iPhone could not be activated because the activation server is temporarily unavailable

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Level 1

4 points

iPhone could not be activated because the activation server is temporarily unavailable

I just got a replacement iphone SE today, as my previous iphone was broken from accidental damage. They put my sim card in the new iphone for me, and I decided I'd do the setup myself (since it should be simple); however, even after connecting to multiple different WIFI networks, as well as attempting to use Cellular Data, I kept getting the error message "iPhone could not be activated because the activation server is temporarily unavailable".

I notice that a lot of people with this issue also can't connect to Wifi, and have no Cell service either, but I have cell service and WIFI and still am experiencing this issue. I tried plugging it into itunes and setting it up that way, but that also did not work, and instead I kept getting the error message "iPhone could not be activated because the activation information could not be obtained from the device", and it tells me that I should make sure the Sim card is inserted correctly. And even after making sure the Sim card was inserted correctly (twice), I still get the same error.

I also tried both updating the IOS, and restoring to factory settings. Both of which did not work. Did Apple give me a faulty iphone? Is there something I'm missing or anything else I should try? It took 2 hours waiting at the Apple store just to get a replacement Iphone today... The last thing I want to do is go back and wait more just for them to fix the faulty iphone they gave me. Please tell me there's a solution to this issue.

iPhone SE

Posted on Jan 2, 2019 8:58 PM

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Answer 1

MrBill3

Level 10

104,811 points

Jan 3, 2019 2:24 PM in response to drunk_dog

Hello,

Do you have a computer with the latest version of iTunes? If so, try the activation from there:

Update the iOS on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

Good luck.

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Answer 2

Jan 3, 2019 2:30 PM in response to drunk_dog

Here's Apple's take on this issue: If you can't activate your iPhone - Apple Support. Here's mine.

Here are the reasons you might get the message that the Activation Server is unavailable:

It really is unavailable. Rare, but it happens. You can check its status here: https://www.apple.com/support/systemstatus/
Your version of iTunes is out of date if you are using iTunes. You need iTunes 12.9.2. All the rest apply to iTunes activation:
The phone does not have a valid SIM installed.
Your antivirus or firewall is blocking access to gs.apple.com. Try temporarily disabling it.
Your router's firewall is blocking access to gs.apple.com or to a port that it requires (443).
Your phone is jailbroken, or it was at some time in the past.
Your computer was used to hack or jailbreak some iOS device in the past (not necessarily the device with the current problem), and its network database was corrupted. Hacking includes using some questionable apps such as recboot, reiboot, Tinyumbrella, redsn0w, etc. If this is a possibility inspect your computer's hosts file. If there are any lines in the file that reference gs.apple.com that is the explanation. You will need to rebuild the hosts file.
Your phone has a hardware problem. Take it to an Apple store for diagnosis.

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iPhone could not be activated because the activation server is temporarily unavailable

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