One lock, four generations
The iPhone 13 (A15), iPhone 14 (A15/A16) and iPhone 15 (A16/A17 Pro) all enforce Activation Lock identically. The chips are faster and the Secure Enclave is tighter, but the mechanism is unchanged: the lock lives on Apple's servers and is checked at activation.
Grouping them is useful because the practical answer is identical for all three, and because the searches for them share the same intent — a device is stuck on an Activation Lock screen and the holder needs the real 2026 procedure.
No A15/A16/A17 software bypass exists
The checkm8 bootrom era ended with the A11. A12 and later — which covers every device in this guide — are not vulnerable to it, and no comparable public bootrom exploit has emerged.
More importantly, even a hypothetical bootrom exploit would not help. Activation Lock is an entitlement granted by Apple's activation servers. There is no on-device flag to flip, so a device-side exploit has no target to attack.
Route one: the owner removes the lock in minutes
If the Apple ID belongs to you or to someone who can be reached, this is the fastest path by a wide margin. The account owner signs in on the device, or removes it from their Find My list at icloud.com/find.
That action releases Activation Lock server-side immediately. There is no fee, no tool and no waiting period — it is a single authenticated action from the account holder.
Route two: Apple Support with proof of purchase
When the account is genuinely gone, Apple can clear the lock after verifying that you own the hardware. Submit an Activation Lock removal request with the IMEI or serial number and original proof of purchase.
Acceptable evidence is a receipt or invoice showing the device identifier, a carrier contract, or an insurance replacement document. Apple will not clear a lock on documentation that does not establish ownership, and no third-party service can shortcut that check.
- 1Confirm the device is locked by an Activation Lock screen naming an Apple ID.
- 2Try to recover that Apple ID at iforgot.apple.com — Activation Lock clears the moment the owner signs in.
- 3If the Apple ID is unreachable, gather the original proof of purchase.
- 4Submit an Activation Lock removal request at apple.com/support (or at any Apple Store / Authorised Service Provider).
- 5Apple verifies the purchase, then clears the lock server-side — usually within a few days.
- 6Activate the iPhone again and complete setup with your own Apple ID.
What to do if the device is not yours and the owner is gone
A locked iPhone 13, 14 or 15 with no recoverable Apple ID and no proof of purchase cannot be activated for use. It retains parts value — display, battery, cameras, chassis — but that is the ceiling.
Any service charging to remove Activation Lock on such a device is either returning it unchanged or asking you to hand over hardware you will not get back. Neither outcome is worth the fee.
FRPB is an Android tool — worth being clear
FRPB exists to remove Android's Factory Reset Protection and perform flash resets across Samsung, Xiaomi, Vivo, OPPO, Realme, Motorola and MediaTek/Qualcomm hardware. It cannot and does not unlock iOS devices.
We publish these iPhone guides because the honest answer is genuinely useful, and because sending iPhone owners to an Android tool would waste their time. For Android FRP, the per-model guides on this blog cover the exact procedure.
Safety, legality and when to stop
FRPB is intended strictly for authorised device owners and licensed repair professionals. You must own the device or hold explicit written permission from its owner. Using an FRP bypass tool on hardware you do not own may defeat an anti-theft control and can be illegal in your jurisdiction.
Stop and reassess if the device reports a bootloader state you did not expect, if the model or chipset FRPB detects does not match the handset in front of you, or if the operation halts mid-way. A mismatched firmware package is the single most common cause of a hard brick — abandoning an operation is always cheaper than recovering from one.