Buying a used iPhone? If you are on a carrier like T-Mobile or Virgin Mobile and need to buy your iPhone outright, it can be quite expensive ($649 and up). So, people commonly turn to the used market to try to get a better deal. This comes with its advantages and disadvantages. Some people are not comfortable buying a used phone from someone on Craigslist or eBay because the sales transaction can be challenging. Also, you run the risk of buying a phone that was stolen. Stolen phones are usually locked either by the previous owner's Apple ID via Find My iPhone or by the cellular carrier placing a reported stolen device on a "do not activate list" - which renders your device useless.

How To Avoid Purchasing Stolen Used iPhones

Whenever you’re buying a used iPhone, you have to make sure that the phone has what is called a "clean" IMEI number. An IMEI number, sometimes called an MEID number, is a unique number that comes with each and every phone. This number is different for every phone and carrier and it is tied to the original owner's cellular account. If the original owner stops paying the phone bill or reports the phone as lost or stolen, the IMEI number will be blocked from being able to be activated on that cellular network - making the IMEI number "blocked" or "unclean."

iCloud Activation Lock

Along with a clean IMEI number, there is something else that is needed to be able to use the iOS device. In iOS 7, Apple announced a new feature to deter phone theft called iCloud Activation lock. This is a process that will block unauthorized users from being able to restore or reset the phone. If, by chance, it was restored in Recovery Mode using iTunes, it will still require you to put in the original Apple ID and password that was associated with the phone and it will not work until you do. Until the correct Apple ID and password is typed in, the device is useless.

There have been many people who have been told that their used iPhone was clear and ready for use only to discover that their IMEI is bad or that the iCloud lock has been activated. Until now...

Verifying the iCloud Activation Lock Status

Apple quietly unveiled a new feature which can be found at iCloud.com/activationlock/. This new feature adds the ability to check the Activation lock (iCloud Lock) status of any iOS Device. This site will allow you to search by the IMEI number or Serial Number of the Apple device and find out if the activation lock is active on the phone. This will help you determine if the used iPhone you are buying is one that you can actually use and if Find My iPhone is still activated on the phone. If it is, don’t buy it unless the seller is currently using it as their personal phone. To find the serial number of your iPhone, navigate to the Setting app and select General > About and you will see the serial number displayed toward the middle of the screen.

Is My ESN Clean?

The next thing to check is the IMEI/ESN number to see if it is a "clean" number. This number can be verified as clean or unclean on several different websites. One that I trust is http://swappa.com/esn. Swappa will show you if the number is clean, blocked or financed. If it is a phone that is financed, it is also a phone that you need to stay away from. When a person finances a phone, that means that the phone is not fully paid off and the original buyer is making monthly payments to their carrier toward the phone's full retail value.

Here is how you can locate the IMEI and number of your phone.

1. Navigate to the Settings application.
2. Click "General" and then "About."
3. Scroll toward the bottom of the screen and you will find the IMEI of your device.

In Conclusion...

Here is a recap of what to do if you are buying a used iOS device:

1. Get the Serial Number or IMEI number from the seller
2. Check https://www.icloud.com/activationlock/ to see if the phone has “Find My iPhone” turned on.
3. Check http://swappa.com/esn to see if the IMEI/ESN number is clean and ready for activation. If for some reason Swappa.com is not working you can always check the original carrier's website, which usually has its own IMEI checker.

These three steps are vital in order to make sure that you are buying a used iPhone that will work for you. If these steps don’t sound worth it, then you can always go to your nearest CityMac or Apple store and purchase a brand new device. We also carry used and refurbished iPhones on a variety of carriers. We make sure that these used phones are clean, have Find My iPhone turned off and are ready for activation. Give us a call at 800-645-2533 if you are interested in purchasing a used iPhone through us.