How can I remove my iPhone from activation locked to owner

Each Apple device is linked/associated with an Apple ID of the person who did the setup.

Activation Lock prevents anyone who is not the owner from using this iPhone.

To unlock the Phone, you need the Apple ID and password of the previous owner, that were used during set up.

So you have to contact the previous owner.

The previous owner has to read -> this Apple article: What to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

What to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support

Then the previous owner has to remove the iPhone from his account, see this Apple article:

Check your Apple ID device list to see where you're signed in

Check your Apple ID device list to see where you're signed in - Apple Support

Then you can sign in with own your Apple ID.

See the following Apple articles:

Activation Lock for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

Activation Lock for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support

See -> How to remove Activation Lock

How to remove Activation Lock – Apple Support (UK)

👉  If you need help with removing Activation Lock and have proof of purchase documentation, you can start an Activation Lock support request.

See also -> The All Too Common SAD Reality of Buying a Used iPad/iPhone

The All Too Common SAD Reality of Buying … - Apple Community                                 

You can also contact Apple support for help, -> Get Support (apple.com)

You have to show proof of ownership of your product, provide all documentation showing your purchase of the device.

If you do not have additional proof of ownership, contact the reseller. They may be able to provide the original purchase document.

Once Apple receive your proof of ownership, Apple will further review your request and provide an update.

Ask your money back, if possible.

Mikeiphone11 wrote:

I wish Apple would differentiate between the ownership of the intellectual property on a device versus ownership of the device.

Activation Lock is centrally about THEFT, and about making THEFT less profitable for THIEVES.

The person holding ACTIVATION LOCK is the OWNER of the device.

There will always be folks willing to buy STOLEN devices. Always.

For now, buying a STOLEN device is cheaper. Albeit less than functional for the buyer.

The SCAMMERS still make some profit here, but LESS then a functional device would command.

Which is also why THIEVES can try to PHISH credentials from (unwary) victims of loss or of theft.

For a LEGITIMATE sale, the owner can release Activation Lock remotely.

For scammers and fraudulent sales, the seller always disappears.

Carrier lock underlies a purchase SUBSIDY that the original buyer received.

For those sellers that choose to pass along the remainder of their cellular plan contract to the buyer, the buyer then finishes out the contract the seller signed.

As with all of this… Caveat Emptor.

The All Too Common SAD Reality of Buying a used iPad/iPhone - Apple Community

I wish Apple would differentiate between the ownership of the intellectual property on a device versus ownership of the device. There should be an easier way to remove an account from the phone, especially now that so many devices are purchased second hand. It's bad enough having to deal with carrier locks, apple shouldn't be in the anti-theft industry as much as they need to be in the customer service industry. In my situation, I purchased a phone for a "friend" on my plan under a contingency agreement, the other party did not live up to their end of the agreement. I now have a phone that I technically own, that is locked to someone who happened to set it up first. Thank you for streamlining the Activation Lock removal process. But maybe consider adding a way to restore a phone to factory default when the party holding the account hostage is unreachable, unreasonable, or dead.

The Activation Lock is not designed to protect intellectual property. It's designed to protect hardware. The whole point of the activation lock is to make the hardware less attractive to thieves. And, it succeeded at that. In some areas, thefts of iOS devices dropped by 40% or more after the implementation.

If you wish to sell, trade or give away your iPhone, it's very simple to remove the Activation Lock. And, it is possible to have the Activation Lock removed if the owner died and you are a legitimate heir.

What Apple does not appear even remotely interested in doing is getting involved in deciding who owns a used phone. It's way too big and too grey an area. Say you buy an iPhone from a pawn shop. You didn't do anything wrong but, how do you now that the person who sold the phone to the pawn shop acquired it legally? If you were then able to remove the activation lock, the whole system would break. Once again, there'd be a market for stolen iPhones.

You will need the Apple ID and passcode to which the phone is locked. If you have no way of contacting the person, the device is useless to you.