iPhone re-activation after phone replacement

Question

iPhone re-activation after phone replacement

My iPhone got replaced this morning and I failed to bring my laptop along with me to get the genius' help in re-activation. I figured this would be something I could easily do myself at home. Well Its been over 30 minutes and I'm still unable to do it. I plug in the phone, iTunes opens up and takes me to the iPhone activation splash screen. I follow directions making sure I do not miss the option to activate replacement phone. I got through till the end and I did not find the option. Instead I got iTunes telling me its going to add a $20 dollar data plan to my current ATT plan. I obviously have one already, I do not need another one, I just want to re-activate my replacement phone. I'm starting to loose hair over this. Searching Apple's website only brings up help to new iPhone costumers trying to activate their phones for the first time.

Can someone please tell me what is it that I'm doing wrong? I KNOW there is an option to re-activate a replacement phone since I DID see it the first time I activated my original phone back in July.

Mario.

iPhone, Re-activating

Posted on Sep 25, 2007 9:15 AM

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Answer 1

ALpianoman

Level 4

1,120 points

Sep 25, 2007 12:22 PM in response to Mario A. Gonzalez

Mario,

Just finish through the activation process. Because you got a NEW phone, your old SIM card has to associate with that phone. I had to go through the same thing. And I got the same message you got. I just continued and my phone and current number (old iPhone) was setup just fine. You'll get an option to re-activate your iPhone if your old iPhone was RESTORED to factory defaults and not swapped out. You have to go through the reactivation process if you've received a replacement iPhone.

You won't be charged an extra $20.

Hope that helps,
AL

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Answer 2

QuickDraw

Level 3

704 points

Sep 25, 2007 12:28 PM in response to Mario A. Gonzalez

It is my understanding Sir that re-activation is not required. When you had to replace your other iPhone, did you keep the sim card that was in it? I believe, if I'm not mistaken, that your sim card holds all of the activation stuff and therefore you wouldn't have to activate again. I could be wrong though. Maybe I'll just be bumping your message up so someone else can help you out properly. 🙂 Did you keep your other Sim Card?

I see you got help before the bump up 🙂

Message was edited by: QuickDraw

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Answer 3

Sep 25, 2007 12:50 PM in response to Mario A. Gonzalez

well theres two ways you can do this and its quite simple.

1. if you have your old sim place in the phone and youll prob just need to sync up with itunes so the imei number can be updated in att billing system.

2. if you dont have your old sim call att with your new sim number on hand starts with 890141........ (its on the sim its self) and tell them you have a new sim you want to replace it fromt he one you have currently on your account. give them your sim number, but then put your new sim in your phone might ask you to sync with itunes, but it may not because new sim is already registered. and thats all pretty simple.

Hope that helps

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Answer 4

Sep 25, 2007 12:58 PM in response to Mario A. Gonzalez

Mario! I am going through the same exact situation you are. Read my post here: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1141402&tstart=0.

I'm afraid to click "Submit" because it may resign me for ANOTHER 2-year service agreement when I don't need one because I already did that when I purchased and activated the old iPhone 2 months ago. I'm just REPLACING my old iPhone with a NEW iPhone but WITH the SIM card from the OLD iPhone.

Now, ALPianoman, I read that you went through the same thing. You replaced your iPhone with a new iPhone and reactivated through iTunes and you received the same message.
I took a snapshot of the screen from iTunes and this is what it is. Is this the same screen you got?

User uploaded file

Also, you can see that I circled in red that all current voicemail messages will be erased. Is this true even if I'm just replacing an old iPhone with a new iPhone?

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Answer 5

ALpianoman

Level 4

1,120 points

Sep 25, 2007 1:09 PM in response to Christopher Amparo

Yup, that's the exact message I got. I had to replace my iPhone 1 week after I got it because of a dead pixel.

They took out my SIM card and placed it in a new iPhone. And when going through the iTunes activation process that is the screen I went through. I believe all it's doing is attaching your SIM and Account with the new iPhone because the serial number and so forth are different.

Since I didn't have any current voicemail, I wasn't concerned about them erasing it. I just had to setup my Voicemail with the passcode again. I also believe that your Voicemail box is stored locally on your iPhone. I was in an elevator and had No Service. I thought for the heck of it to try my voicemail. And I could listen to it without a problem and without service.

I checked my account after re-activation and they didn't charge me extra or anything like that. My account seems to be fine cost wise.

Hope that helps,
AL

Message was edited by: ALpianoman

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Answer 6

Sep 27, 2007 2:25 AM in response to ALpianoman

Al! Your advice worked! Thanks!

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Answer 7

ALpianoman

Level 4

1,120 points

Sep 27, 2007 5:47 AM in response to Christopher Amparo

No problem.

AL

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