I seem to have quite a problem – which is caused by the lack of possibility to restore/reset the restrictions password (could e.g. be done through SMS like other services do).
The problem:
- Restrictions was enabled quite a while ago on the iPad.
- The restrictions PIN is lost.
- "Find my iPad" is enabled.
- I go to iTunes to reset to factory, but it tells me I have to turn off Find my iPad first.
- I go to Privacy + location settings on the iPad, but the Find my iPad setting is grayed out (likely due to Restrictions being enabled?).
Seems to me like I have a catch 22 situation going on. I cannot reset my iPad because Find My iPad is enabled, and I cannot remove Find my iPad without resetting the iPad to get rid of Restrictions.
Best Answer
First sign in to https://icloud.com/find and see if you can remotely erase and then remove that device from the list of your controlled devices. That will quickly return the device to factory settings at the cost of having to set up the device again from a backup or from new.
If the device isn't connected to the internet, you may have to force the erase as follows by putting your device into Recovery mode to allow iTunes to restore the device.
Turn off the device by holding the Power button and sliding to power off.
Hold the Home button whilst connecting the device to your computer using the USB cable.
iTunes should detect a device in recovery mode.
Click the Restore button to restore the device.
Once the device has been restored, you can go through the setup process, logging in with your Apple ID to disable Find my iPhone, and restoring from backup if you wish.
This and several items related to activation lock are covered in Apple FAQ and articles: