple Lost Mode to lock a stolen iPhone if you lost iPhone and want to lock it to avoid privacy loss. Lost Mode allows you to lock your device and others can’t access your personal information. The thief has no access to any features on your iPhone.

To turn on Lost Mode:

1. Go to iCloud.com and log in > Tap on Find My iPhone.
2. Click All Devices, then select the device you want to put into Lost Mode or lock.
   

   Enable Lost Mode for your Device

3. Follow the on-screen instructions to activate on your chosen device.

Can a Stolen iPhone Be Unlocked?

Normally, someone cannot unlock your iPhone without a passcode. However, they can factory reset your iPhone and unlock it using the above method or some iPhone unlocking tools. Also, it is possible to unlock a found iPhone with the same methods.

If you turned on Find my iPhone earlier, iCloud Activation Lock can protect your iPhone furtherly. Also, you can set up Lost Mode to protect your personal information and track your device in Lost Mode. And Lost Mode allows you to display a custom message about how to contact you on your device screen.

If an iPhone Is Reported Stolen, Can It Be Unlocked?

If you found your lost iPhone when you already activated Lost Mode, how can you unlock it? You can unlock a lost iPhone that is reported stolen by turning off Lost Mode:

• Method 1: Simply enter your passcode on the device.
• Method 2: Also go to iCloud.com and click Find my iPhone > Click All Devices and find the device that is in Lost Mode > Click Stop Lost Mode to unlock the iPhone that you found it.

What to Do If You Find a Lost iPhone that Is Locked?

You can first contact the previous owner through the information if the owner turned on Lost Mode. If you can’t find the owner after trying the methods, or you bought a second-hand iPhone but can’t contact the previous owner, you may try to unlock the iPhone with the above methods legally.

The Bottom Line

“How to unlock a stolen iPhone” is a question someone wonders about whose iPhone has been stolen. This tells the original owner if their iPhone can indeed be unlocked by whoever stole the phone. Our guide above answers this question with examples. If you forgot your iPhone passcode, you can try it on AnyUnlock.