I fell on the Chimaera Device Policy issue around three years ago, when the same guy asked for our help and also opened a thread on Apple Community.
Everything looked ok but when I got the phone did an iOS restore and now it won’t activate. Was working fine before restoring it. Run an IMEI report and the only thing that I noticed not being right is under “Next Tether Activation Policy Description” it says “Chimaera Device Policy Applied”.
Apple support wasn’t much help figuring out what’s wrong with it. Anyone knows what this means and most importantly how can I fix it?Apple Community
Now, three years later, here’s everything I found on the subject.
What Apple says about Chimaera Device Policy
If you take the time to read the thread you will find that there is no real answer as to what the Chimaera Device Policy is really about. The same goes for every similar thread and it’s really amazing that there’s no response from Apple itself.
I took the question a step further and contacted Apple Support without end. I also visited an Apple store, but the employees had no idea what I was talking about.
Actually, you won’t find an official answer on the internet so, I did my own research.
Who is facing the problem?
Naturally, most are people who bought a used iPhone from an online market. Sometimes the iPhone is dead from day one but it can also happen after an iOS restore.
However, there are cases where the problem started after a formal AppleCare device replacement. What strikes me is that, as many users claim, Apple had sent them a Chimaera iPhone but refused to send another one instead since the initial replacement was already done.
Finally, some claim that they bought the iPhone as new directly from an Apple Store but it was already “chimaerized” when they turned it on.
What happens to a Chimaera Policy iPhone?
As soon as the Chimaera Policy is applied, the iPhone is as good as a brick. Quite similar to iCloud Locked iPhones, you can’t access the Home Screen or any app. Of course, using a SIM card is out of the question.
How to identify a Chimaera iPhone
Although not entirely certain, many get stuck on the following screen.
If of course you already see this message on your iPhone screen then it is already too late to talk about how you would have avoided buying it. You can try to follow a few of our unlock blacklisted iPhone or even our unblacklist iPhone tips.
Nevertheless, I had to consider whether the Chimaera Device Policy is evident with a Full IMEI Check. In any case, this will be the key in our effort to unlock the iPhone.
What I have learned from various IMEI check reports
Here are three IMEI Check report samples from three different iPhones.
What exactly do we see?
- A reliable IMEI Checker will identify a Chimaera iPhone
- The device is listed as replaced in Apple’s GSX databases
- The lock carrier is Chimaera/Blacklist or Blacklist/Chimaera Device policy
- The blacklist status is Blocked by Apple
- iCloud Lock and Find My iPhone have nothing to do with it
In fact, the iPhone is locked and at the same time blacklisted by Apple, something that should normally be impossible since Apple is not a mobile network.
But eventually, I started to see a very specific pattern.
What is Chimaera Device Policy after all?
Although I had already drawn my conclusions, after a couple of weeks I found myself hanging around with two high-ranking Apple employees. After a while, I brought up the issue, and finally, I had full disclosure.
Chimaera policy devices should not be in the hands of consumers and are not officially sold or issued through upgrade or replacement programs. Apple will put an iPhone under Chimaera Device Policy when it’s stolen directly from a store, a warehouse, or during shipment. Moreover, these iPhones are also used as dummy devices for Apple stores.
Everything makes sense now!
Is there a way to unlock a Chimaera iPhone?
First of all, if you bought your iPhone as new from Apple or a Mobile Network or you were given a faulty device as a replacement, contact Apple Support immediately. Of course, you will need a valid purchase receipt as well as replacement documentation.
Apple will decide if it will provide support in 24 hours. However, it will probably take several weeks to get a formal response, and honestly, I do not know if anyone has managed to unlock an iPhone Chimaera so far through Apple, always judging by comments on various forums, Quora and Reddit.
If you purchased a used iPhone, then Apple Support is not an option. As far as I know, there are third party unlock services for Chimaera policy.
I have contacted iPhoneUnlock.Zone, one of the most trusted iPhone unlock providers and they have confirmed that they do support Chimaera iPhone Unlock. However, the service has very strict requirements and can be applied to a limited number of Chimaera iPhones.
For Unlocking your Chimaera iPhone, we recommend checking your iPhone’s IMEI for the most accurate results straight from Apple’s databases.
3 comments
Nope, a lost/stolen phone reported happens when a claim is made. Once a claim is made, the old phone is set to Chimaera policy and will ever work again.
hi.
I bought an iphone 13 pro max from eBay that’s chimaera locked and need help with unlocking it because it’s previous owner purchased it and had it under her car seat for few days then she reported as lost and found it back and I bought it from her.
can this be unlocked and previous owner removed?
[…] Replaced IMEI/SerialWhen a non official repair store changes the original IMEI/Serial numbers of an iPhone. Those iPhones will be reported as Lost/Stolen or Fraud by Apple (They might get locked with a Chimaera policy) […]