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I have no way of contacting the original user of the iPhone I am trying to transfer my old phone to. Because of this, I cannot get into this phone to set it up without the iCloud information of the previous owner. How can I pass this step to set up my new phone?
iPhone 6, 12
You cannot bypass that step.
Turn off Activation Lock https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201441 “If you erase your device without signing out of iCloud first, it might still be protected by Activation Lock. Whether you erased your own device or … [got an erased] one from someone else, you can only turn off Activation Lock by entering the correct Apple ID and password.” The correct Apple ID and password is the combination allowed by the rightful owner of the device.
If you have no knowledge of the rightful owner's Apple ID, related password, or security question answers, etc., there is no way you'll be able to use the device. In this regard, see:
Security and your Apple ID https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201303 (this section Employee privacy and security policies)
This section says “without proof of your identity via security questions and other carefully selected criteria, Apple Support can't help you reset a password or perform any other actions on ... [an] account.”
You cannot bypass that step.
Turn off Activation Lock https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201441 “If you erase your device without signing out of iCloud first, it might still be protected by Activation Lock. Whether you erased your own device or … [got an erased] one from someone else, you can only turn off Activation Lock by entering the correct Apple ID and password.” The correct Apple ID and password is the combination allowed by the rightful owner of the device.
If you have no knowledge of the rightful owner's Apple ID, related password, or security question answers, etc., there is no way you'll be able to use the device. In this regard, see:
Security and your Apple ID https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201303 (this section Employee privacy and security policies)
This section says “without proof of your identity via security questions and other carefully selected criteria, Apple Support can't help you reset a password or perform any other actions on ... [an] account.”
You don't.
Activation Lock is a theft deterrent feature with no bypass or workaround.
Without the owner's authorisation, no thief or anyone including you can re-use the device.
Activation Lock
