Cannot activate iPad 2 after upgrade to IOS 9.3. Error message: Your iPad could not be activated because the activation server is temporarily unavailable. Tried also connecting to iTunes via a PC without success.
iPad 2, iOS 9.3
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.".
This is not working for me. iTunes is already the latest version. iTunes can't recognize/verify my iPad 2 and if i want to restore my iPad over DFU mode i only got the error 3014. Nothing works and my iPad is useless.
I had the same problem with my iPad 2. I solved it following instructions suggested in this thread:
- Open iTunes, connect the iPad while holding Power and Home buttons until iTunes ask you for restoring the device.
- Click on Restore (I tried clicking on Update but it didn't solve the problem).
- Wait until finish and restore from iCloud Backup (a backup was automatically created before upgrading to iOS 9.3).
- After restoring the backup the device works correctly and the software is up to date with iOS 9.3.
Hi DaSouza. Hopefully you are one of the lucky ones that doesn't get the "must activate" message after a few hours of usage on your iPad 2... cause others restoring with the method you've used has resulted back at square one after 2-12 or so hours 😟
I don't think so... everytime I tried to activate, the iPad is trying to connect to Apple Server, but seeing the conversation... only 2 packets involved, which 1 packet for the iPad to connect to one of Apple's Server, and the other one is like ACK (Acknowledge) packet from Apple's Server... I don't know what happened here...
Connect to iTunes
click trust the computer
enter your Apple ID on the Computer
done
lol, thanks CommaKun, but honestly if it were that simple I think we'd have all done this by now and moved on with our lives 😝 Sadly that has been mentioned many times but it does not work for us iPad 2 users (at least not most of us)... It may work with other model iPads and iPhones, but not our iPad 2's w/ 3G. Thanks anyways... 🙂
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Finally my Problem solved. I'm using ipad 2 and running at ios 9.3 now. This post help me solve this problem : Re: Cannot Activate iPad IOS 9.3
The key is use itunes to restore it.
Hope you'll get your ipad running again.
THEY ARE GIVING US B....SH.. MINE HAS BEEN TRYING TO UPDATE FOR 4 HOURS
Same problems here ...
Using iPad2 + 3G (3G not in use)
Same problems here, iPad2 64Gb 3G, connected via wi-fi. Apple did not WARN us (owner of iPad2) BEFORE updating, and messed up our PRIVATE devices!! I also use it for work, and I am losing the whole day.
Restore via iTunes will DELETE all contents and restore the iPad to it's factory settings. I very rarely connect to iTunes and just have an old backup in there. Should I loose all my data (many apps with lots of custom patches inside) because of an Apple error??
Truly unfair and irritating.
Apple do you really listen to your customers?
Your advice has helped with my problem and I have re-activated by dead iPad 2 (3G + WiFi) . So thanks very much. I am so relieved. Previous existing apps are just loading right now. So hope it all works in the end. Great advice. Thank you Cors_from_Hoorn. See below. - this works.
CorS_from_HoornMar 22, 2016 4:18 PM Re: Cannot Activate iPad IOS 9.3
in response to CorS_from_Hoorn
Ok, that was a nerve wrecking day, but I managed to recover.
I restored my iPad with this procedure:
Procedure took in total 30 minutes, including iOS download, reinstall and start-up iPad. But I have a fast internet connection. I can imagine it can take hours as mentioned in other posts if you have slow internet.
Phew !
Side note: I had become very frustrated with the extreme slow performance of my iPad2 in the past year or so. With each new iOS version, the performance seemed to degrade. Even simple actions, like opening s simple App, took more than 10 seconds. Really unusable and certainly no fun.
So I used this opportunity to 'start from scratch'. hence my choice to NOT re-install a back-up, but configure my iPad as a brand new, factory default, tablet.
Initial observation shows very promising. This responsiveness looks much more like my old friend iPad from years ago!
I just installed a limited amount of Apps to monitor performance and will check if performance degrades when I install more Apps or at specific Apps.
Summing it all up: I was frustrated with the extremely slow performance of my old iPad2. I was frustrated with the iPad launch of yesterday as I was hoping to buy a new (standard) iPad with the A9X processor. Not a far too expensive iPad pro. Then more frustration since my iPad2 died after upgrade to iOS9.3.
But on the bright side, with help of the above posts I recovered my iPAD2 with iOS9.3. I took the deep dive and go for factory default, but the iPad2 seems to be soooo much more responsive. Now I don't need to buy a new iPad. Thanks Apple!
Has anybody got any useful information on when the activation problem will be resolved. I didn't realise how reliant I am on my iPad until i haven't been able to use it.
I think your best bet is to just go and buy a new iPad Pro. That is after all why our old iPads are down for the count, isnt it? 😉 I'm sure they didn't pay as much attention to the older iPad 2's during 9.3 testing as they did their newer hardware
Cannot Activate iPad IOS 9.3
