Check the serial number
The first and most important step is to verify the authenticity of the iPhone you have in your hand. There are a lot of modified iPhones on the market, but also Android clones. We can also be fooled very easily by these clones, they even copy the iOS interface to the pixel. Ask for or retrieve the serial number of the iPhone, you have to go to Settings> General> Information. By keeping your finger on the serial number, you will have the opportunity to copy it, which avoids errors when you recopy it.
You must then go to the site checkcoverage.apple.com/fr/fr/p armed with the serial number. The serial number can be found in the phone settings. This will allow you to verify the model, if the phone is registered with Apple and if the warranty is still valid.
Clear data and check lock status
The two complete manipulations
Checking the serial number is not sufficient. You should also check the phone lock status. Indeed, the seller may have forgotten to unlink the iPhone from his Apple account, which will prevent you from using it. In addition, you can come across a stolen iPhone ... In short, ask the seller to erase the data completely by going to Settings> General> Reset> Erase content and settings. Never purchase a second-hand iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch whose data has not been erased.
Also ask the seller to unlink the iCloud account from the device. You can very easily check whether the iPhone is blocked or not. This lock is activated automatically as soon as you configure the feature. Localiser (Find My). Apple then stores your Apple ID on its activation servers and associates it with your device. Anyone who wants to turn off Find, Reactivate, and Use your device or erase their data must enter the password associated with your Apple ID, or the passcode for your device.
To unlock, this is done from a web browser, ask the seller to sign in to iCloud.com with their Apple ID. At the top of the screen, click All my devices. Select the device to remove from iCloud account. Click Delete [device]. Click Next until the device is erased. Finally, click Remove from account.
If you have the time, it is best to set up your Apple account directly on the new iPhone / iPad. You can take the opportunity to perform some additional tests.
The simplified method
Even faster manipulation for the seller is to follow these five steps:
- Tap Settings> [your name].
- Scroll down the page and tap Sign Out.
- Enter the password associated with your Apple ID, then tap Deactivate.
- Go back to Settings.
- Touch General> Reset> Erase content and settings.
This will erase the content of the phone, reset it, but also unlink the device from its Apple account.
Check the battery condition
The iPhone battery can be worn out and damaged. Fortunately, iOS 14 and iOS 15 offer a feature that will check the battery status. This allows you to know the capacity of the battery when it was new. Below 85%, don't worry… unless the iPhone is very recent. This obviously depends on the model and its seniority.
Check if the phone is simlocked, as well as the state of the speakers and cameras
We advise you to take the time to check some elements of the smartphone / or tablet. So take a SIM card and your iCloud account, and quickly set up the iPhone.
You will thus check if the phone is simlocked (make a phone call) and if certain components are working well: the front camera, the locking system (if the screen has been changed without going through Apple, Face ID or Touch ID can be disabled), the speakers, but also the rear camera (s) (take pictures and check if the result is OK). Also check the amount of storage.
These manipulations may take a little time, but you can be sure that you are buying a working phone.
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