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I can’t activate my iPhone . Could not activate iPhone

Your iPhone cloud not be activated because the activation server cannot be reached

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Posted on Mar 20, 2018 8:34 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Mar 20, 2018 8:40 PM

If you can't activate your iPhone - Apple Support - https://support.apple.com/HT201407 - "If your iPhone can't be activated or an alert says the activation server is unavailable or the SIM card is unsupported, learn what to do."

It appears you have no SIM card installed and you will need to contact a local carrier about getting one.

168 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Mar 20, 2018 8:40 PM in response to mazen190

If you can't activate your iPhone - Apple Support - https://support.apple.com/HT201407 - "If your iPhone can't be activated or an alert says the activation server is unavailable or the SIM card is unsupported, learn what to do."

It appears you have no SIM card installed and you will need to contact a local carrier about getting one.

Oct 26, 2019 6:43 AM in response to philipjohnlamasan

philipjohnlamasan wrote:

My IPhone is Not Open because of reset there Files So i can Restart this, and the Response from my Apple is "Could not Activate iPhone" soo what I can do.

Here is Apple's help link for this problem-->If you can't activate your iPhone - Apple Support


And here are some additional thoughts. 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  • Your version of iTunes is out of date. 
  • 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.



Nov 26, 2019 6:50 AM in response to vilas18

REPEATING what you will see if you look above your post:


Here is Apple's help link for this problem-->If you can't activate your iPhone - Apple Support


And here are some additional thoughts. 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. 
  • 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.


Dec 15, 2019 4:32 AM in response to noland281

noland281 wrote:

i cant activate my iphone . my i phone doesnt work right now please help me

REPEATING what you will see if you look above your post:


Here is Apple's help link for this problem-->If you can't activate your iPhone - Apple Support


And here are some additional thoughts. 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. 
  • 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.


May 12, 2020 1:38 PM in response to enoch179

See this Apple support article—>If you can't activate your iPhone - Apple Support plus this additional information:


  • It really is unavailable. Rare, but it happens. You can check its status here: https://www.apple.com/support/systemstatus/
  • The phone does not have a valid SIM installed.
  • You are connected to a VPN.
  • 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 version of iTunes is out of date if you are activating with your computer. 
  • 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.


Oct 26, 2019 6:41 AM in response to raniaho


raniaho wrote:

activation couldnot be completed, this message appeared on my iphone , and ask me to restore my phone and install my version of ios.
what can i do to slove this problem?

Follow the instructions and restore your phone using iTunes on your computer-->If you forgot the passcode for your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, or your device is disabled - Apple Support


Jan 30, 2021 7:52 AM in response to simba290

simba290 wrote:

The appleid showing on the picture I sent is mine but it is not working

That doesn’t matter. Your Apple ID was not the one used to activate Find My/Activation Lock on that phone. Here’s some information on this theft deterrent feature→Activation Lock for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support


Most likely you bought this phone used and the previous owner did not remove their Apple ID. If that is the case then you will need their help to activate the phone.


This is a public forum, not a good place to post personal information like your email address. I’ve asked the hosts to remove it.

Jun 24, 2019 7:41 AM in response to mazen190

My iPhone 6s will not activate. I've tried restarting, taking the sim card out, replacing the sim card, using wifi, and restoring. None of which has worked. Furthermore, when I try to find the solution online apple cant seem to solve the issue and redirects me elsewhere. What's more is I, unfortunately, can not contact Apple Support if the phone itself will not activate. I'm truly getting frustrated with this issue can someone please shed some sort of light?

I can’t activate my iPhone . Could not activate iPhone

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