Sometimes you may not be able to activate your iPhone 18 Pro during the setup process, either when you first purchased it or after it has been erased. The error message says:
Could Not Activate iPhone. Your iPhone could not be activated because the activation server is temporarily unavailable. Try connecting your iPhone to iTunes to activate it, or try again in a couple of minutes. If this problem persists, contact Apple Support at apple.com/support
Sometimes issues may occur during activation. In this article, I explain how you can fix this problem. It appears that various iPhone models (including iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max) may experience this problem.
Check Apple servers
As the error message says, Apple Activation servers may be down, and thus your iPhone could not reach them. You can see if the servers are running or not by going to the Apple System Status page. Look for the iOS Device Activation option. If this has a green dot, that means that Apple Servers are up and running. If this is the case, check the next step. However, in rare instances, there may be issues with the activation servers. If there are issues, you will see notifications explaining the issue on the System Status page. If this is the case, just wait, check this page again and try to activate your iPhone when servers are running.
Check your connection
So you have checked that Apple Servers are running, but you still cannot activate your iPhone. It is possible that there may be something blocking your iPhone from connecting to the Apple Servers. Here are a few things you can do:
- If you are connected to the Internet over cellular, connect using a Wi-Fi connection. If this does not work, try a different Wi-Fi connection, if possible.
- If you still see that the activation server is temporarily unavailable or cannot be reached, wait a few minutes, then repeat the previous steps.
- If you have firewall, antivirus or similar software, disable it and then try again. Use the app to turn off its features, then see if the issue continues.
- Restart your Wi-Fi router. Restart your router and cable modem by unplugging the devices and then plugging them back in. Then try your iPhone again.
Force restart your iPhone
Force restart your iPhone and then try again. Here is how you can do this:
- Press and quickly release the volume up button.
- Press and quickly release the volume down button.
- Press and hold the side button until you see the Apple logo (this might take longer than 10 seconds).
Connect your iPhone to your computer
If you are still having issues, connect it to your computer (PC or Mac) and follow these steps:
- If you have a Mac, ensure that it has the latest version of macOS. You can check if there is an update by going to System Settings > General > Software Update.
- If you have a PC, ensure that your computer has the newest version of iTunes.
- Ensure that your PC or Mac is connected to the Internet.
- With the cable that came with your iPhone, connect your iPhone to your computer.
- Locate your device on your computer. On a Mac with macOS 10.15 or newer, open the Finder. On a Mac with macOS 10.14 or earlier or a Windows device, open the iTunes app.
- Your computer will detect your iPhone. If you see a message saying Set up as New or Restore from Backup, this means that your iPhone is activated, and you can continue the setup process and start using your iPhone.
- If you get an error message on your computer that says that the SIM card or eSIM isn’t compatible or is invalid, contact your carrier.
- If you see a message saying activation information was invalid or activation information could not be obtained from the device, this means that your iPhone could not be activated. What you can do in this case is use Recovery Mode.
After trying everything above, if you are still having issues, it is time to contact Apple Support. You may need to set up a Genius Bar appointment. You can live-chat with Apple, and they will guide you.
