New iPhones Are Arriving Linked to the Wrong Apple ID

Reports are surfacing that some newly purchased iPhones are arriving linked to the wrong Apple ID.

iPhone 7 and 7 Plus models appear to be affected by the issue, which requests login details for another user after turning the device on for the first time. The iPhone is unable to be activated without these login details, and needs to be sent back to Apple for a replacement. Previous generation iPhone models also appear to be affected, with some reporting the same issue for 6s and 6s Plus after restoring their devices.

Users are reporting their experiences of the issue on forums and Twitter. MacRumors user Balders posted: “It appears someone has already used it as the phone is asking for the account used to activate it… Apple say it needs replacing… Frustrated is not the word after wait since pre-order day… Now got to wait for an expedited replacement phone once I’ve returned this one.”

Meanwhile, Apple has been awarded a patent that might see the end of Apple ID logins altogether. Building on the inclusion of fingerprint readers in most high-end smartphones for the past couple of years, the company appears to be working on a fingerprint reading solution that isn’t limited to one area. The patent details a display that would allow a user’s fingerprint to be read on any part of the touchscreen display. 

If Apple included this feature on a future iPhone, it may spell the end of the home button, potentially being replaced by an edge-to-edge display and a virtual home button. After the company removed the headphone jack from the latest iPhones, such a major design change may not be out of the question.