Back up first
Before signing out, make sure anything you want to keep (photos, messages, app data) is backed up to a new device or an iCloud/computer backup. Once you erase the device later in this process, anything not backed up is gone.
Turn off Find My
Go to Settings → [Your Name] → Find My → Find My iPhone, and turn it off. You'll be asked for your Apple ID password to confirm. This is expected, it's Apple verifying you're the account owner before releasing the device from Activation Lock.
Sign out of iCloud
Go to Settings → [Your Name] → scroll down → Sign Out. Enter your Apple ID password to confirm. This fully disconnects the device from your Apple ID, which is the step that actually removes Activation Lock.
Erase all content and settings
Go to Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPhone → Erase All Content and Settings. This resets the phone to factory condition and removes your personal data: the device should now boot to the initial "Hello" setup screen, which is what we'd expect to see at inspection.
Common mistakes that leave Activation Lock on
The most common issue we see is someone erasing the device (step 4) before signing out of iCloud (step 3). On older iOS versions this can leave Activation Lock active even after a reset. Doing the steps in the order above avoids that. If you've already forgotten your Apple ID password, you'll need to recover it through Apple's account recovery process first. We can't remove Activation Lock on your behalf.
Why this matters
Activation Lock ties the device to your Apple ID until it's removed. See our locked phone page for how this affects a sale. It exists to stop stolen phones from being resold, which is exactly why we can't buy a device with it still active, no matter how it ended up that way.
