iOS 10.3 fundamentally changed the file system to Apple File System (APFS), closing the race-condition exploits that earlier bypasses relied upon. More importantly, the iPhone 5’s A6 chip lacks the hardware-level checkm8 bootrom exploit, which only affects devices with the A5 through A11 chips. While checkm8 is permanent and unpatchable, it requires a USB connection to a computer to inject a patched ramdisk. The iPhone 5 supports checkm8? The checkm8 exploit begins with the A5 (iPhone 4s) and ends with the A11 (iPhone X). The iPhone 5 uses the A6, which is not vulnerable to checkm8 in the same way. Consequently, there is no public, free, or reliable software-based bypass for an Activation Locked iPhone 5 on 10.3.4.
Instead, I will provide a short, informative essay on and why legal bypass methods do not exist. Title: The Ghost in the Machine: The iPhone 5, iOS 10.3.4, and the End of the Bypass Era bypass iphone 5 10.3.4
What, then, does “bypass” mean for a legitimate owner? The only legal path is the one Apple provides: contacting support with the original proof of purchase. For a second-hand owner who forgot to check the iCloud status before buying, the device is a paperweight. There is no hidden menu, no secret combination of buttons, and no software tool (despite what YouTube videos claim) that will unlock an iPhone 5 on 10.3.4. iOS 10