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  • iPhone 5s activation failed after factory reset. Why does iPhone activation fail? How to Fix iPhone Activation Errors

iPhone 5s activation failed after factory reset. Why does iPhone activation fail? How to Fix iPhone Activation Errors

The new iOS 11 software has brought a lot of problems for users. Some devices stuck on a black screen and the Apple logo during installation, someone could not download the firmware due to lack of sufficient memory or iPhone activation failure. And someone installed the build, but ran into a problem that the iPhone or iPad is not activated after installing iOS 11. What to do in this case and how to solve this problem, we will describe in detail in this article.

Why iPhone won't turn on after installing iOS 11

If you have installed iOS 11, but still cannot go through the activation procedure, you need to try one of the suggested methods. Usually, you can't get past the activation screen when you enter your Apple ID. A similar problem was also in the case of the release of iOS 11 firmware. What to do if the iPhone does not activate.

The first thing that can help is rebooting the device. Restart your mobile device, then try to go through the activation procedure again.

If activation fails again, you need to check if you are entering the correct Apple ID - it is possible that the iPhone or iPad that you cannot activate after installing iOS 11 is simply linked to a different Apple ID. So let's check:

1. Open iCloud.com. Sign in with the Apple ID you use to activate your iPhone or iPad.

2. Next, in iCloud, go to Settings - My devices. All devices that are linked to this Apple ID will be listed here. If your iPhone / iPad is not among them, then you are simply entering the wrong Apple ID. If your device is on the list, then you need to follow the next step.

3. Connect your iPhone/iPad that you cannot activate to your computer with a USB cable. Then launch iTunes. Update to the latest version and enter your Apple ID.

If this method did not help you, then you can try using the Tenorshare iCareFone program.

1. Download Tenorshare iCareFone to your computer from the official website. Install it and run it.

3. In the bottom menu bar, select "iOS System Repair". Press the button.


4. Then you will be prompted to click the "Download" button to continue restoring iOS.


5. Once the download is complete, click "Fix Now". Wait for your iPhone or iPad to restart. After that, the device will be ready for use, and you will be able to successfully complete the activation procedure.


iCare Phone Review

Note that the Tenorshare iCareFone program has a very advanced set of tools. With its help, you can easily manage files on your phone and computer (export, import, sync), make backups of selective file types and restore, clean your mobile device of junk and unnecessary files, and solve most system errors. You can download Tenorshare iCareFone on the official website. You can also download the Tenorshare ReiBoot tool for free, it can also solve your problem if you can't sign in with your Apple ID and your iPhone couldn't be activated.

During the activation process, it is not uncommon for a message to appear on the monitor of the device that an activation error has occurred in the iPhone 4. This is often due to the lack of a service for this service, which is why the SIM card is deprived of system support.

It is necessary to carry out a number of preparatory activities:

  • make sure that the phone has a suitable and working sim card, as it will be needed when the iPhone four is not activated. A card missing warning may occur if it is blocked or defective;
  • if required by the system, you will need to use an identifier - Apple ID when visiting the system.

The order of actions to be performed when the iPhone does not want to turn on:

1 Visit the list that is responsible for the general state of the system. If there is no checkbox next to the name of the service - “activating a phone with IOS”, carry out this operation a little later. 2 If you need to enter a password, you should specify it. This may be a signal to enable Activation Lock. 3 Reboot your device. 4 If the connection will use cellular communication, you must ensure a reliable connection to the Wi-Fi network. If this service is not available, you will need to ensure a secure connection to iTunes. In this case, you need to make sure that the latest version of the program is installed on iTunes.

If the phone gives errors during the activation process, you will need to contact your mobile operator to check for the possible presence of certain problems, especially with the network, as well as with the replacement of the card. If you need to carry out a recovery procedure, you will need to use the recovery process. If you encounter errors while performing the above steps, you should contact Apple Support.

Actions when the activation server is unavailable

These operations are not particularly difficult and within the power of each person, for this you should carefully study the instructions. But often a message pops up on the monitor about the unavailability of the activation service.

Examples of possible errors if your iPhone does not activate:

  • activation fails due to server unavailability;
  • iPhone 6, 4 is not recognized during this operation;
  • lack of support for sims;
  • iTunes is unable to verify the phone.

If the problem arose due to the card, you should make sure that it is intact and working. When a particular card is suspicious, you will need to use another one and try again. Sometimes you will need to use a different Wi-Fi connection. By the way, this is a very common mistake when Wi-Fi blocks the process of connecting to the Apple server. Then, using a wireless connection, you should try again.

The process of carrying out the operation by connecting the phone to the computer, while opening the latest version of iTunes. This option is especially effective in the absence of the ability to connect to a third-party Wi-Fi network. . Restarting your iPhone may also help. This will require a full reboot. Sometimes this is enough for the iPhone 4s, 4, iPhone 5s, 6 to return to normal.

If all of the above options did not lead to a positive result, you can try the following actions: hold down and hold the “home” function, while connecting the device to the computer. iTunes recognizes the device when it is in recovery mode. Then you should press the function - "restore".

