People seeking to buy second-hand iPhone or iPad need to take more precaution this time after Apple appeared to have removed its Activation Lock checker, which was previously available via iCloud.com.

The tool, which uses the device's IMEI number to determine the Activation Lock status, would have been helpful to find out if the phones being sold on shopping websites such as Craiglist and Ebay are stolen or locked into another account.

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However, Apple surprisingly removed the feature, and if you visit on the activation lock's website, it now prompts a "Not Found" page aka 404 error.

According to Elite Daily, it is not clear yet if the feature has been permanently removed or just undergoing some updates. However, Apple has also apparently deleted a reference to the tool from a related Find My iPhone support document earlier this week.

MacRumors reported that Apple did not provide any reasons why it removed the page and was not available for comment.

Activation Lock, which is immediately enabled after turning on the Find My iPhone feature, has been created to prevent other people from using an Apple device in case it is lost or stolen. A device with an enabled Activation Lock, even if it is erased, reactivated, or restored, needs both the owner's Apple ID and password before it can be used.

It can be recalled last year that several consumers purchased brand new iPhones with Activation Lock issues. Apple temporarily disabled the feature for the affected users upon proof of purchase.

Apple first rolled out the Activation Lock on its devices on October 2014.

Meanwhile, since it is not yet known what made Apple decide to remove the Activation Lock feature, here are some pieces of advice: first, it is best to buy from someone you know or you can meet in person. Second, don't be such in a hurry and always take your time to go through the setup process before even handing over the payment.