Purchase of used Iphone

I am purchasing a used iphone tomorrow from my wife's friend, and adding it as a 2nd phone number on my wifes account which is ATT wireless. I am assuming all I will need to do is reformat the iphone to factory defaults, and purchase a new simcard, and then I can activate it through Itunes, is this correct?

The seller should reformat the phone back to its original factory state to remove his own information. He should also show you that the phone is in proper working order before you hand over any money. A lot of "used" iPhones have been hacked and may not function properly.

Similar Messages

I have recently purchased a used iPhone 4, when i plugged it into my pc a skull came up instead of the apple icon. My pc does not recognise the iPhone, I have tried everything that I can think of. Has anybody any ideas on how I can fix this?

I have recently purchased a used iPhone 4, when I pulg it into my pc a skull icon appears instead of the apple. The pc also does not recognise the iPhone. The phone was originally purchased in March of this year, so it is under 12 months old. Has anybody encountered this problem and or know how I can fix the phone? Thanks

You have apparently purchased a jailbroken phone. You can try to get it into recovery mode, then restore as new, but no guarantee it will work.
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1808

HT201328 I've purchased a used iPhone 3g via similar site like eBay in Hungary.The phone is legal but no invoice was included.How could I unlock the phone?

I've purchased a used iPhone 3g via similar site like eBay in Hungary.The phone is legal but no invoice was included.How could I unlock the phone?

cv.references wrote:
How could I unlock the phone?
ONLY the Carrier it is Locked to can unlock it.
No one here will know who that Carrier is.
The iPhone 3G can only run iOS 4.2.1

HT201263 i have just purchased a used iphone 4 but i cant connect to itunes as it is already linked to an account. how do i remove the linked account

i have just purchased a used iphone 4 but am unable to activate as it is still linked to the previous owners i tunes account. how can i erase so i can strat using the phone

If this is what you're talking about: http://support.apple.com/kb/PH13695
Then you get the previous/original owner to unlock it or you get your money back ASAP.

ITunes song purchases made using iPhone not visible in iTunes on desktop

My wife purchased some music on her iPhone 4S, and wants to transfer it to her Nano for running. When I launch iTunes on my desktop and sign in as her, the only music showing is one of my songs that I downloaded for free. Her music shows up on her 4S, and even on the 5S we just activated today, shich is also associated with her apple ID. Any idea what I'm doing wrong?

Have you downloaded the music onto that computer from the store or copied it from her phone ? If you use the same iTunes account then you should be able to redownload it via the Purchased link under Quicklinks on the right-hand side of the iTunes store home page :
If you don't share the same account then you could login to her account and redownload it, but that might tie the computer to her account for 90 days : http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4627
You can also connect her phone to the computer and do File > Devices > Transfer Purchases to copy those songs over. But if that isn't the computer that she syncs the phone then you should turn off auto-sync first : Edit > Preferences, Devices tab, 'Prevent iPods, iPhones and iPads from syncing automatically' tickbox.
If that will be the computer that she will be syncing to then this page for syncing to a new computer may also be useful : https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3141

If you have purchased a used iPhone which still has the warranty one it can you still use it even thought its a used phone ?

my dad had purchased an i phone 5 from someone who was selling who had gotten it from soneone else it i have gotten it unlocked and it has been unlocked it is not reported stolen or anything i used and online imei checker and it says the warenty exprires jan 15 2014 i just want to know if i can use that warenty even though i do not know the apple id it is regersterd on or anything ? also what is the canadian number i can call to get this info if you dont know the =answer

The warranty follows the device, not the owner. If you have the device, if there is a warranty issue with the device, you can get it replaced. If you got it officially unlocked by the carrier it was locked to, then you have nothing to worry about it locking back if you do a restore. You may, however run in to activation problems if the device has iOS 7 on it. You will need the Apple ID and password for the person that originally activated the phone, and it sounds as if it has changed hands several times. If you cannot find that original Apple ID and password, then the phone will not be able to activate and no one will be able to help you with that, including Apple.

If I buy a used iPhone 4 without a data plan will the GPS work?

