Chosen Solution
Apple says it’s the logic board and can not be seen by a Mac. So, if I sell it on eBay since it’s not been erased is there any way at all that someone could access my data? I did have the passcode and fingerprint active. I do have it set to erase but that requires internet connection. I want to be certain if they repair the board that there is no way to get my data? Any help is appreciated. Update (11/01/2018) Hello and thanks for responding so quickly. What happened in detail was I bought a new xs max with the intention of balancing the cost somewhat by selling my 7 plus. I did this last wed, and at that time my 7 plus was fully charged. I wanted to wait a few days to make sure everything transferred over correctly, and I listed it on eBay. It sold yesterday, I noticed it was dead, and it’s been a few days so no surprise there. Hooked it to charge, nothing, no icon on the screen, no sign of life. I tried multiple charging cords, adapters, my iMac. Tested all with my iPad and new iPhone and all charged fine. I tried a soft reboot, a hard reboot and plugging into my Mac to try to help. I warmed the phone (adds a couple volts to the battery), tried a 2.4v charger and finally contacted apple support. I took it in today and they connected it and ran a test, which cane back as unable to see the device. They then spoke to a repair tech who advised it can’t just be the battery (I thought it had to be that, and hoped so since the phone sold already). They believed it to be the charger port, and then advised the only thing they could do was a swap (at the time I thought they meant the board but after much research I think they actually meant the phone) for $340 plus tax. It sold for less than that lol. So the buyer actually backed out of the purchase which was good for me, except without thinking about it and after being frustrated st the loss of hundreds of dollars I really needed, I relisted as parts and repair with a buy it now for $300. Within 5 minutes it was bought, not exagerating…and I know this is gonna sound bad but it was bought by a Russian who has only been on eBay a couple months and has 48 purchases in that time. 10 of those were today and they all appeared to be electronics stores of some sort. Based on our recent history with hackers from other countries and us being THE target of everyone. It made me realize there could be something I don’t know about the security of my data that could be compromised with the right technician/hacker etc. my passcode is only a 4 digit (actually upon first startup it may be more digits and unlock is only 4) and I don’t believe I put it on erase if failed so many times. I did set it to erase when it connects to the internet via findmyiphone, but if they don’t connect to the internet and somehow access my data, then I’m a sitting duck. Let me advise i had had my identity stolen by someone in another country 6 years ago, fbi was involved and everything. They decimated my life, posted my financials, compromising photos of my wife, emailed our coworkers to go to a flicker page with those pictures and financials posted. It was nasty, so while I am probably being paranoid, it’s justified. My whole life is on that phone, emails, contacts, thousands of photos, notes, account informations. I mean IF there is ANY way they could somehow remove the chip and install it on another board, and bypass the passcode, or use some sort of generator to figure my code out, then it’s not worth risking for $300. Thank you you very much for your help. It is appreciated more than you know.
What was wrong with the device? I wouldn’t call it paperweight unless you can confirm it isn’t just a charging port that is clogged up with dust. Nobody will be able to get data off that phone if there is a passcode on it. The chip that stores the data in the phone is encrypted with a extremely high level of complexity.
