Activation Lock

Activation Lock protects an Apple device from unauthorized use if it has been lost or stolen. A lost device can be located by the owner through the Find My app.

Usage
If an individual user has forgotten their Apple ID, password, or is unable to unlock, then they can an appointment to bring a device that is not in Lost Mode to an Apple retail store or contact Apple Support to make an Activation Lock support request. This process can unlock such a device, but will wipe its contents in the process.

Schools or businesses can manage Activation Lock through mobile device management (MDM) so that students or employees cannot enable or disable it without authorization.

Articles

 * Need to disable Activation Lock on an iPhone or iPad? Here are the 3 Apple-connected options to do so by Glenn Fleishman at Macworld (2020-08-06)