Request for Assistance!

[hansolo77]

My brother has an iPad (not sure what version) that he got back when he was in Nursing School.  He completed school and was told the iPad was his to keep.  Fast forward about 4 years.  He now has a newborn/toddler who is obsessed with technology.  He loves pushing buttons, etc.  Well, needless to say, his son has borked his iPad about 6 months ago.  Somehow, he managed to get the system completely bricked by pressing the home button a LOT.  My brother has been unable to get the device to allow him back into it.  He was able to get it to come up asking for his username/password but for some reason it won't let him log in.  He's tried all the accounts he can possibly think of and still nothing.  He managed to do a factory reset, thinking it would put it back to "in the box" state.  Now whenever he tries to turn it on, it's blocking him saying something like "Authorization Lockout".  He tried calling Apple at least 3 times, and keeps getting the runaround.  They ask him for proof of purchase, which he doesn't have because it was 4 years ago.  Even if he had the proof, it wouldn't give him the ID# they're looking for.  This iPad was provided to him as part of his school requirements.  The SCHOOL might have the purchase ID#, but not him specifically.  He said he was given a receipt that said something like "School Book Device", and it was an iPad.  Apple keeps telling him unless he has proof of purchase, with an ID#, they can't help him and he's basically got a paperweight.  How is this possible?  There is nothing wrong with it, it's a software problem that's giving him the lockout.  If he took it to an Apple store, he's almost certain they could fix it for a fee, or tell him it's trash while actually putting it in a bin to get fixed and then resold.  He PAID for this (to his school, not to Apple though), and owns it.  How can Apple turn him away like that?

So he asked if I could pop into my "helpful forum" and post up a query for some help.  He's kinda lost.  I told him he could probably jailbreak it but I have no idea where to begin or what to look for since I've never had an Apple device.  If jailbreaking is going too far, does anybody know of something else he could try before going there?  Is there some other way to gain access without jailbreaking it?  He'd really like to be able to use it again.

[Draco1962]

I would say if the school is still around, he should see if they could fill in the missing info that the local Apple "genius" bar could use to assist him.

As noted in the discussion below, the school acted as a reseller and should have provided a receipt with the device serial number.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7985244

 

[tthurman]

Factory reset should have nuked everything.

[tthurman]

https://www.macworld.co.uk/how-to/iphone/how-fix-iphone-or-ipad-that-wont-turn-on-3637311/

 

 

[RedDog]

Have him get the exact message that appears when the device is turned on, then search google for "ipod, <that message>".

I did a search for "ipod, Authorization Lockout" and the first page few links all looked helpful. Worse case, he should join an apple forum and pose his question there.

And I very much doubt that Apple is giving him the runaround. Without proof of ownership, they are doing what they should be doing in case the device was stolen. As frustrating as that can be sometimes, they are doing the right thing.

[hansolo77]

Thanks guys, I'll forward the responses on to him.  I think he's probably SOL.  I don't know if he tried calling the school to get information from them or not.  But it sounds like that wouldn't help in this case in that the receipt he got from them was not descriptive.  The school might have an original receipt from an authorized reseller, but I'd imagine it's a bulk order with hundreds of serial numbers.  Matching from the list his exact device would probably never happen.  In any case, I'll let him know.

[tthurman]

Quote

How do you reset an iPad to factory settings without passcode?

Erase your device with recovery mode to remove your passcode

1. Connect your iOS device to your computer and open iTunes. ...
2. While your device is connected, force restart it: ...
3. When you see the option to Restore or Update, choose Restore. ...
4. Wait for the process to finish.

1

https://appletoolbox.com/2011/03/how-to-reset-your-ipad-back-to-factory-settings/

 

[hansolo77]

Just to update..

He came to this post, read some of the suggestions, tried, and was in the process of calling Apple again.  The CSR put him on hold to investigate something.  While on hold, he tried logging into the iPad again.  He was successful!  Apparently, he has a whole bunch of possible usernames to try, whereas the example they give him is like c*********@icloud.com.  He's got names like clloyd83, c.lloyd83, chrisl83, etc.  He was able to get it to work with one of the dozen or so he has.  So when the rep came back, he found out how to disable the security lockout in case it happens again.  He's all good now.  Thanks for your help guys!