How to factory reset an iPhone SE 2nd gen with a locked account?

Jozy23 wrote:

I do not have an order receipt for the phone, and all we have is the box.

Which means that you do not have the proof of ownership that would be required to convince Apple to release an Activation Lock.

Just tried the iforgot site through apple and it give the same "account locked and cannot be used" prompt.

If your Apple Account is locked, not active, or disabled - Apple Support

Since this is your friend's account, it is your friend (not you) who should be trying to unlock it. Of course, if your friend locked the phone to her Apple Account, and is not able to convince Apple to unlock the account, and does not have the proof of purchase required for an Activation Lock support request, either, the phone will stay locked.

Can someone please help me get this iPhone factory reset?? My friend gave up

Only your friend can help you. She needs to regain access to her Apple Account, and then follow the directions in this Support article.

What to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support

I just want to reset it so I can get rid of it or use it as a backup phone if anything ever happens to my current iPhone.

You won't be able to do that as long as the phone is registered to your friend's Apple Account, with Find My turned on. The anti-theft system effectively considers her to be the owner of the phone, even if, after locking her phone to her account, she did something that somehow got her account locked.

I know you're going to find this comment useless (unacceptable) to you too because frankly there is no solution. Refer to How to remove Activation Lock - Apple Support

If the account has been permanently locked by Apple then it is impossible to get it unlocked. Your friend triggered something —rightly or wrongly— in the system that rendered the account useless. The problem is the iPhone is locked by that account so without the account you would have to get the iPhone unlocked by Apple.

In this situation you would normally prove to Apple that you are the iPhone owner. To do that requires the original receipt by Apple or an Apple authorized dealer. A box isn't proof (I have all kinds of old boxes for things I do not actually own). If you bought the iPhone from a friend or a third party retailer then they should have given you the receipt too. Keep your receipt after you buy an Apple device - Apple Support

This isn't Apple being mean to you. iPhone theft became very common and customers complained it was too easy for a thief to change the ownership. In response Apple introduced Activation Lock but at the start there was no formal unlocking policy at all. Even then it was possible to get one unlocked if you could convince a store manager with a good story. Or the manager would simply say, "No, not under any circumstances." People complained that there was no unlocking policy so Apple offered one, standardizing what was acceptable as proof of ownership instead of just a sob story. Maybe that was in the face of pretty much every thief trying to came up with some way to get Apple to unlock devices for them. So it Apple's locking and unlocking policy works both ways. Unfortunately for you you don't have any way of proving to them you are the owner and not a thief.

Lets try this again, phrased in a slightly different way.

Presumably the phone is “Activation Locked” to an Apple Account.

Until the authenticated owner of that Apple Account actively releases the lock as described in the article linked below, the phone will remain unusable.

How to remove Activation Lock - Apple Support

This is an intentionally-designed theft-deterrent mechanism; intended to render a misappropriated device virtually worthless.

I got it figured out. Changed the settings so it factory reset after 10 failed passcode attempts.

You gave us the wrong information. It wasn't the account that was locked, it was the device itself that was disabled.

If you forgot your iPhone passcode or your iPhone is disabled - Apple Support

If the account cannot be used, you will be unable to reset the device.