Q: Cannot Activate iPad IOS 9.3

I contacted New Zealand Apple help by telephone and they sorted it out for me, everything is fine.

I have been trying to activate almost 24 hour by now, using all available options other than wiping all my iPad with no luck...

So, today I've dumped all of the conversations that happened between my iPad and the Internet using Wireshark, hopefully someone with quite deep knowledge about what had happened can shed the light how to fix it.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/erm4hhhp3663f4o/iPad%20Captures.zip?dl=0

I tried doing everything you have mentioned and itunes is still showing "restoring the software on the ipad" after more than 3 hours !

I don't think that's normal is it ?

Moreover when I DFU'd the unit it went blank instead of showing the itunes logo but the itunes software on the PC recognized it and offered to reset the ipad to factory settings, and the ipad is blank ever since.

I Also have a Ipad2 wifi/3G an it is consistently stating activation server cannot be reached. Hooked up to iTunes as well an same thing tells me to see Apple store.       Not happy at all!!!!

same thing here, iPad 2 Wifi + 3G , as we say here, "If Steve Jobs get up from his grave and see what they are doing, He will get back to it as soon as he can"

My family have 4 iOS devices.  My iPhone 5 was successfully updated to iOS 9.3 a few hours after the official launch.  However, my iPad 2 has been kidnapped by Apple Activation Server for more than 24 hours after updating to iOS 9.3.  I don't want my iPhone 5s and 6 being kidnapped.  Should I wait until 9.3.1?

Sorry, I can read Wireshark, but not troubleshoot it.

Do you have an  iPad 3G? If so, wat happens if you remove the SIM?

(I am just thinking: I see a lot of reports about 3G iPads. Maybe the authentication procedure is trying to use the 3G module? And if the iPad has not fully started yet, the SIM PIN is not validated yet??...just a theory. And if Apple have tested with a SIM without a PIN, they would never find out about this bug.)

My ipad2 is also stuck after updating to IOS 9.3. been stuck on that activation page for two day now.......getting frustrated

Removing the SIM didn't help. Got stuck on activation since the day before yesterday. Activating with iTunes also didn't work. Reset the iPad also didn't work (error 3014). So my iPad 2 is useless now.

Hi

Try a reboot press & hold power button & menu button hold both down until you see apple logo .

This can take 30 seconds .

Cheers

Brian

an update to my situation. I tried dfu method of restoring my iPad Air wifi (aka ipad4)  with the 9.3 ipsw and also the earlier 9.2.1 software. After both the restores my iPad returned to the same dreaded not activating error. Am completely clueless on why this is happening And have a bricked iPad in the meantime.

Reboot didn't help. I have tried all suggestions (even removing the iPad from "Find my iPhone" in iCloud). In  few hours i go in holidays (sadly without my iPad -.- ). Hope Apple has a fix for this problem after Easter. 

When you're not afraid to lose all data on your iPad, this will certainly work:

- Download an IPSW (from https://ipsw.me/9.2.1).

- Connect iPad to PC/Mac

- Put iPad in DFU mode (press Home + on/off button until iPad goes black; wait 5 seconds then release on/off button, but hold Home for 20 more seconds).

- in iTunes click Restore (with the ALT button pressed) and select the downloaded IPSW.

- let nature run its course and you're good to go after 10 minutes or so

- reinstall all your apps (manually)

- (and when asked "there is a new iOS update 9.3" do not install it!)

The loss of data is a PITA, but at least your iPad is no longer bricked.

The solution IS:

1. Install the latest version of iTunes or update iTunes to the last one.

2. Connect iPad to PC/Mac.

3. iTunes recognizes the iPad and askes for your Apple ID.

iTunes activates your iPad.

Unfortunately that is definitely not a solution for everyone (i'd say it doesn't work for the vast majority...). I have tried two different computers at two different locations and both have the latest iTunes but neither of them activate as you describe. I, like many others, receive a message in iTunes stating "iTunes was unable to verify your device.".