Nutter173
Level 1 (8 points)
iPhone

Q: iPhone 6 randomly asked for phone activation

Hi,

Last night my phone had no problems or issues. Then after a not using it for about an hour (it was on, connected to my home wifi, Verizon service fine and usually have 2-3 bars in my house), I came back to it and the activation screen was up like when you first get the phone. I attached a pic that are NOT screen shots from my phone but what I was seeing, exactly: The notification on the lock screen, searching and apple ID sign in. I then immediately hard reset the phone, but when I turned it back on, it was still the same. I went thru the steps but skipped the iCloud sign in.

 

I'm on iPhone 6

Running iOS 9.2.1

 

Is anyone else having this problem? Everything I find on this forum says this was happening in iOS 8.4, but not 9.2. Other threads also note the bricking of older phones/iPads with the new 9.3, but again not applicable to me.

 

Last thing I wanted to mention is I use Twitter via Safari browser only and only read...I have like no followers, don't like tweets, don't follow many people and don't tweet. This morning I was receiving an error about exceeding use (image attached, this is my screen shot) and needing to register my phone. My account is not locked and from another user my account has not been hacked and does not show any suspect activity.

 

Has has my phone been hacked? Or are these two things happening consecutively just a coincidence? I could care less about Twitter and don't want any info about that here, I just thought it may be a bad sin given this random activation request that happened. image.jpegimage.png

 

Thanks for the help.

iPhone 6, iOS 9.2.1

Posted on Apr 1, 2016 8:23 AM

by elcpu,Apple recommended
elcpu elcpu
Level 6 (15,946 points)
Photos for Mac
A:

Have you updated to 9.3.1 yet? If not try updating through iTunes to see if it resolves the Activation Required issue. If not you may have to use Recovery Mode.

 

I suspect that the Twitter screenshot is a phishing attempt and I recommend not clicking on the link and specially not providing any personal information. iPhones cannot be hacked (unless they are jailbroken and I doubt you have done that). However, you can get malicious texts and Safari pop ups try to phish info form the user. Would not hurt to do the following:

 

Reset Safari. Close Safari completely from the multitasking window by double clicking the Home button and swiping up the Safari preview pane until it disappears from the screen. You may have to look for the Safari pane by scrawling to the left. Then go to Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data. Then do a forced restart. Hold down the Home and Wake/Sleep buttons at the same time for about 15-20 seconds until the Apple logo appears.

Posted on Apr 1, 2016 8:59 AM

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Nutter173

Q: iPhone 6 randomly asked for phone activation

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  • Helpful answers

  • by elcpu,Apple recommended

    elcpu elcpu Apr 1, 2016 8:59 AM in response to Nutter173
    Level 6 (15,946 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Apr 1, 2016 8:59 AM in response to Nutter173

    Have you updated to 9.3.1 yet? If not try updating through iTunes to see if it resolves the Activation Required issue. If not you may have to use Recovery Mode.

     

    I suspect that the Twitter screenshot is a phishing attempt and I recommend not clicking on the link and specially not providing any personal information. iPhones cannot be hacked (unless they are jailbroken and I doubt you have done that). However, you can get malicious texts and Safari pop ups try to phish info form the user. Would not hurt to do the following:

     

    Reset Safari. Close Safari completely from the multitasking window by double clicking the Home button and swiping up the Safari preview pane until it disappears from the screen. You may have to look for the Safari pane by scrawling to the left. Then go to Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data. Then do a forced restart. Hold down the Home and Wake/Sleep buttons at the same time for about 15-20 seconds until the Apple logo appears.

  • by Nutter173,

    Nutter173 Nutter173 Apr 1, 2016 12:37 PM in response to elcpu
    Level 1 (8 points)
    iPhone
    Apr 1, 2016 12:37 PM in response to elcpu

    Hi there and thanks for your reply. The activation prompt went away after I did it (I was unable to use my phone until I did so) and hasn't returned. My main concern is what happened to my phone that it would suddenly, after months of use and no problems on 9.2 require an activation? You say an iPhone can't be hacked (correct, my phone is not jailbromen), but then do you have an idea what would make it suddenly need activation? It just seemed really sketchy, like a prompt of some sort was accepted that I didn't accept. Could someone have done something to my phone via AirDrop (or other) if they hacked my wifi network?

     

    I did all the suggestions above for safari and I can access Twitter on safari now fine. Thank you.

     

    I guess im looking for confirmation that these two very random things that have never happened before are not actually connected, and then some sort of explanation or similar experience to help verify that the activation requirement is not malicious.

     

    Thanks again!

  • by elcpu,Helpful

    elcpu elcpu Apr 2, 2016 6:15 PM in response to Nutter173
    Level 6 (15,946 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Apr 2, 2016 6:15 PM in response to Nutter173

    Nutter173 wrote:

     

    ... do you have an idea what would make it suddenly need activation?

     

    Yes. The activation issue was indeed a bug with 9.3. It caused problems generally with older devices but I have read reports of newer devices acting similarly. Here is an Apple article about it.

    If you can't activate your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch after installing iOS 9.3 - Apple Support

     

    I have never seen a report of an iPhone being hacked or having a virus unless they were jailbroken. So I would not worry about that issue and the same with AirDrop.

     

    Your Wi-Fi router can be hacked but this is unlikely if it is password protected. Did you change the default password on the router? A hacked router would allow a crook in close proximity to access your network. The info you provided above does not lead me to suspect a hacked router but if in doubt, you could reflash the firmware of the router and use a different password. Are any of your other devices having issues?

     

    Phishing attempts are common and the only risk is entering personal information of the phishing links. If you did not respond you should be fine, especially after resetting Safari as you did above.

  • by Nutter173,

    Nutter173 Nutter173 Apr 2, 2016 6:15 PM in response to elcpu
    Level 1 (8 points)
    iPhone
    Apr 2, 2016 6:15 PM in response to elcpu

    Thanks, I appreciate the help and  reassurance. Cheers!

  • by elcpu,

    elcpu elcpu Apr 2, 2016 8:40 PM in response to Nutter173
    Level 6 (15,946 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Apr 2, 2016 8:40 PM in response to Nutter173

    My pleasure...

  • by Gracecross,

    Gracecross Gracecross Aug 13, 2016 10:50 PM in response to Nutter173
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Aug 13, 2016 10:50 PM in response to Nutter173

    The exact same thing has just happened to me as well but I'm not sure whether to activate incase I lose all my photos, did you still have everything you had before on your phone afterwards?