“Is it possible to activate an iPhone without an Apple ID?” You might be dealing with a tricky situation, wanting to maintain a high level of privacy, or perhaps you’re helping a friend with a predicament. Whatever your reason may be, you’ve landed in the right place.
If you’ve ever found yourself with a new iPhone in hand, but for some reason, you don’t have an Apple ID or you simply don’t want to use one, you may have wondered if it’s possible to activate your iPhone without it.
Today, we’re going to tackle this question head-on. We will walk you through the steps, providing a clear, easy-to-follow guide on how to activate your iPhone without an Apple ID.
Let’s get started!
Also Read: How to Reset Apple Watch After too Many Passcode Attempts?
How to activate your iPhone without an Apple ID? 5 effective ways
Definitely, no one’s perfect. We all have so much data to remember daily and, naturally, we tend to forget some things. One of those things could be your Apple ID or password. But no need to worry, this isn’t a major disaster, and I’ll guide you on how to tackle this issue.

1. How to reset your apple ID password
- If you’ve misplaced your Apple ID password, here’s a solution:
- Go to the site https://iforgot.apple.com/ There you’ll spot a tab stating ‘Forgot your Apple ID or Password’. Click on that.
- You’ll be asked to input your Apple ID next, as well as the phone number you used when setting up your account.
- After filling in this data, you’ll get a phone call or a text message to verify your identity. Simply follow the given steps to create a new password for your Apple ID.
2. What to do if you can’t remember your apple ID
Our smartphones have gotten so clever that they keep our credentials, like the Apple ID, saved. While this is convenient and saves time, it also increases the chances of forgetting our Apple ID since we rarely need to type it.
But no worries. If you forget your Apple ID, you can still recover it. Here’s how:
- Visit the webpage https://iforgot.apple.com/ on your computer.
- Then, select ‘Forgot Apple ID or Password’.
- You’ll be prompted to fill in certain details, like answers to your security questions.
- Once you provide the required information, Apple will send an email to the address linked to your Apple ID.
- Within that email, you’ll find a link which will display your Apple ID.
3. Use checkm8 program
- Download and install the Checkm8 program from the official website.
- Launch Checkm8 and connect your iPhone to the computer via a lightning cable.
- The software will initiate a device scan and instruct you to jailbreak the iPhone using Checkra1n if not already jailbroken. Follow the instructions displayed on the screen.
- Upon successful jailbreak, click ‘Start’ in the Checkm8 interface to unlock your device.
- Checkm8 will assess your device’s compatibility with the software. If compatible, you’ll be directed to the payment page. Following payment completion, your iPhone will be unlocked immediately.
4. Activation via iCloud DNS (Available for iOS 10 and later)
- Initiate a factory reset to land on the setup page.
- Follow the setup instructions till you reach the Wi-Fi connection page.

- Tap on the ‘i’ icon next to the connected network and then select the ‘DHCP’ tab.
- Depending on your geographical location, input one of the following DNS IP addresses:
- North America: 104.155.28.9
- Europe: 104.154.51.7
- Asia: 104.155.220.5
- Any other location: 78.100.17.60
- Return to the main menu and connect to Wi-Fi as usual.
- Instead of logging in with an Apple ID, tap ‘Back’ and choose ‘Activation Help.’ This allows you to access the device without an Apple ID, albeit temporarily.
5. Requesting help from previous iPhone owner
If the previous owner is reachable, ask them to disassociate their Apple ID from the device. They can either sign out from their Apple ID directly on the iPhone or follow these steps remotely
- Visit iCloud.com and sign in with the Apple ID linked to the device.
- Choose ‘Find my iPhone’ and select the relevant iPhone from the ‘All Devices’ dropdown menu.
- Select ‘Remove from Account.’ If the device isn’t already reset, they should also select ‘Erase iPhone.’

Conclusion
We’ve reached the end of this enlightening journey on how to activate an iPhone without an Apple ID. Remember, while it’s less common to use an iPhone without an Apple ID, it’s by no means impossible, and we hope this guide has made that clear. You’ve now got the knowledge you need to navigate your iPhone in a way that suits your unique circumstances. Stay tuned for more useful tips and tricks to help you get the most out of your technology, and happy exploring!