[Solved]Could Not Activate iPhone on iPhone X? Fixes Here!

If you are troubled by the error Could Not Activate iPhone on your newly bought iPhone X, read this blog post and learn how to solve the problem with the possible solutions provided.

myra
Myra updated on Feb 01, 2024 | Home > iOS & Mac Topics

"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 you see this notification on your iPhone X, you are facing the "Could Not Activate iPhone" error on your device. You may encounter the issue "Apple ID not active." Recently, many iPhone users have reported this iPhone activation error on their iPhone X. Given that, this article is written to provide potential fixes to the issue. For more solutions to common iPhone problems, you can go to the page covering tips for iDevice to find what you need.

Tips Effectiveness Difficulty
Restart your iPhone Moderate - It can solve some minor issues with your iPhone. Easy
Use WiFi network connection Moderate - It is to make sure that your iPhone is using a stable WiFi network. Easy
Activate iPhone with iTunes High - It is an official method to activate your iPhone by yourself. Moderate
Re-insert SIM card Moderate - It helps check whether the card is supported and correctly inserted. Easy
EaseUS MobiXpert High - It helps fix all kinds of problems with iOS system. Super easy
Contact Apple for help High - You can contact Apple for more professional suggestions. Moderate

Fixes to Could Not Activate iPhone error on iPhone X

Tip 1. Restart your iPhone X

The first solution you can try to fix the "Could Not Activate iPhone" error on iPhone X is to restart your device. There are two ways to restart iPhone X which are shown below.

Method 1. Press and hold Side button and Volume Down or Volume Up button at the same time until the slider appears. Drag the slider to shut down your iPhone X and then press and hold the Side button to turn on your iPhone X later.

Method 2. Go to Settings > General > Shut Down and then you will see the slider. Move the slider to turn off your iPhone X. Press and hold the side button until you see the Apple logo to turn on your iPhone.

Tip 2. Use WiFi network connection

If you are using cellular data, you need to connect to a WiFi network to activate your iPhone X. Swipe down from the top right corner of your iPhone screen to open Control Center, tap on WLAN to turn on WiFi and then connect your iPhone X to a stable WiFi network. (Internet not working on iPhone? No worry. The solutions are provided.)

Tip 3. Activate iPhone with iTunes

As mentioned in the notification, you can try to activate your iPhone with the help of iTunes when you encounter the error "Could Not Activate iPhone". Before you do that, make sure you have installed the latest version of iTunes on your computer to avoid problems like "iPhone not connecting to iTunes". Then follow the steps below to activate your iPhone X with iTunes.

Step 1. Connect your computer to the Internet and run iTunes.

Step 2. Connect your iPhone X to the computer with the official USB cable and wait for iTunes to detect and activate your iPhone.

Step 3. If you see "Set up as New" or "Restore from Backup" on iTunes, your iPhone X is successfully activated by iTunes.

Tip 4. Re-insert SIM card into your iPhone X

If you have inserted a SIM card into your iPhone X, you need to check whether the card is supported and correctly inserted. Turn off your iPhone using the method introduced in Tip 1 1, take out the card, carefully insert the card into your iPhone and then turn on your iPhone X again.

Tip 5. Fix iOS system

If your iPhone cannot be activated, another reason may be that there are some problems with the iPhone's system. At this point you can use a professional system repair tool -- EaseUS Mobixpert to help you detect system problems and fix them. It can assist you in resolving various iOS system issues, like iPhone stuck on black screen or won't restore. Your iPhone will function correctly after that.

Here are the steps to fix your iOS system with EaseUS MobiXpert:

Step 1. Launch EaseUS MobiXpert on your computer, choose "System Repair" from the Home page.

MobiXpert hompage

Step 2.  Then, choose "iOS/iPadOS System Repair" from the new screen.

ios system repair

Step 3. Connect your iPhone or iPad to the computer and choose "Standard Repair." If you want a thorough repair, you can choose "Deep Repair."

select repair mode

Step 4. Confirm your device model and click "Next" to move on. Then, EaseUS MobiXpert will download a firmware for you, which will take a while. If you have installed a firmware before using this software, you can directly click "Verify" to continue.

verify firmware

Step 5. Then, click "Repair Now" to start the repair process. After the repair completes, you can check your device and restart it for use. 

erpair complete

Tip 6. Contact Apple for help

If the "Could Not Activate iPhone" error still exists after trying all the solutions above, maybe it's time to contact Apple for help. Go to https://support.apple.com/ and seek help.

Bonus Tip:

I'm sure you need to copy contents to your new iPhone X either from the computer or another iPhone. That's why I recommend a totally free tool to help you make it here. With EaseUS MobiMover Free installed on your PC running Windows 7 or later, you can transfer photos, videos, audio, contacts, messages, notes and more between two iOS devices (iPhone/iPad in iOS 8 or later) or between an iOS device and computer. For example, you can transfer all data from old iPhone to new iPhone X, back up iPhone 7 contacts to computer and transfer photos from computer to iPad without any cost. Sounds great? Equip your PC with MobiMover and begin to back up data on iPhone X to the computer in a simple way.

Conclusion

When the "could not activate iPhone" problem occurs, you can't use your phone, but don't worry, this article provides six methods to help you fix this problem. You can choose to restart your iPhone, use WiFi network connection, activate iPhone with iTunes, or re-insert SIM card. For more effective methods, you can use it to repair iOS system or contact Apple for help.

If you have any further queries or worries concerning this guide, you're welcome to get in touch with me on Twitter. To share this post with your friends, click the button below if you find it helpful.

 

FAQs on Could Not Activate iPhone on iPhone X

1. Can I activate iPhone myself?

To activate and set up your iPhone, you need to join a Wi-Fi or cellular network. Hold down the power button on the device until the Apple logo appears. Then "Hello" will appear in a variety of tongues. To begin, follow the directions displayed on screen.

2. Why does my iPhone say waiting for activation?

If your iPhone is experiencing a software crash, which is typically resolved by turning it off and back on, it's possible that iMessage isn't activating.