Errors when activating various iPhones


If the iPhone 5s does not activate, make sure that the SIM card is present and working and that there is no blocking from the Wi-Fi connection.

If you reset the settings to factory settings and perform this operation again, an error may occur. In this regard, you should go to the Apple Online Store or call the number - 88003335173. Usually, on this iPhone model, the problem often occurs due to the presence of a beta version on IOS, which is intended specifically for developers. This is also suitable for iPhone 6. If there are errors with iPhone 4, 6, especially if they were imported from other countries, you will need to use other SIM cards, so that the devices will accept cards from Russian mobile operators. The activation process itself will cost 500 rubles, and unlocking - up to 1000 rubles. For such phones, it is advisable to purchase a package of services provided abroad, which will include the activation procedure, unlocking and the ability to download various types of applications. An iPhone 4, 6, 5 activated in this way will last a long time and bring special convenience during operation.

An activated iPhone 4, 4s, 5, 5s, 6, using the above recommendations, will work effectively, but on condition that all actions are performed correctly and according to the instructions.

Four tips on what to do if you can't activate your iPhone and see an activation error
iPhone and iPad tricks and secrets
If you find yourself in a situation where you decided to reset your iPhone to factory settings, tried to set it up as a new device and saw the error "activation failed", you try again, but it does not help, you again see a sign with the text below, what to do in such a situation ?

“Your iPhone could not be activated because the activation server is temporarily unavailable. Try connecting your iPhone to iTunes to activate, or try again in a few minutes.

If the problem persists, contact Apple Support at apple.com/en/support."
Tip 1: Try a different Wi-Fi network

First of all, make sure you are connected to a working Wi-Fi, some, very few routers can be the culprit for this problem, as they block the iPhone from accessing Apple's servers. Therefore, in some cases, connecting to a normally functioning router solves this problem.
Tip 2: try again

At first glance, the activation failure message appears to be completely inactive, you don't see any control or retry buttons. However, if you press the physical round iPhone button, a menu will appear from which you can: call emergency services, start over, or change Wi-Fi connection settings. Click "start over" to try activation again, if the second time it failed, it's worth trying a few more times. Some users note that on the 5th attempt, activation proceeds normally. Perhaps the reason for this is busy servers or other reasons and a little patience will help solve the problem.
Tip 3: Use a working SIM card

If you have another SIM card and you are sure it works, try using that one. When you change your SIM card, you don't need to turn off your iPhone, just replace it, press the Home button, and try activation again.

Another important note: the balance of your SIM card must be positive, and the amount on the account is sufficient for one SMS abroad.

This is not advertised anywhere, but this is how the problem with iMessage and Facetime activation is solved. We found that in order to confirm the activation of these services, the iPhone apparently tries to send a technical hidden SMS to the Apple server. A technical SMS is sent from your phone to a special number, so the balance on your SIM card must be positive and sufficient for such an operation.

Confirmed! Activation does send an SMS, which is billed as "SMS to other countries".
Tip 4Restore iPhone

If none of the above worked, try turning off your iPhone, plug one end of the USB cable into your Mac and leave the other end out of your iPhone just yet, hold down the Home button, and at that very moment plug the USB cable into your iPhone. If everything went well, iTunes will display the message “iTunes has detected an iPhone in recovery mode. You need to restore your iPhone before using it with iTunes." Then click the Restore iPhone button and follow the instructions.

Activating an iPhone is a simple process and made intuitive by Apple developers, however, problems can arise here as well. One of the most common errors is associated with the message “Your iPhone could not be activated because the activation server is temporarily unavailable” - we will tell you how to get rid of it in this guide.

Right now, a huge number of users from all over the world are trying to upgrade to iOS 9.3. Even strong Apple servers cannot resist such a serious influx of people who want to install new firmware, so many people experience errors when updating. In order to avoid any problems, it is strongly recommended to postpone the update for at least a few hours. After the Apple update servers start working normally, you can install the latest version of iOS on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch without incident.

During iPhone activation, you may encounter various errors, which are listed below:

  • "Your iPhone could not be activated because the activation server is temporarily unavailable"
  • "iPhone is not recognized and cannot be activated for service"
  • "SIM card is not supported in this iPhone"
  • "iTunes cannot verify the device"

If you see one of these messages on your iPhone screen, try our tips - one of them will definitely help you deal with the problem situation.

Insert SIM card

Newly minted iPhone owners are often in such a hurry to get to know their device that they completely forget about the need to install a SIM card. In this case, it is not necessary to restart the smartphone - the activation process will continue immediately after installing the SIM card.

If a SIM card is inserted, then you need to make sure that it is working. Try using a different SIM card and try activation again.

Use a different Wi-Fi connection

A Wi-Fi connection that is blocking your smartphone from connecting to Apple servers may be one of the reasons why you cannot activate your iPhone. Use a different wireless connection and try again.

Try activating your iPhone with iTunes

Connect your iPhone to your computer, open the latest version of iTunes and try to activate your smartphone. It is best to resort to this method if you do not have the opportunity to connect to another Wi-Fi network.