I live in Canada and am a complete newbie when it comes to cell phones and data plans. I am not interested in having or paying for cellular telephone capability.
I've been using the 64 Gb iPod Touch 4 but detest its 0.7 Mb still camera and bemoan its lack of GPS.
Now that the iPhone 4S has been released, there are many folks selling their older iPhone 4s. I'd love to use one of these older iPhone units with their better camera and GPS capability, but don't want to pay for a data plan, nor am I willing to pay $850 for an unlocked iPhone 4S. I'm happy to continue using wireless internet and don't need a cell phone.
Being a newbie when it comes to data plans and cell phones, if I purchase a used iPhone 4 from someone:
1. Does it need a SIM card (activated or not) to use the GPS on it? If yes, must a deactivated SIM card be provided by the seller or where can I obtain one?
2. Does the iPhone 4 need to be on a cellular plan to use the GPS?
3. I can use a deactivated iPhone 4 on WiFi only as I've been doing with the iPod Touch 4, correct?
4. If I can use a deactivated, non-contract iPhone 4 on WiFi only, will the GPS work and allow me to use GPS-enabled apps? If yes, does it somehow still "tie"into available local cell networks to achieve a position without me paying for (or being registered for) cellular access?
5. Can future iOS upgrades (say to iOS5) still be performed on a deactivated iPhone 4 without a cell plan?
6. Do I need to purchase the iPhone 4 from a Canadian seller given my above questions? What other questions do I need to ask of the seller when looking for a used iPhone 4?
Thanks in advance for any help with my newbie questions!

Thanks for that, Paulfromwallasey. I live in a rural area without many cell towers and with WiFi only in my home. I do use offline maps (topographical and street maps) on my iPod Touch 4 outdoors (not needing a signal, WiFi or cellular). I also have a hand-held Garmin GPS receiver but would rather use the GPS in the iPhone (its positional accuracy, while likely being lower than that obtained from my Garmin, is likely sufficient for my needs).
I guess that one of the questions that I was asking is if I were to purchase a used iPhone 4 from someone, and the SIM card have been removed, would the device's GPS still work with GPS-enabled apps (albiet without the cellular-assist)?
Can any pay-as-you-go SIM card be purchased for and used in a deactivated iPhone4? Would this even be necessary for the GPS?
Thanks again.

Bought a used iPhone 3GS. Previous user's password still intact. How can I change it?

I purchased a used iPhone at a rummage sale. The previous user's password is still intact, so I am unable to get into the phone. (No service plan yet.)
Is it possible to change the password?

Try connecting the iPhone to your computer, and using iTunes on that
computer to restore as a new iPhone.

Trying to register a Used iPhone 4S. The previous owner has removed it from his registered devices but is still assigned to him? Won't let me use my Apple ID

I've just purchased a used iPhone 4S. It's been formatted/restored, but when going through the setup it won't accept my Apple ID because it's still apparently registered to the previous owner. He's removed it from his devices on all fronts iCloud / iTunes etc.
Any reason why its still showing as registered under his ID? Or why it won't accpet mine?
Thanks, any help appreciated. Getting frustrated now. And can't get an appointment at my nearest Apple store before Sunday.

Hi Harrison,
The previous owner needs to follow these steps to turn off Find My iPhone on the device. It is currently Activation Locked:
Find My iPhone Activation Lock: Removing a device from a previous owner’s account
Best of luck,
GB

Need to find original phone number for used iPhone 4...

I purchased a used iPhone 4 and blew it because the guy I bought it from had factory reset and upgraded the phone to ios7 but he did not disable 'iCloud' and the 'findmyphone' app. Now it won't activate without his old account info.
I need to get hold of him and thought that his phone number might still be accessible on the unactivated phone...
Any way to get the old phone number out of the phone so I can contact him and have the phone removed from his iCloud account?
Thanks...
o)<
mike

Darn no coverage by the website Aye sorry mate best thing to do is to turn it over to police and see if there's a stolen device report because if you can't reach the guy on craiglist for a replacement well....
Just "Sayian"
Next time you buy a device 2nd hand have them stand in front of you and Tap erase all content and settings

Used iPhones...

