This common error happens when folks try to update their iPad and iPhone to the latest available iOS version. If you are experiencing this issue, please note that you are not alone. Sometimes retrying a couple of times after restarting you iPhone or iPad usually solves the problem. We are sure that many people are experiencing this issue with updating iOS 9.3 this week. If you have tried restarting your device and then updating and it did not work for you, Here are a few tips for you to consider:
Fixing the iOS 9.3 Activation Error
Step 1: If you are trying to update the iOS via wireless over your wi-fi and experiencing this issue, please retry again with your computer running iTunes.
Step 2: Unlink your device from iCloud “Find my iPhone” feature. To do this Go to Settings >iCloud and then tap to turn off Find My iPhone/iPad
Step 3: Connect your iPhone or iPad to your computer running iTunes with your USB cable
Step 4: Sometimes the Apple Servers can be busy or experiencing issues. Before you try activation again, please make sure to check and ensure that the Apple Services are “Green.”
Step 5 Once you have connected your iPad or iPhone to the computer, please reboot. This action launches the iTunes session when the machine boots up.
Step 6: Make sure that you are running the latest version of iTunes appropriate for your computer.
Step 7: If your iTunes session doesn’t open with restart, you can manually open your iTunes session.
Step 8: Click on the device icon corresponding to your device at the top left section of iTunes screen.
Step 9: Under Settings, Click on Summary, and you will see the details of your device on the right-hand panel. Click on Update to Update your iOS.
Step 10: If the Update did not work for you, you can try to Restore it using iTunes and then try to activate again. We would recommend that you restart your iPhone or iPad and try updating before attempting to Restore the device.
Lastly, once your iPhone has been activated to iOS 9.3, Please do not forget to turn on your “Find my iPhone” feature back on. Good Luck!
Apple Removes iOS 9.3 Update For Selected Devices
Apple has acknowledged the following activation problem on certain impacted iPhone and iPad; the company now has decided to pull the update for those iOS devices. Furthermore, they also provide a quick fix that you can try along with an explanation.
Updating some iOS devices (iPhone 5s and earlier and iPad Air and earlier) to iOS 9.3 can require entering the Apple ID and password used to set up the device in order to complete the software update. In some cases, if customers do not recall their password, their device will remain in an inactivated state until they can recover or reset their password. For these older devices, we have temporarily pulled back the update and will release an updated version of iOS 9.3 in the next few days that does not require this step.”
Let us know in the comment section below if the guide from Apple help you resolve this issue.
Download iOS 9.3 Build 13E237
Good news, Apple just released another update to their iOS 9.3, make 13E237, for older iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad that was affected by the annoying activation error. There are two ways to proceed with this new firmware.
If your device is on the activation screen, put it in recovery mode and then click Update from the iTunes software. For those that haven’t already download iOS 9.3, you can do that directly on your device through OTA, Over-the-Air. Just go to Settings > General > Software Update to complete any iOS updates.