Restart your iPhone

Problems with iPhone activation can be solved after a simple restart of the smartphone. Reboot your device and try to activate it again.

Restore iPhone via iTunes

In most cases, the first four tips allow you to solve the problem with activating the iPhone, however, if all else fails, it's time to connect the "heavy artillery". iPhone recovery is done as follows: while holding down the Home button, connect the smartphone to the computer. The device will be recognized by iTunes in recovery mode, after which you will need to click the "Restore" button.

What is useful to know:

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A screen that frightens users with an activation error message may appear for a number of reasons. Regardless of what exactly led to the "breakdown", the user should know that the further scenario will require, if not repair in the service, then exactly the rollback of the system and a number of other manipulations. Unfortunately, the more “killed” the smartphone model, the less likely it is that the iPhone activation failure can be fixed. It is important not only to conduct an external inspection of the phone, but also to restore the picture that preceded the breakdown. This will help you understand why the iPhone activation failed at all, as well as how you should behave further. It is likely that you will need to not only roll back (revert to the previous version) the changes made to the smartphone, but also clean the device itself. However, it is fair to say that there are still chances for the restoration of the smartphone.

Why is activation needed?

Before thinking about the question of what to do if the activation of the iPhone fails, some angry users will reproach Apple Inc. developers for the imperfection of the device. Many adherents of the "apple" have repeatedly seriously criticized the activation procedure as inefficient and problematic.

In fact, the process of activating a smartphone helps to individualize it and specify it to the needs of the owner. It is not recommended to skip such a process, as this may lead to data loss or disruption of the synchronization process in the future. Therefore, the corporation strongly recommends that users go through the activation process every time the device requires it.

What is the reason for the failure

The most common are two specific iPhone activation failure problems. The first is the hardware, both the device itself and Apple servers.

If the user is asked to wait with the activation process until a certain conditional period, then it is quite possible that the matter is in the hardware. This happened with the iOS 9.3 update, when the company's servers went down due to the simultaneous start of the download process from several million devices. This problem can be solved by a banal reboot during the least peak periods. I would like to add that Apple technical support promptly eliminates problems with platform load.

Modem failure

If the problem is hardware in nature, but the Apple servers are in order, then the problem is in the device. If "iPhone" writes about the failure of the operation, but another device is updated without problems, then the matter is most likely in the processing of data from a particular device. Checking this is quite simple, just select the item with the letter “i” circled in a circle, after which it will become clear whether the device is capable of receiving data. This item also shows devices. If this is not the case, then the matter is almost 100% in the smartphone modem.

How to fix it

A hardware failure in the activation of the iPhone can be eliminated either at a licensed service center for a rather tangible amount, or with artisanal technologies.

The latter include common private services, but even in such an organization, the master will take up the repair of the phone with great reluctance. The more expensive the device cost, the more expedient it is to transfer it to a service center, rather than trying to solve the problem yourself.

Also, the reason for the iPhone activation failure may be a short circuit in the contacts of the board where the modem is located. In some cases, a sharp change in temperature can help, when the smartphone is sharply cooled or, on the contrary, heated. However, such manipulations are at your own peril and risk.

Software failure

In the event of a software failure, we are talking about installing suspicious software or the shell as a whole. In this case, saving the entire smartphone, as well as fragments of the system and user data, is possible only by rolling back all changes in the gadget to the previous version.

Therefore, it is recommended to perform these functions not only at the request of the software, but also independently. A system rollback can also be performed in a regular service, after which the chances of resuscitating the device are high. Otherwise, the gadget will also have to be given to the official service, in which the system will simply be demolished and reinstalled, which will also be expensive. Moreover, the owner will have to say goodbye to their files.

Several other reasons for iPhone activation failure

The iPhone activation procedure itself can be terminated for a number of other reasons, independent of the software. Before going to the service center, you should first carry out a few simple manipulations with the device: check for a SIM card in the slot, rearrange it, and then try to activate the device with a new one. It is also recommended to change the Internet channel. It is possible that the next update of the device is too “heavy” or that the data packet transmission channel is busy with another gadget. Another option is to activate the device through iTunes. If this does not help, then the service will offer to restore the data, after which the device will automatically return to the previous state.

If the device is not registered

The failure to activate the iPhone on the network during the correct operation of the gadget and Apple servers can also be dictated by the fact that a beta version of the firmware was installed on the smartphone. In this case, when a full version with fixes is released, a certain number of devices may “fall out” of the register. In this case, you can fix the iPhone activation failure by going to the developers' website, where the gadget will have to be entered into the database manually by entering information. If this does not help, then you need to contact the official service center, after which the device will be working properly. If the "iPhone" writes an activation failure, then this is always a reason to contact the service center.

Sometimes it is difficult to say for sure why the activation of the iPhone failed. Some of the factors leading to the error may be interrelated. The owner can only be recommended to conduct a complete external inspection of the device, after which not to resort to artisanal methods of restoring the gadget, but immediately turn to professionals. Almost any use case for activation failure can be fixed, with the exception of a broken modem. Much more destructive are the attempts of users to solve the problem on their own, after which the gadget can no longer be repaired.

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