Buying a Used iPhone: 12-Point Checklist Before You Pay

• Activation Lock first. If the phone shows iPhone Locked to Owner or asks for the previous owner’s Apple Account during setup, Apple says not to buy it. Erasing the phone does not remove this lock.
• Battery health: Settings > Battery > Battery Health. Apple designs iPhone 14 and earlier batteries to keep 80% of their capacity at 500 full charge cycles, and iPhone 15 and later at 1,000 cycles.
• Repairs: Settings > General > About shows Parts and Service History (iOS 15.2 and later). “Unknown Part” means a non-genuine, previously used or unverified part.
• Carrier lock: Settings > General > About > Carrier Lock should say No SIM restrictions if you want an unlocked phone.
• Stolen check: Dial *#06# to see the IMEI, make sure it matches Settings > General > About, and run it through a stolen phone check or ask a carrier before paying.

Activation Lock is tied to Find My. When it is on, the iPhone stays linked to the previous owner’s Apple Account even after it is erased, and it cannot be activated by anyone else without that owner’s Apple Account password. Apple’s Activation Lock page says that on iOS 15 and later a locked device shows iPhone Locked to Owner when it starts up or wakes.

The safe way to buy in person is to watch the seller do this, on the phone itself: Settings > [their name] > Sign Out, then Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings. When the phone restarts on the Hello screen and lets you go through setup without asking for anyone else’s Apple Account, the lock is gone. If the seller says they “forgot the password” or will “remove it later”, walk away. Apple can only remove Activation Lock for the original owner with proof of purchase, so a buyer has no way to fix it.

1. It powers on and charges. Apple’s own advice: if it will not turn on or charge, do not buy it.
2. Activation Lock is off. The seller signs out of their Apple Account and erases the phone in front of you, and setup does not ask for their Apple Account.
3. IMEI matches. Dial *#06#. The number should match Settings > General > About and, on models with a SIM tray, the number printed on the tray. A mismatch suggests swapped parts or a refurbished body.
4. Not reported lost or stolen. Enter the IMEI at the CTIA-backed Stolen Phone Checker or ask your carrier to check it. A clean result only means it has not been reported, so it does not replace the Activation Lock check.
5. Carrier lock. Settings > General > About > Carrier Lock. No SIM restrictions means unlocked. Anything else means it only works with one carrier until that carrier unlocks it.
6. Battery health. Settings > Battery > Battery Health (Battery Health & Charging on some iOS versions). Note the Maximum Capacity percentage, and on iPhone 15 and later (iOS 17.4 or later) the cycle count. If the screen says battery health is unavailable, the battery may be non-genuine.
7. Parts and Service History. Settings > General > About. Look for Genuine Apple Part or for Unknown Part on the battery, display or camera.
8. Face ID or Touch ID. Set it up during the test. If Face ID will not set up, or you see a message that Face ID is not available, the TrueDepth camera may have been damaged or replaced.
9. Screen. Open a plain white page and turn brightness to full: look for dead pixels, yellow or pink tint, lines and touch dead zones (drag an app icon across the whole screen).
10. Cameras, speakers and microphones. Take a photo and a video with every rear lens and the front camera, play sound, and record a short voice memo and play it back.
11. Buttons and ports. Volume buttons, the side button, the Ring/Silent switch or Action button, and the charging port (it should hold the cable firmly).
12. Water damage. On models with a SIM tray, Apple’s Liquid Contact Indicator is usually visible in the SIM tray slot; it is white or silver normally and turns fully red after contact with water. Liquid damage is not covered by Apple’s one-year warranty. eSIM-only models, including US iPhone 14 and later, have no SIM tray and no externally visible indicator.

Battery health. Maximum Capacity is the battery’s capacity compared with when it was new. Apple’s battery health page says iPhone 14 and earlier batteries are designed to keep 80% of original capacity at 500 complete charge cycles under ideal conditions, and iPhone 15 models at 1,000 cycles. A reading in the 80s is normal for a phone that is a few years old. Below 80%, expect noticeably shorter battery life and budget for a battery replacement, which you should factor into the price. Our iPhone battery guide covers what drains a battery and what helps.

Parts and Service History. On iOS 15.2 and later, a repaired iPhone shows this section in Settings > General > About. Apple’s Parts and Service History page explains the labels: Genuine Apple Part means the repair used genuine Apple parts and processes; Unknown Part can mean a non-genuine part, a part that is not working as expected or one that could not be verified; Used means the part came from another iPhone. A replaced battery or screen is not automatically a problem, but an Unknown part is a fair reason to ask for a lower price, and Apple notes it can affect trade-in value.

There is no single price list for used iPhones, so build your own range for the exact model, storage size and condition:

1. Look at completed sales, not asking prices. On marketplaces that show sold listings, filter by model and storage. Asking prices are often well above what phones actually sell for.
2. Use refurbished prices as a ceiling. A refurbished phone from Apple or a large reseller comes with a warranty and a return window. Apple says its Certified Refurbished iPhones get a new battery and outer shell and a one-year limited warranty, so a private sale with no warranty should cost noticeably less.
3. Subtract what it will cost to fix. A battery under 80%, a cracked back, an Unknown screen or a carrier lock all lower the value. Get a repair quote for anything that needs fixing and take it off the price.
4. Check how long it will get updates. Newer models get iOS updates for longer, which matters if you plan to keep the phone for years.

When you cannot inspect the phone first, protect yourself with the return policy. Apple’s guide to buying a preowned iPhone recommends buying from a reliable seller, checking how long you have to return it and why, and asking whether the seller certifies preowned devices and what that inspection covers. Run the whole checklist above the day it arrives, while you can still send it back. If it shows iPhone Locked to Owner, return it.

Pay with a method that has buyer protection, such as a credit card or a marketplace’s own checkout. Avoid sellers who ask you to pay outside the platform.

Set the phone up as new or restore your own backup, sign in with your Apple Account and turn on Find My (Settings > [your name] > Find My). Update to the latest iOS version in Settings > General > Software Update. If the phone feels slow after setup, our guide to speeding up an iPhone walks through the usual causes, and if it ever goes missing, see how to find a lost phone.