how to activate iphone 5 without sim card

Not to mention surveillance drones and unauthorized monitoring my NSA etc.

I just tested it and yes, a SIM card from another nation (not sure if it is active overseas, but it certainly isn't in USA where I am now). So, let's see if a Canadian purchased phone, with a Malaysian SIM card, activating a new phone in USA...

Previous to inserting the SIM the wifi at this household would not connect. But oddly, once I did insert an irrelevant SIM the activation begins.... but does not complete.

"Your phone could not be activated because the activations erver cannot be reached. Try connecting your iphone to iTunes to activate it, or try again in a few minutes. If this problem persists, contact Apple.com/support"

Not sure if the problem is..

1. Wifi not working properly

2. SIM card inactive (according to instructions above should not matter)

3. Something techanical abouyt the SIM card system of Malaysia not matching that of USA/Canad

I have not the slightest idea what is happening.

"Try again"...

"It may take a few minutes to activate your phone."

Nope.

Hmm...

So, I try using itunes option.

I connect iphone to a friends computer in USA.

Download itunes

Sign in

Told to go to Canadian store (must recognize I am in USA physically right now, although my account is not)

Hmm, do not see any button 'activate iphone'

Ah, I see I misunderstood. One can restore from an icloud or itunes BACKUP. But what I need to do is ACTIVATE. Different animal.

Itunes gave me no autiomatic sync or any sort of notification that I am connected, oddly until I signed out then it did (!?!?!?) So I signed in again and got a message...

"There is no SIM card installed in your iphone you are attempting to activate.

Please disconnect and insert a SIM card"

Huh, I thought using itunes was an alterantive to SIM card activation? Such instructions are available on other websites and forums. Biut it doesn';t work here and now in this multijurisdictional situation.

Perhaps I screwed up. I se I had taken out the Malaysian SIM. SO I reinstaleld it and made sure I have wifi signal. Yes. Yes.

The phone activation steps start. I have signed in btw under MY appleid. But *** I see that it is synching to computer owner friend's data *He also happens to have an iphone.!!

NO NO NO NO NON WRONG wrong Wrong! I am just using a machine not delving into the integrated world of Apple. Just a machine to do a mechanical job! To START A phoen so that it is functional, that is all.

Now who knows what complications and confusions there will be.

Now the wifi password not working. What a pain in the neck. When I want to activate a VHS player, I just turn it on.

OK, the only problem is your friend's iTunes was set to sync automatically when an iPhone was connected. You can turn off this really annoying "feature" in iTunes Preferences, Devices pane.

True. When I go to 'about' I see that my iphone is associated with his name. Also, it shows his US carrier. Are there going to be any problems when I try to use any features such as backup to icloud, register for Match for itunes etc? I will not be in USA and I don't want to have hassles of passwords or comntent. Or tropuble shooting by telephone to bother my friend. I WILL want to synch to my laptop when I get to Vietnam. Funny thing is I signed in with *my* appleid. So, strange how this happened.

You need to restore the phone again, and set up as a new phone. Then enter your information on the phone. You can try just resetting on the phone: go to Settings/General/Reset - Erase all content and settings. This will start over. Be sure you have a SIM in the phone and a WiFi connection.

Thank you for your advice. But, this is really becoming a great time waster. Every software problem I have and restoring phone. I will have done this four times! Redowloading music. Reupdating iOS, reinstalling video and photo clips plus voice recorder files (big) from USB because Apple software is wonky (Apple's own admission). I have said to Apple - 'you screwed up with releasing buggy software before it is perfected, so you take care of the problem.' But their policies do not permit handling customer's data on their computers, so I spend 6 hours at their stores doing this.

Over and over.

Apple Care is as usual very helpful, patient and thorough. I did not have to start from scratch, but reset function disassociated my friend's account from mine.

Hmm, but none of my third party apps appear under app store so I can update them. Yet they are not on the phone either. And they did show up earlier and I was updating them one by one selectively. I am signed into icloud and app store - yet no apps other than standard despite them all being there an hour ago.

Were the apps installed using your Apple ID, or the one on the computer that you activated with? If it's your Apple ID launch the App Store, tap Updates, then Purchased, then Not on this phone and you should be able to download them. If they were not purchased or downloaded using your Apple ID you will have to get them again.

Oh yes, *purchased* with same Apple ID and originally downloaded to a previous iphone with same Apple ID. This morning they all showed up before I disassociated from borrowed computer. Instructed by Apple to reset. And they disappeared Awaiting Apple support callback.

Apple cannot understand that when you by a smartphone is belong to you and not to company any more ..it have to be free and unlock.

i own 2 iphone4 one 4s one 5c one 5s and one ipad3 and my next smartphone it will be an android.

No carrier locks no Wi-Fi range lock, and buying any software i want from any country with out to have 100 country accounts,

I used to leave in UK and I moved to Cyprus so now I cannot by uk iTunes card and if I make CY iTunes card I will loss all the 300 uk pounds software I already by.

Your assumption that Android phones are not carrier locked is incorrect. There is no such thing as a "Wi-Fi range lock." You have to buy an unlocked version of the phone just as you do with an iPhone.

Sorry my friend but take an iPhone and an android any make put them together and scan for a Wi-Fi then come to talk what IOS lock and what not…

Android will find all the Wi-Fi in rage of 1 km and ios will find only your bedroom. Test it if free..

cyadidas wrote:

Android will find all the Wi-Fi in rage of 1 km

Only in your imagination. Out of doors, a generous estimate of the range of a WiFi network is 92 meters. Indoors, about 45 m.