A: In most countries (US, EU, UK), bypassing the lock on a device you own is legal under right-to-repair laws. Bypassing a stolen phone to hide from the original owner is illegal. This guide is for legitimate owners who lost their Apple ID credentials.
But here lies the distinction: for the iPhone 4S on iOS 9.3.5, this was often not a permanent "unlock." It was a bypass. The device would be freed from the setup screen, allowing access to the home screen and apps, but the underlying certificate chain was broken. This meant that Push Notifications would often fail (because the device’s unique push certificate could not be validated against Apple’s genuine servers), and the device could not make cellular calls or use iCloud services. It transformed a smartphone into a "super iPod touch"—a media consumption device stripped of its primary telecommunication identity. iphone 4s activation lock bypass ios 9.3.5
Do you have the or any way to contact the previous owner to initiate an official unlock? Activation Lock - Support A: In most countries (US, EU, UK), bypassing
For a functional, semi-permanent bypass on iOS 9.3.5, the security community relies on by the developer Matthew Pierson (a popular tool from the r/setupapp subreddit). This tool utilizes the Checkm8 exploit. But here lies the distinction: for the iPhone 4S on iOS 9
Furthermore, the existence of the iOS 9.3.5 bypass highlights the fragility of legacy technology. As of today, the iPhone 4S is considered vintage. It cannot run modern apps like banking software or Uber; its 3G radios are becoming obsolete as carriers shut down older networks. In this context, the Activation Lock transitions from a security feature to a death sentence. If a device cannot be activated, it cannot be repurposed as a music player, a child’s first camera, or a dedicated GPS unit. The bypass, therefore, serves an environmental purpose: it keeps e-waste out of landfills by breathing new life into silicon that refuses to die.