Apple phones are made of high-quality materials and receive a long term software support. Buying an older iPhone still gets you most of the features of the latest model, but you get a better price tag.
You can get really good bargains on pre-owned iPhones on Jiji.ng. Note that most of them haven’t been used for a long time.
But there are a few steps you should follow to make sure what you’re getting is a real iPhone, not a Chinese counterfeit.
What To Check Before Buying An iPhone 5
So how to check that the phone you are buying is not a replaced/reported/insurance claim scam iPhone, or even worse, stolen one?
The following steps are easy to complete if you are buying from an honest seller:
Body and Software:
Make sure that the IMEI Number from both the Body and Software is a match. If the numbers are different, !attention! you are buying iPhone, which has a replaced body. Even though it looks new and shiny, the internals could have a completely different story to tell.
Pentalobe screws:
If the owner of the device ever tried to open it, then it is likely that two Penta lobe screws on each side of the Lightning port will be damaged. They are star-shaped non-standard cutting screws, which require a special screwdriver, which is almost impossible to buy on the market.
Liquid damage
To check if there was a liquid damage, check the SIM card tray of the iPhone. If the indicator is white there is no reason to worry, if red you must note that your phone had a contact with water or other liquid.
Activation lock:
When you are buying the iPhone, make sure that previous owners Apple ID are unlinked and Find my iPhone feature is turned off. Otherwise, you won’t be able to do anything with it. It won’t be able to set up your own ID or restore it without the old password. Be sure to look at the lock screen, If the device has been stolen, then, in most cases, the rightful owner left a message on the lock screen, if you see this message this is the first sign that the device has been stolen.
Home carrier:
Insert your sim card and see if the iPhone you buying works on your carrier, and that it isn’t locked to a different carrier’s network. Even if the device is unlocked, you’ll want to ensure that you’ll be able to use it.
Ask the owner to reset the device:
And the last, but not the least.If the person selling the iPhone to you is its rightful owner, then he has no reason to deny you this request. Ask him to go to Settings General Reset Erase All Content and Settings. To confirm this action, it will require Apple ID password. If he fails to do that, I am sorry, but you about to get scammed.
But If you were able to get through all mentioned above steps, then congrats, you are about to be a lucky owner of the genuine iPhone 5.
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Hello Baba,
This is indeed ways to check before buying an iPhone. I am still an android lover and couldn’t afford the iPhone.
But i will be bookmarking this post for reference… Thanks 😉
Hello Bello,
Surely, some day, this post will help you pick a good iPhone for yourself 😉