With the announcement of the 3G S, I expect to see more 3G units for sale on certain resale sites. If I were to purchase a used iPhone, would I need to do anything more than swap the SIM card from my old phone to my new one? I have a new (last 6 months) AT&T phone. Thanks in advance.

You will need to activate the iPhone with your line/number - either with your existing SIM card, or with a new SIM card from AT&T. After inserting your existing SIM card or a new SIM card in the iPhone, when connecting the iPhone to iTunes, this will bring up the iTunes activation screen. You select as an existing subscriber entering your phone number with area code, your existing calling plan will transfer, and the unlimited data plan for the iPhone 3G will be added ($30/mo) which is not optional.

Do you guys sell used iphones?

Hi Do You Guys Sell Used Iphones?

I think "you guys" refers to Apple ... I think you're asking if Apple's store sells used iPhones. I do not believe they ever do. Here is a link to their refurbished products:
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals
You are addressing Apple users here, not Apple company representatives.
If you choose to purchase a used iPhone from someone else, be extremely careful or you may end up with a previously stolen iPhone that would be useless to you.

Using iPhone as if it was an iPod touch???

Okay so I want a iPhone, but if don't wan to pay that expensive monthly bill and that security deposit so is it possible for me to buy an used iPhone on eBay and use it a if it was an iPod touch with a camera? I don't care about not being able to make phone calls, an if I wan the Internet I can just use wifi right?
And another thing, if I do get a used iPhone and sync it to my iTunes account won't that AT&T activation page come up?

I have a first generation iPhone which is not activated with AT&T that I've used as an iPod Touch since purchasing an iPhone 3G. I must have the no longer activated SIM card inserted in my first generation iPhone that was used when the iPhone was activated with AT&T in order to install a firmware update, or to restore the iPhone with iTunes if needed or wanted.
If you purchase this used iPhone without the no longer activated SIM card included (which isn't likely), you won't be able to install a firmware update, or restore the iPhone with iTunes if needed or wanted.
The AT&T activation page will come up if you insert a new un-activated SIM card in the iPhone followed by connecting the iPhone to iTunes. Other than that, the activation page will not come up.
I suggest purchasing an iPod Touch instead.

Use iphone without carrier?

Hello,
with the iPhone 5 just around the corner I was thinking I could take advantage of the guaranteed sell-off rush to purchase a used iPhone 4 in a few weeks. The thing is, I don't want to use the phone, I'll just be using it as a touch. I read this article (http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3406) which says that I can do it, but it mentions requiring the original SIM card. But what if I don't have the original SIM card, or any SIM card for that matter? Am I out of luck?
Thanks

Considering that there are no used Verizon CDMA that have expired contracts as yet and their "full price" is $750 + at least 1 month plan to activate (>$800 total), that route doesn't make sense for a carrier free phone.
Also, it's not clear that the CDMA model can be activated without connection to a carrer. With the GSM models, you need a SIM, currently or previosuly activated for an iPhone to activate the phone, then remove the SIM. With the CDMA, there's no SIM to remove (or any equivalent setting) in order to disconnect from the carrier. The Apple support article doesn't mention using a CDMA model for this purpose.

Buying used iPhone 4s what to watch for?

I'm going to purchase a used iPhone 4s from a stranger. What do I need to watch out for?

Another poster, about 3 weeks ago, reported that his new iPhone purchased from a strneger was disabled by ATT as "stolen". This odd individual insisted right up until he stopped responding in his own post that the seller had reported it stolen to make an insurance claim and *SURELY* the seller had not himself stolen it. In the fiasco, he put the sim card of the stolen phone phone into his old phone and that one got bricked/locked because of the sim-card relation.
Seems not all sellers are offering legit/legal product.
One way to weed out the bad ones is to make a condition of sale be that the exchange is done at an Apple store to allow Genius Bar to verify stolen/no and good condition. Legitimate selllers will not balk at that inconvenience of verification before they get your money.

Purchase of used Iphone

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for