Quick answer
Updated September 2026How do you turn off Find My iPhone before selling?
Open Settings, tap your name at the top, tap Find My, then Find My iPhone, switch it off and enter your Apple Account password. That releases Activation Lock so the next owner can set the phone up. If the phone is unreachable, sign in at icloud.com, open Find Devices and choose Remove from Account. Then send SellYourMac.ae the model and storage through the quote form for a written AED quote, free pickup across the UAE and same-day payment.
- Find My off is what clears Activation Lock; a reset alone does not.
- Path on iOS 26: Settings, your name, Find My, Find My iPhone, off.
- Phone lost, dead or already handed over: remove it from icloud.com instead.
- The desk cannot pay for an iPhone that still shows an Activation Lock prompt.
- Written AED quote on WhatsApp before pickup, valid 1-5 days.
- Free pickup in all 7 emirates, same-day bank transfer or cash at the door.
Key facts
- Applies to
- Every iPhone on iOS 26, plus iPad and Mac through the same Apple Account
- Storage tiers bought
- 64GB to 2TB, every tier
- Find My path
- Settings, your name, Find My, Find My iPhone, off
- Full-quote condition
- Activation Lock off, battery health 85 percent or above
- Quote validity
- 1-5 days, written on WhatsApp
- Pickup
- Free, all 7 emirates, same-day in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ajman
- Payment
- Same-day UAE bank transfer or cash on collection
- Buyer
- SellYourMac.ae (Azizi Technologies), Dubai Media City, trading since 2013
This guide is for anyone selling an iPhone in the UAE who wants to be certain the buyer can use it and the payment goes through. By the end you will know exactly where Find My lives on iOS 26, how to turn it off when the phone is in your hand and when it is not, and how SellYourMac.ae confirms the lock is clear before paying.
Find My is the setting behind Activation Lock, Apple's anti-theft protection. It ties the phone to your Apple Account and survives a factory reset, so an iPhone erased with Find My still on is useless to the next owner. Turning it off takes a moment when you know the path; the rest of this post is the path, the fallback and what happens at pickup.
What does Find My actually lock on an iPhone?
The whole phone, at the setup screen. When Find My iPhone is on, Apple records the device against your Apple Account, and after any erase the setup assistant demands that account's password before it goes further. That is Activation Lock. It is why a stolen iPhone is worth so little to a thief, and why a sold iPhone with Find My still on cannot be resold by SellYourMac.ae or set up by a private buyer.
The lock is separate from your passcode and from the SIM. Removing the SIM, changing the passcode or erasing the phone does not release it. Only turning Find My off, or removing the device from your account, does.
- Activation Lock is checked by Apple's servers at setup, not stored on the SIM
- It survives Erase All Content and Settings unless you sign out first
- It also protects iPad, Apple Watch and Mac through the same account
- A locked phone is bought only after the lock is cleared; payment waits until then
How do you turn off Find My on iOS 26 when the phone is in your hand?
Open Settings, tap your name at the very top, then tap Find My. Tap Find My iPhone and switch it off. iOS 26 asks for your Apple Account password, then confirms with Turn Off. From the same screen you can also switch off Find My network and Send Last Location, though they stop mattering once the main toggle is off.
If you plan to sign out of the Apple Account entirely, which is the right move before selling, go back to Settings, tap your name, scroll down and tap Sign Out. Signing out turns Find My off as part of the process, so either route ends with the lock released.
| Route | Where | Use when |
|---|---|---|
| Turn off Find My iPhone | Settings, your name, Find My | Phone works and is with you |
| Sign out of Apple Account | Settings, your name, Sign Out | You are about to erase and sell |
| Remove from Account | icloud.com, Find Devices | Phone is dead, lost, broken or already handed over |
| Apple Account website | account.apple.com, Devices | You want to remove several devices at once |
How do you clear Activation Lock if the phone is broken or already gone?
From any browser. Sign in at icloud.com with the same Apple Account, open Find Devices, pick the iPhone from the list and choose Remove from Account. If the phone is offline the removal is queued and takes effect the next time it connects, which for a dead phone means the moment the buyer's desk powers it up on Wi-Fi.
This is the route for a cracked screen with no touch, a phone that will not turn on, or a phone you handed to the SellYourMac.ae courier and then remembered you forgot. Tell the desk when it confirms the pickup that you have removed it; the courier or the desk restarts the phone and the lock is gone.
- Also works from another iPhone's Find My app under Devices
- Erase iPhone from icloud.com first if you want the data wiped remotely
- Do not remove the device before the erase if you still need Lost Mode
- Keep the Apple Account password ready; two-factor codes go to your other devices
What happens at pickup if Find My is still on?
The courier shows you the prompt and waits. SellYourMac.ae checks the setup screen at the door, and if it asks for an Apple Account password the phone cannot be verified, so payment does not release. You turn Find My off from another device on the spot, the courier restarts the phone, and the payment continues the same visit. If it cannot be cleared that day, the phone stays with you and the written quote still holds for its 1-5 days.
Nothing else in the quote changes because of Find My. Storage tier, battery health, back glass and TDRA region are quoted the same whether you cleared the lock a week early or at the door.
Is it safer to sell to a desk that checks Activation Lock?
Yes, for both sides. A private buyer who takes a locked phone comes back to you, sometimes weeks later, asking for the password. A buyer that checks the lock at handover, writes the figure down first and pays the same day removes that risk. SellYourMac.ae has bought Apple devices from Dubai Media City since 2013 and every iPhone is verified unlocked, erased again at the desk and only then resold.
| Route | Lock checked at handover | Figure written first | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| SellYourMac.ae | Yes, courier checks the setup screen | Yes, holds 1-5 days | Same day |
| Apple Trade In UAE | Yes, credit fails if locked | Estimate only | As store credit |
| Marketplace buyer | Sometimes; disputes come later | No | At handover, if it happens |
| Phone shop walk-in | Usually | No | At the counter |
How do you sell an unlocked iPhone from home?
Five steps, usually one day. Turn Find My off, sign out, erase, and hand the courier a phone at the Hello screen.
Send the details in the quote form
Send the model, storage, battery health percentage and your emirate in the SellYourMac.ae quote form.
Receive the written AED quote
A figure in the thread with every adjustment shown. It holds for 1-5 days with no obligation.
Turn off Find My and sign out
Settings, your name, Find My, Find My iPhone, off. Then Settings, your name, Sign Out, and erase under Settings, General, Transfer or Reset iPhone.
Free pickup at your door
A courier with company ID confirms the phone reaches the Hello screen with no Activation Lock prompt, then checks serial, storage and battery against the quote.
Same-day payment
UAE bank transfer on verification, or cash on collection if requested when booking. The desk erases the phone again before resale.
