IMEInow iCloud Activation Lock Removal Service Review

IMEInow is a fairly new entry on the Activation Lock removal scene having appeared in 2020 but has already overtaken the market leaders.

IMEInow was fast out of the blocks and trumped the other contenders like IMEIdoctor and AppleiPhoneUnlock with their polished service.

Time will tell if the competing service providers will up their game and overtake IMEnow, but for now, they are the company to beat.

Here’s what to expect from IMEInow right now, and how well it will work for you.

Features overview

IMEInow is a simple and efficient service designed to make it easy to bypass the iCloud Activation Lock from almost any Apple product. The idea is that you request your device is unlocked via the IMEnow website, pay the fee, and wait for your request to be processed.

In addition to unlocking Apple products, IMEnow also allows owners of Samsung phones to unlock their devices too. The process used is identical to the one used on Apple devices, which we found very straightforward.

They also offer a free, fast, and efficient IMEI check which instantly shows your product model, serial number, purchase date, and more. This is useful to double-check the status of your device before your purchase an unlock.

IMEInow also offers carrier unlocking that allows owners of cellular iPhones and iPads to use any SIM in their device. This works well for any carrier anywhere in the world. This is a perfect service if you can’t get your Apple product unlocked by your carrier due to outstanding payments being owed.

The best feature of IMEInow is that it is simple to use and it just works.

At least it works most of the time.

On occasion, the unlocking process fails for example when the device you are attempting to bypass has been reported missing.

This is when the money-back guarantee becomes useful.

Compatability

Activation Lock bypass and removal

On the IMEInow website, you can select the Apple product of your choice that you want to iCloud unlock. If the product is capable of being Activation locked they claim to be able to unlock it. This includes all models of iPhone, iPad, Mac computer, and Apple Watch.

Normally you provide the device IMEI which is checked and verified with Apple and shows the full product details. If your device does not have an IMEI, such as WiFi iPad or Mac, then you can provide the serial number.

This means all Apple products types are covered.

Apple carrier unlocking

Carrier unlocking can also be performed via the IMInow website. This process allows the device to use any carrier, anywhere in the world. So you can insert a SIM into your Apple device and it will connect to the cellular network and allow you to make calls.

The device owner simply needs to supply the IMEI number for their cellular device via the IMEnow website. It works for all models of iPhone and Cellular iPad.

Samsung carrier unlocking

Samsung Galaxy phones can also be carrier unlocked on IMEInow in as little as 24 hours. Like the other services they provide, Samsung unlocking is done by providing the IMEI number and is covered with a money-back guarantee.

IMEInow specifically allows unlocking of:

• Galaxy Note
• Galaxy S
• Galaxy A
• Galaxy Z
• Galaxy XCover Pro

But claims to be able to unlock any Samsung portable device, including tablets.

Pricing, payment and refunds

IMEInow is similar in price to other iCloud Activation Lock removal services found online such as IMEIdoctor and AppleiPhoneUnlock.

The price charged when you request an unlock is normally £19.99 GBP. This equates to approximately $25 USD. This fee is consistent across iCloud unlocks and carrier unlocks for both Apple and Samsung devices. What isn’t made clear is that this fee is only a pre-order payment and a second fee is charged to finalize the unlock.

The final fee is dependent on your device model, the carrier used, and the country you live in. This makes it hard to gauge the exact fee before you commit to buying it.

We feel this payment structure is a little murky, even a little deceptive. It would be much better to get an indication of the entire fee payable at the beginning of the process so buyers can decide if it is value for money before committing to buying. Having said this, it appears that this payment structure is standard across the industry.

Although IMEInow offers a money-back guarantee, this is not for the full amount.

They say the pre-order payment is used to do a “variety of checks, including checking for lost/stolen status, correct network, phone history as well as Activation Lock status”. They say this means “Pre-orders are not covered by the money-back guarantee”.

Of course, you can reclaim the full refund if you make a claim via your credit card, but this is an awkward and time-consuming process.

How well the service works

To try out the service we enlisted help from the iChimp community. We picked a wide sample of iPhone models located worldwide to test each service and get ‘real’ feedback from real people.

We sourced 18 community members with a wide variety of Apple products ranging from the iPhone 8 to the iPhone 13. Each individual emailed their iPhone model and IMEI code so we could place orders with IMEInow.

IMEInow manage to unlock all the devices we sent them within 48 hours. A 100% success rate which was a fantastic result.

However, we have heard from some members of our community that didn’t get the devices unlocked, so IMEInow don’t always manage to unlock every device. After these failures, customers informed us that they managed to claim a refund using the money-back policy.

Tutorial and usage

Remove the iCloud Activation Lock on Apple products as follows:

1. If you have an iPhone or cellular iPad, find out the IMEI code. You need it later. For help finding the IMEI, see find the IMEI on your device.
2. For a WiFi-only iPad, iPod Touch, or Apple Watch, find out the serial number. You need it later.
3. To request the unlock, go to IMEInow.
4. If you have an iPhone or cellular iPad, enter the IMEI in the box. For a Mac, WiFi-only iPad, iPod Touch, or Apple Watch, enter the serial number in the box.
5. If you supply an IMEI your model should be automatically identified. If you enter a serial number the device type won’t be shown on screen.
6. To continue, press the Unlock iCloud! button. The order details and price will be shown on the order summary page that opens.
7. Enter your email address and where it says I agree to the terms and conditions, tick the box.
8. Choose the payment method you prefer to use and pay the pre-order fee securely.
9. In your email, you will receive a confirmation of your order together with any further fees required.

Customer support

If you are confused or simply want some clarification on the process we found the support to be fast, efficient, and helpful.

IMEInow customer support was great with replies coming back from queries in under an hour. They were friendly and helpful with replies written by people that actually knew what they were talking about. We didn’t experience the frustration of cut and paste canned responses that often plague online customer support.

Indeed, talking to customer support gave us confidence in spending money with IMEInow.

It was the best experience we have had in this market segment where we found help to be lacking from other suppliers.

Customer reviews

Reviews are mixed, mainly due to the payment structure, or because owners were trying to unlock phones that were marked as stolen by Apple.

Negative reviews say things such as:

You pay 1st payment of 19 pounds for the eligibility checks for icloud unlock.

They then tell you the unlock is ready and to pay 30 pounds for the service. Apparently anywhere between 15 mins and 10 days is the length of the process.

I was told after 2 days that my iPhone was registered as Lost/Stolen by Apple and gave me a site to check on.

Many owners had a positive experience with IMEInow, praising the quality of the service.

Positive reviews said things like:

It took a little time but it was definitely worth it a $2,000 phone when I was not going to get to use now I can use anytime I want to

Verdict: Should you use IMEInow?

The carrier and iCloud unlocking industry are full of scammers, so it is good to find a service like IMEInow that stands by its claims with a money-back guarantee.

The IMEInow service is best for people who want to bypass iCloud Activation Lock from iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch without any involvement beyond asking for it to be done.

We found them to be the best on the market at this time so we would recommend them.

There are alternatives, but none of them offered the same quality of service.

Alternatives

If you want to use an alternative iCloud unlock service you can try the following: