He put the phone down, the adrenaline fading. He hadn't stolen data; he hadn't broken the law for profit. He had simply pulled a piece of hardware back from the grave. In a world where everything was locked, encrypted, and tethered to the cloud, he had found a single, fleeting moment of freedom.
Connect the iPhone 4s to the Arduino via the Host Shield to enter pwned DFU mode. Connect the device to a Mac and use tools like to delete the file, which effectively skips the activation screen. 2. Software-Based "Private Server" Method
: If you possess the original retail receipt or proof of legal inheritance, submit a digital claim form directly using the Apple Support Activation Lock Request Portal to have the lock wiped server-side. Share public link
Most activation locks were ironclad. But iOS 9.3.5 on a 32-bit device like the 4S was a strange, specific cracks in the armor. The security protocols were old, predating the modern, server-side dominance of Apple's current ecosystem. There was an exploit—a glitch—buried deep in the setup wizard that only existed on this specific firmware.
Click . The utility tool will inject an alternate file system configuration directly into the temporary volatile memory (RAM) of the phone. Step 4: Deleting Setup.app (The Final Lock Break)
For iPhone 4s on 9.3.5, some legacy methods still function with technical work:
When an iPhone 4s boots up, it checks with Apple’s servers to verify its Activation Policy. On iOS 9.3.5, the operating system strictly enforces this check. If you cannot input the original Apple ID credentials, you must either convince Apple's servers to release the device, or use specialized hardware exploits to delete or skip the setup application entirely. Method 1: The Official Clean Slate (Recommended)
: Currently, the most common working community method for the iPhone 4s involves using an Arduino board
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to execute a "checkm8" style exploit, allowing the device to boot without activation. Official Removal Methods
Use a specialized legacy tool (such as Sliver or custom ramdisk scripts) to load a custom SSH Ramdisk onto the phone.
Activation Lock is a security feature built into iOS. When "Find My iPhone" (now simply "Find My") is enabled on a device, the user's Apple ID and password are permanently linked to the device's unique hardware identifiers. Even if the device is wiped clean or restored via iTunes, Activation Lock will halt the setup process on the "Hello" screen, demanding the original Apple ID credentials before allowing access to the phone. This feature was designed to deter theft by making a stolen device essentially useless.
You can turn off Activation Lock by signing in to iCloud or resetting your Apple Account password. How to remove Activation Lock - Apple Support