• Home
  • Apple News
  • Jailbreak News
  • Android News
  • Wallpapers
  • Deals

iJailbreak | Jailbreak And iOS News

iJailbreak is an online resource for jailbreak and unlock iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Apple TV and iOS news.

  • How To Jailbreak
    • Cydia Installer: Everything You Need To Know
    • What Is Jailbreaking? Why Should I Jailbreak?
    • Untethered vs Tethered vs SemiTethered Jailbreak
  • Jailbreak Software Tools
    • PP Jailbreak
    • TaiG
    • Pangu
    • Evasi0n (Evasi0n7)
    • Absinthe
    • JailbreakMe.com
    • RedSn0w
    • GreenPois0n
    • Sn0wBreeze
    • PwnageTool
    • LimeRa1n
    • Spirit
    • BlackRa1n
    • Seas0nPass
    • Developers
  • How To Unlock
  • How To Downgrade
    • How To Save SHSH Blobs
    • TinyUmbrella
    • iFaith
    • F0recast
  • Cydia Tweaks
    • Top / Best Cydia Tweaks
    • Best Cydia Sources
    • Siri Cydia Tweaks, Hacks, Mods
    • Spire Proxy Host List
  • How To Root
    • Top / Best Custom ROMs
  • Downloads

iOS 7 “Could Not Activate iPhone” Problem Renders Beta-Running Devices Useless

October 7, 2013 by Jaden Easton-Ellett 5 Comments

Over the weekend I was replying to a text message when all of a sudden my iPhone resprung and required me to re-activate it. Thinking it was just a glitch in iOS 7 I proceeded to try to activate my iPhone, but I kept getting an error that the activation servers were down. Assuming this was an issue with Apple I left my iPhone alone for about half hour and came back, shocked to get the same error.

After considering heading down to an Apple Store I remembered that my iPhone was running iOS 7 beta 6 (I could have sworn I was on the GM version, but I guess not) and that the firmware probably expired. Requiring me to update my iPhone manually to iOS 7.0.2. Sure enough that was the issue.

iOS 7 Activation Error

In case you didn’t know, every beta firmware has an expirery timer that makes the firmware not function correctly on a certain date. Having never experienced running past an expirery timer I was surprised that Apple didn’t have better instructions for handling the situation.

Regardless fixing the issue was simple and if you also run into this issue all you need to do is ensure you are running the latest version of iTunes and then shift click (Windows) or option click (Mac) on the update button and select the latest firmware (at the time of writing this article iOS 7.0.2).

It appears I wasn’t alone as Gizmodo UK’s Kat Hannaford reported the same thing:

An error message of “could not activate iPhone” appeared, and prompted users to sign in with their iCloud details. Unfortunately this did not solve the issue, with Apple’s activation server being “temporarily unavailable.”

Connecting to and downloading the latest version of iTunes (11.0.5) and attempting to restore to an earlier back-up, I was urged to turn off “find my iPhone” using iCloud.com. Removing my device from the account and attempting to restore it yet again only prompted me to turn “find my iPhone” off again.

Did any of you experience this over the weekend? Share your story in the comments section below.

Comments

  1. Jonathan Shroyer says

    October 7, 2013 at 4:36 pm

    I experienced this on my iPad 3 last night. Plugging it in to the computer let Dropbox back up the photos and videos on it. After that I put it in DFU mode and restored to 7.0.2 and restored the previous night’s backup from iCloud. Fairly painless.

  2. Justin says

    October 7, 2013 at 5:49 pm

    This has everything to do with firmware experation. You can only dfu restore.

  3. J2theK says

    October 8, 2013 at 2:05 am

    Another solution is Manual update by iTunes. you have to download the firmware for your ios device over the internet. when you plug in the device to iTunes, just hold shift (window) or option(mac) in update button. choose your iOS firmware then wait. in this case you won’t lose any data on it but you have to put apple id which the same one on your iCloud.

  4. Elias Hodkinson says

    October 8, 2013 at 4:22 am

    Hahaha I had signed up my friends iPhone 4 with my Developer Account and he rang me yesterday asking me why his phone wouldn’t let him activate it. I drove over to his house to have a look at it and of course that exact thing was happening. My first thought was of course that his phone was jailbroken unlocked and that I had broken it when I put iOS 7 Beta on it. I then realised that it was still on the beta iOS 7 so I just plugged it into iTunes in DFU mode and updated and restored it to iOS 7.0.2. Problem solved xD

  5. Nathan says

    October 8, 2013 at 11:22 pm

    I installed the beta firmware on my sister’s iPhone 5 a while ago and also didn’t know about the expiry timer. The problem is already solved. I am not sure if she updated or restored though.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Read Our Most Recent Articles

Untethered iOS 12 Jailbreak Demoed by Ali Security
Untethered iOS 12 Jailbreak Demoed by Ali Security
iOS 12 Now Available for Download: Compatible Devices
iOS 12 Now Available for Download: Compatible Devices
iPhone X Discontinued, iPhone 8 and iPhone 7 Prices Slashed
iPhone X Discontinued, iPhone 8 and iPhone 7 Prices Slashed
Apple iPhone Xs, iPhone Xs Max, and iPhone Xr Announced
Apple iPhone Xs, iPhone Xs Max, and iPhone Xr Announced
Apple Watch Series 4 Announced With Larger Display, Louder Speaker, and More
Apple Watch Series 4 Announced With Larger Display, Louder Speaker, and More

Follow Our How To Guides

iOS 8.1.1 Still Being Signed, You Can Downgrade From iOS 8.1.2
iOS 8.1.1 Still Being Signed, You Can Downgrade From iOS 8.1.2
Learn How To Use RedSn0w 0.9.6rc7, To Easily Manage Your Tethered Jailbreak
Learn How To Use RedSn0w 0.9.6rc7, To Easily Manage Your Tethered Jailbreak
How To Upgrade And Install Cydia v1.1.6 To Remove The "Dickbar" April Fools Prank
How To Upgrade And Install Cydia v1.1.6 To Remove The "Dickbar" April Fools Prank
How To: Jailbreak iOS 6.1.1 Untethered On The iPhone 4S With Evasi0n 1.3
How To: Jailbreak iOS 6.1.1 Untethered On The iPhone 4S With Evasi0n 1.3
How To: Quickly Check The Status Of Your Apple Product's Warranty
How To: Quickly Check The Status Of Your Apple Product's Warranty
About | Contact | Advertise | RSS Feed | Sitemap | TOS | Privacy Policy

© Copyright 2010 - 2021 iJailbreak. All Rights Reserved.