How to activate an iPhone, connect and configure

The content of the article

• What is iphone activation
• Connection and initial settings
• Set up and register an Apple ID
• In what cases is it necessary
• Is it possible to activate an iPhone without a SIM card?
• How to enable a new iPhone
• IPhone 4s and 4 activation
• Activating iphone 5 and 5s
• How to activate iPhone via iTunes
• Recover from iCloud Copy
• Possible errors when activating an iPhone

When buying a new gadget from Apple (iPad, iPod, iPhone), the owner needs to register and activate. This will help to avoid difficulties with the use of the device in the future and run it to get started. There are several options for how to activate your phone. If you perform all the steps correctly, then there should be no problems with the launch.

What is iphone activation

In order for the phone to identify the mobile operator and register it on the network, you need to activate the device. IPhone activation is a process in which an IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity) is read from a SIM card and redirected to an Apple server. There, data analysis is carried out, the SIM card is affiliated with the mobile operator, it is checked whether the subscriber has access to the network in which he is.

Sometimes phones are already sold with a contract, i.e. they are “tied” to a particular operator. If you bought an “unlocked” iPhone, then a unique code will be received from the server, which is necessary to transfer the Lockdown module to the active state, which allows access to the mobile network. After switching on, the initial configuration is carried out, the owner indicates the region (geolocation), language and some other services. You will have to activate the iPhone when the content is completely deleted or reset to the factory settings. In this case, you can restore through the services of the company..

Connection and initial settings

To activate an iPhone, you must first set up the device. To do this, be sure to insert a SIM card into the phone. After turning on the device, the system will ask you to set the following parameters:

• tongue;
• region of residence;
• method of restoring from backup;
• setting up additional services.

You will only be able to activate the gadget if you have a network connection. You can use Wi-Fi (the most convenient option) or a cord to connect to a desktop computer. The second option is preferable if you need to restore data from a cloud service. During the first start-up, the system will ask you to enter the data of your Internet connection, you won’t be able to activate an iPhone without accessing the network.

Set up and register an Apple ID

After the initial settings, the device will prompt you to connect to the network via Wi-Fi or using a SIM card (mobile Internet). If the SIM card is not at hand, then even wireless Wi-Fi will not help you, because the SIM card must be in the iPhone. Next, the unlock and activation operation proceeds as follows (using the iTunes utility as an example):

• Connect your iPhone to the computer using the USB cable.
• Launch the iTunes app. The utility should recognize the connected device itself.
• Go through the small phone icon to the control menu.
• The program will ask what actions need to be carried out with a mobile: configure from scratch as a new device or restore contents from a backup.
• The first time you need to activate the device by selecting “as new”.
• Then you need to specify the Apple ID – this is an account that is available in all Apple services. You can create it directly in iTunes from the “Account” section (just follow the instructions of the program and fill in all the fields from the form).
• If you wish, you can skip the above step by clicking on the “No Apple ID or forgot it.” Next, click on “Configure later” and “Do not use”, but then you will not have the opportunity to buy content from the store and replenish the account for this.
• Complete the procedure by adjusting the screen as desired..

In what cases is it necessary

If you have a new iPhone, then activation problems will not arise. Sometimes stolen phones are sold under the guise of new ones, but when trying to log in the user is asked to enter data (account) that no one knows, and therefore there is no way to untie the device from Apple ID. The phone becomes useless because it is impossible to run it. The need to activate the gadget arises in the following cases:

1. The first time you turn it on. Initial setup and registration of a new device is carried out, it is completely empty and has no downloaded or purchased applications.
2. After erasing the content and settings. If for some reason you had to clean the iPhone, you can activate and fully restore the contents using the iCloud service. This is cloud storage that backs up from your phone..
3. After restoring or updating the device in iTunes. You can save activation settings and data on the computer through the official application. After connecting, follow the instructions.

Is it possible to activate an iPhone without a SIM card?

A vulnerability existed in intermediate versions of the Apple iOS 7.0-7.06 operating system. Using emergency call 112, I was able to activate the gadget without an inserted SIM card. In OS version 7.1.2 and in all subsequent ones, this “hole” was eliminated. This vulnerability can no longer be exploited, so there is no longer any opportunity to activate an iPhone without a SIM card.

How to enable a new iPhone

If you decide to buy a new phone, make sure that the box has not been opened, has factory “stickers”, because you won’t be able to activate the device “by hand” due to binding to Apple ID. To enable a new phone, follow these steps:

• Open the device and insert a SIM card.
• Press the button labeled “Power”.
• Connect the smartphone to the PC using the cord.
• Launch iTunes.
• Perform the registration procedure.

IPhone 4s and 4 activation

This version of the smartphone is considered obsolete, but it can still be bought because of an affordable price. Prepare a SIM card immediately and insert it into your mobile phone before turning it on. Hold the “Power” button for 2-3 seconds and wait for the device to turn on. Make the initial settings and activate according to the following step-by-step instructions:

1. Indicate your region of residence, interface language.
2. Next, you will receive a request for geolocation (determining your location) through Yandex maps, Google maps for marking under photos on instagram, facebook, etc. The same function will help you find a lost device. You can refuse to use it and enable the function at any time later.
3. Then you will receive a request to connect to the Internet via SIM card, Wi-Fi. This step also does not have to be done right away. You can postpone it, but in order to get a unique code from the company’s server, in order to activate the iPhone, you need the Internet. I cannot use iCloud or iTunes Match without it either.
4. The next step is to register a mobile operator in the network, receive settings for MMS, SMS and other functions. If you already had an iPhone, and you want to restore the settings of the device, the system will offer you to use backup copies from iCloud or iTunes. If this is the first gadget, select “Configure a new device”
5. The next steps are not required to use the device, but it is better to follow them to complete the setup fully. Enter your Apple ID to access company services. Creating an account is carried out in a standard form and does not require payment.
6. After accepting the document “Rights and Obligations”, activate the voice assistant.
7. Last point – permission to send company diagnostic reports.
8. Click “Start using” and enjoy your device..

