Can a stolen erased iPhone be used?

Even if your ‌iPhone‌ is fully erased, the person who has it can't use it. Activation Lock stays on and there is no way to bypass it. As soon as the ‌iPhone‌ boots up, it asks for an ‌Apple ID‌ and password and it won't go past the activation screen without the information.
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What happens when a stolen iPhone is erased?

When you erase a device remotely using Find My, Activation Lock remains on to protect it. Your Apple ID and password are required to reactivate it. If you erase a device that had iOS 15, iPadOS 15, or later installed, you can use Find My to locate or play a sound on the device.
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Can a stolen iPhone be used by someone else?

But Apple's 'Find My' network makes it nearly impossible for a stolen device to be used by someone else. That's because the iPhone or any other Apple device is linked to a user's Apple ID and without access to this, the device is practically unusable for a thief.
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How do I know if my stolen iPhone has been erased?

Login to your iCloud account, and go to Find my iPhone. click on the All Devices dropdown, It should show you the status of your phone. If it has been erased, it will not show in the list( Again, assuming it was the find my iPhone setting was enabled by you and wasn't disabled by the thief).
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Can a stolen iPhone be tracked after factory reset?

Method 3: Use iCloud to Find Your Lost iPhone Even When It's Powered Off/ Factory Reset. You can also use iCloud's website to track your lost iPhone even if it has been powered off or doesn't have enough battery backup.
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7 Things To Do if Your iPhone is Stolen or Lost



Can a erased iPhone be tracked?

If you erase a device that had iOS 15, iPadOS 15 or later installed, you can still use Find My to locate the device or play a sound on it. Otherwise, you won't be able to locate the device or play a sound after you've erased it.
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Does factory reset make phone untraceable?

Can my data still be accessed even after resetting my device? The data on most Android phones is encrypted which means that it can't be accessed following a factory reset. As such, you don't need to worry about another person accessing this information if you sell your Android phone.
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What do thieves do with stolen phones?

Some thieves will use the information they find on phones (such as photos, texts or emails), then use it to hold the original owner to ransom. The best thing to do is to remotely wipe your phone as soon as you find out it's stolen – this can be achieved with apps such as Find My Device (free – Android and iOS).
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Will police recover stolen phone?

File a police report

If you believe your phone has been stolen, file a police report. Although law enforcement agencies don't have the resources to investigate every case of a stolen phone, if you're able to tell them where your phone is (using a finder app), they will be more likely to be able to help you recover it.
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How long does it take to erase a stolen iPhone?

Q: How long does it take to erase iPhone? If there is no user data found on the device, it takes less than 1 minutes. If you want to erase iPhone from Find My iPhone, it normally takes less than 5 minutes. Erasing All Content and Settings on an iPhone should take less than 10 minutes.
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Can a stolen phone be disabled?

To turn off the device, subscribers must first declare the theft to the police and then submit to the provider a written request to disable the device, attaching the declaration form.
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Will the police do anything about a stolen iPhone?

File a Police Report

This step may or may not lead to the recovery of your iPhone (in fact, the police may tell you there's very little they can do either because of the value of the phone or the number of thefts), but having documentation should help when dealing with a phone and insurance companies.
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Can Apple track a stolen phone?

Look for your device on a map

To find your device, sign in to iCloud.com/find. Or use the Find My app on another Apple device that you own. If your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch doesn't appear in the list of devices, Find My was not turned on. But you can still protect your account if Find My was not turned on.
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How do thieves sell stolen iPhones?

Thieves who realize that they can't use the stolen iPhone will break the device into several parts and sell them to shady repair shops or stores for money. These types of stores need several parts of the iPhone, like the screen to fix someone else broken iPhone at a cheap rate.
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Can I use an iPhone that I found?

Can I Use a Lost iPhone I Found? YES. You can unlock it if you found a lost iPhone. The thing that put you in trouble is the iPhone's screen passcode as these days iPhone users usually change a screen passcode to protect the data stored in their device.
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Does a factory reset delete everything permanently?

A factory data reset erases your data from the phone. While data stored in your Google Account can be restored, all apps and their data will be uninstalled. To be ready to restore your data, make sure that it's in your Google Account. Learn how to back up your data.
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Does changing the IMEI number make a phone untraceable?

Open the IMEI Changer Pro App

From here, the app allows a user change or randomize the IMEI of the device after each reboot (effectively changing the IMEI of the device each time it restarts). Thus, the device is now untraceable, with changing IMEI numbers!
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Does factory reset remove everything iPhone?

Factory reset or hard reset deletes complete data and settings from your iPhone. All your photos, videos, contacts, call logs, passwords, messages, browsing history, calendar, chat history, notes, installed apps, etc., get deleted from the iOS device.
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Can hackers retrieve data from erased iPhone?

Although deleting data via 'Erase All Content and Settings' on iPhone will make your device as clean as new, but it is not enough. Your iPhone data after factory reset is still recoverable by hackers.
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Can a stolen iPhone be tracked without SIM card?

The answer to that is a simple yes! All phones, whether an iPhone or an android, can be tracked down without a sim card or network. Still, they will need to have a secure Wi-Fi connection to be accurate.
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Can a stolen iPhone be tracked by serial number?

You cannot. There is no function or method to finding a device using the serial number for it. To Find the Device, you need to log in to the Apple ID it is using, and use the Find My app to track it.
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Can Apple track a stolen iPhone with IMEI number?

You cannot track the location of an iPhone through the IMEI or Serial number. It can only be done through the Find My app and only if Find My was activated on the iPhone before it was lost/stolen. If there is no service on the iPhone or if Find My was not activated, then it cannot be digitally located.
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Does a stolen iPhone take pictures?

if my phone is stolen does it take a picture of wwho stole it? It's not currently possible for the iPhone to take a picture by itself or remotely by a person other than the one holding it. The person holding the camera has to press the camera shutter button to take a picture.
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Can I get in trouble for buying a stolen iPhone?

Receiving stolen property is a crime, whether it's a phone, a TV, a car, etc. Yes. You can be arrested for receiving stolen property. Then call the police and report them if you like.
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Can a lost or stolen phone be unlocked?

Unfortnately, if you lost your phone, the person who fnds it, if doesn't return your phone, will be able to unlock it and later on use it. All that person needs to do is a factory reset and bypass Google's account veryfication. However, it is strongly reocmmneded to report your phone's IMEI to your local authorities.
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