How to Fix This iPhone Was Lost and Erased

I have an iPhone 8 Plus which I bought second-hand online. Everything worked fine until today when I updated my iPhone to the new iOS 15, iPhone restarted and said “Activate iPhone. This iPhone was lost and erased. Sign in with the Apple ID that was used to erase this iPhone”. When I enter my iCloud, I can’t unlock the iPhone. What should I do?

iCloud Activation Lock will be activated when Find My iPhone has been enabled and iPhone was reset. And, you need to enter the Apple ID and password that were used to set up this iPhone. This iPhone was lost and erased because someone turned on the lost mode and the activation lock is enabled.

Or, you may get This iPhone was lost and erased if someone stole your iPhone and your device has been hacked. Therefore, if you need to fix This iPhone was lost and erased because of a second-hand iPhone or stolen iPhone; if you need to erase iPhone remotely when lost, or need to turn off lost mode when you get back iPhone; you will find all the answers in this post.

What Does it Mean when an iPhone is Lost and Erased?

If you receive an iCloud notification “This iPhone was lost and erased” at the time you bought a second-hand iPhone or you were given the phone, then it means that the previous owner marked it as lost with their own iCloud account. When you reset or update the second-hand iPhone again, you will be locked again, showing “This iPhone was lost and erased”. Check the methods below to activate your iPhone.

How to Bypass This iPhone was Lost and Erased

1. With iCloud Activation Bypass Tool

If your iPhone is lost and erased, you can bypass the iCloud activation lock without entering the previous owner’s Apple ID and password. As a complete iOS unlocker, AnyUnlock – iPhone Password Unlocker can bypass iCloud lost mode and remove Activation Lock without previous owner with quick steps.

No matter if you get a second-hand iPhone that’s stuck in iCloud Activation Lock, or you got an Activation Lock screen when restoring your iPhone forgot the password, Activation Lock is turned on remotely, and you can bypass the screen with AnyUnlock. After iCloud Activation Lock gets removed, you can get access to your iPhone immediately without a password.

1. Download and install the Activation unlocker > Launch it on the computer > Connect your iPhone to your computer via a lightning cable > Click on the Bypass iCloud Activation Lock and Start Now.
   

   Choose Bypass iCloud Activation Lock

2. AnyUnlock will download the right jailbreak tool for your device. After that, if the iOS device has not entered into DFU mode, follow the on-screen instructions to put the device into DFU mode.
   

   Start to Jailbreak Your Device

3. After that, the jailbreak process continues. Once the jailbreak process is completed, click on the Bypass Now button.
   

   Tap on Bypass Now to Start Bypassing

4. The whole process has been completed on the Bypass by AnyUnclock then the final interface on the computer screen is visible like the image given below. And you can fix this iPhone was lost and erased screen and get access to your iPhone now.
   

   iCloud Activation Lock Is Bypassed Successfully

2. With Password Recovery

If the device has been stolen or lost, the user forgets the password of the apple id that is present in the device. You can try to recover the iCloud account and password to fix This iPhone was lost and erased. Here are the steps:

1. The user opens the app store application of the iPhone. A complete menu has been appearing on the mobile screen.
2. The user needs to tap on the Password and Security Option.
3. Click on the Apple ID password.
4. In the list of menus, the user needs to click on the A different Apple ID Option.
5. Apple ID to be entered to reset the password.
6. Tap on the Next Option then the user will get the notification regarding that.

By the above process, the user can reset the iCloud account and password.

How Long Does Erase iPhone Take

If your phone is lost or stolen, you can first try to use Lost Mode to track it or lock it. You can also erase the lost iPhone remotely to protect data safely. To erase the lost iPhone:

1. Open Find My on another device.
2. Go to the All Devices tab and choose the device you want to erase.
3. Click Erase iPhone.
4. Enter your iCloud password to confirm data erasing remotely.
5. If your iPhone is online, the remote erase begins immediately. If your device is offline, erasing begins when it’s online, and, you may get “Pending: Erase iPhone”.

The iPhone Erase pending offline means that the user’s iPhone hasn’t been erased till now. This is because the iPhone is not connected to the internet. But you can choose to remove the Activation Lock if it is offline:

1. Go to iCloud.com > Find My
2. Sign in with your Apple ID and password.
3. Also, go to All Devices and select the offline device.
4. Click Remove from Account.

Further Reading: How to Recover Data from a Stolen iPhone >

How Long Does it Take for iPhone Erase Pending?

If you are erasing the lost iPhone from iCloud and get the message that says “Pending: Erase iPhone”, it means that your iPhone is offline now. And, erasing pending iPhone will start once your iPhone is connected to a Wi-Fi or cellular network again. If erasing begins, it only takes several minutes according to your iPhone storage.

Can I Find My iPhone if it’s Erased?

Yes. You can still locate and find your iPhone if it’s erased. But it only supports the iPhone that is running iOS 15 or the latest iOS version. If you’ve updated your iPhone to iOS 15/16, you can still play a sound with Find My to locate a device.

What Happens When you Erase iPhone from Find My

There are various reasons that users need to erase phones remotely. Suppose any user lost their iPhone or had it stolen. MDM (Mobile Device Management) enables managing lost mode on the iPhone. Then the current user logs out from the device, and the iPhone is not able to unlock.

If you choose to erase your iPhone from Find My, you will first receive a confirmation email. And Activation Lock will be activated as we stated at the beginning. Besides, your iPhone can’t be located or tracked with Find My, so make sure you already tried lost mode to get your lost iPhone back. What’s more, since all of your information will be deleted, including trusted devices’ list, credit, or Apple Pay, you can restore data from your iPhone backup.

If I erase my iPhone will it unlock? As you can see, erasing iPhone on Find My will delete all of your information, also including the iPhone passcode. So you can unlock your iPhone screen after erasing it. However, if the Activation Lock has been turned on, you will be locked out of Activate iPhone screen.

How to Bypass iCloud Lost Mode

If you mark your iPhone as lost or turn on Lost Mode on it, you can lock your missing iPhone with a passcode, keeping your data safe and tracking your device’s location. After finding the iPhone user needs to follow all the steps to turn off the lost mode.

1. Go to iCloud.com and sign in.
2. Click Find iPhone mode and check the list of devices that are in lost mode.
3. Tap on your device and click the Stop Lost Mode button.

You may want to know: Can I Reset or Unlock an iPhone I Found?

The Bottom Line

That’s all for you to fix this iPhone was lost and erased. You can try to recover your iCloud account and password to activate your iPhone once again. Or you can download AnyUnlock to bypass the Activation Lock without Apple ID and password. If you got further questions about this iPhone being lost and erased, feel free to leave your comments below.