Activating iphone 5 and 5s

The setup procedure for this version of the device is not much different from the others. After unpacking the gadget, installing the SIM card and pressing the “Power” button, you will see a white screen with a proposal to configure the phone. At all stages you will be accompanied by an assistant, the activation algorithm is as follows:

1. First, select the interface language (Russian), connect to Wi-Fi. As a rule, the language pack is determined depending on the region of sale, but you can change it. To connect to the Internet, select your network and enter the password. If your SIM card has mobile Internet, you can enable it.
2. Next, activate the Apple ID – an account that must be created in advance. It provides access to a host of Apple services features. Without an account, some of them will be blocked.
3. For protection when locking your phone, come up with a short personal password or scan your fingerprint.
4. Set up iCloud storage, “keychain” (credit card information and storage passwords).
5. Turn on or discard the geolocation, the Find iPhone feature. This is a special tool that shows the location of the device if it was lost or stolen..
6. Sign up to the network of the communication provider through a special unique code from the Apple service.

How to activate iPhone via iTunes

The official utility helps to configure the new phone, restore data after deleting the contents. Activation of iPhone 6 or older is done through a computer using a USB cable and iTunes utility. This multifunctional application helps to keep backups, register the device in the system, buy and download content for mobile. You can activate iPhone using the following algorithm:

1. Install the SIM in the phone and turn on the device. Activating a gadget without an operator’s card will not work, this is a mandatory step.
2. Swipe the screen to turn it on. Mark country of residence immediately, interface language.
3. Select the option to connect to the Internet (wireless or PC). To activate iTunes, connect the smartphone to the computer using the original cord from the kit.
4. The program itself will determine the connected device and begin to configure it. To go to the control menu, click on the miniature phone icon.
5. When setting up an iPhone that is already tied to an Apple ID, enter your account information and sign in. If the phone is new, go to the next step immediately..
6. A window appears with a choice of actions: restore from backup or configure as new. In the first case, click the “Continue” button, wait for the data to be copied from the cloud service. Do not interrupt this process (do not disconnect the device from the PC) until it ends.
7. After recovery and activation, the gadget will reboot. Perform initial setup and can use mobile.
8. If you register the phone for the first time, you need to create an Apple ID account, get a code from the company to activate on the provider’s network. All other steps are repeated (initial setup).

Recover from iCloud Copy

Restoring from the backup storage will only be possible with the initial setup procedure. To do this, you will have to make a complete reset and reset the phone. Then, with the help of an assistant, you can upload a backup from iCloud. To restore, do the following:

1. Before resetting, check if there are any fresh backups in the cloud. To do this, open Settings, then iCloud, then Storage and copies. Scroll down the page, the last file should have a fresh date.
2. To start the recovery, start the reset: open the settings, then the “General” item, go to the “Reset” section and click on “Erase content and settings”.
3. Enter a password, if one was used to restrict.
4. Accept the deletion of the content and click “Erase iPhone”. Such a cleaning will erase all data, including notes, contacts. Before that, check the backup is correct, make a “backup copy”.
5. The progress of the removal process is indicated by a bar below the Apple logo. Wait for the process to complete..
6. Perform the initial setup, stop at the item “iPhone Settings”.
7. Select Restore from iCloud Copy.
8. When you see the window for specifying Apple ID and password, agree to the terms, conditions of service and privacy policy, double-click “Accept”.
9. If there was a password on the backup, create a new one. Then configure Touch ID, but you can skip this step and return to it later.

Possible errors when activating an iPhone

Sometimes when registering the phone there are problems. There are several main reasons why an iPhone displays an activation failure message:

1. Apple Server Error. At a specific moment, the activation site is unavailable. This is the most harmless version of the problem. Wait for the server to recover. As a rule, this error occurs when switching to a new firmware or during a major software update..
2. IPhone hardware problem. Failure to register can cause a malfunction of the SIM card definition unit, which leads to a constant network search. If the Wi-Fi module does not work, connect the device to the PC. This problem can be identified in the service center after diagnosis..
3. Problem with iOS after iPhone recovery. It concerns devices that were artificially assembled in China from various components. Such phones contain extremely few original parts. The activation problem arises due to changes in the rules of the device registration system on iOS 11. The server compares the technical information of the device (IMEI, Serial No, UDID, MAC-address) with the databases. If something does not match (and artisanal phones have up to 10 mismatches), then the device cannot be activated.

To protect against such problems, check the serial number of the phone when buying from a seller. Go to the Apple website and enter the data from the box. If the message “the serial number corresponds to the product that has been replaced” appears, then it is likely that an error will appear when trying to activate. If the information about the device does not match your iPhone in terms of memory, color, model, then problems may also arise. If the phone was not restored to you at an official service center, be sure not to erase the content.