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Level 1

79 points

iPhone 5S activation error 0xE8000013

Hi,

I have an unlocked iPhone 5s which was recently updated from iOS 10.0.2 to iOS 11.0.1 through iTunes on a Macbook running OSX Sierra with all latest updates. The update went without a hitch. After the initial setup screens of choosing country, language etc., iTunes gave the following error:

The iPhone "iPhone" could not be activated because an unknown error occurred (0xE8000013). Please try again later.

If I try to activate the iPhone using a working SIM (either on WiFi or Mobile Network), the the following message is displayed:

Your iPhone could not be activated because the activation server cannot be reached. Try connecting your iPhone to iTunes to activate it or try again in a few minutes.

So, I started troubleshooting in the following order:

Check the Apple System Status (iOS Device Activation is online continously)
Followed Apple's guide on 0xE errors
Tried the setup on a Windows 10 with all latest updates but ran into the same aforementioned issue with iTunes (both Macbook & Windows laptops have the latest iTunes installed)
Changed USB cables but to no avail

I am sure the issue is specific to the iPhone 5s & iOS 11 because using the same cables and laptops both my iPhone 6S & iPad Mini 2 updated to iOS 11 smoothly.

If any other iPhone user have this issue I would like to hear from them & how they got it resolved (if they could).

Thanks!

iPhone 5s, iOS 11.0.2, Unlocked iPhone 5S

Posted on Oct 6, 2017 5:54 AM

Best reply

Lawrence Finch

Level 10

204,610 points

Posted on Oct 18, 2017 5:53 AM

chiaraChiara wrote:

Hi ro66i3,

Unfortunately Iphone 5c does not support IOS 11. The last release is IOS 10.3.3 i guess.

This is a really stressfull situation. A software issue is preventing me to use my phone.

Is there any method for flashing a previous release? Am I stuck with 10.3.3?

Thanks.

A software issue is not preventing you from using your phone. The fact that updating iOS requires that the phone be reactivated, and that reactivation is failing, is preventing you from using your phone.

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Your version of iTunes is out of date. You need 12.6.3 or later.
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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297 replies

zahid345

Level 1

10 points

Jan 21, 2018 11:18 AM in response to ro66i3

My iPhone 5s iOS 11.2.2 persisting error " Your iPhone could not activated because your server is not be reached" . Please give some suggest how can I Activate This.?? Please find out solution