iPhone Activation problems: Significant delays and more; how to get your old phone working
Posted 30 June 2007 @ 12pm in Troubleshooting
Hundreds of iPhone purchasers are reporting significant issues with activating their phones on the AT&T network and Apple’s authorization scheme through iTunes. While the vast majority of users experienced quick activation, some are receiving the message “Your Activation Requires Additional Time to Complete,” and still not receiving successful notices after up to 20 hours (and running) of initially attempting activation. Most frustrating about the issue is that once the iPhone activation process has begun, your old mobile phone may not be able to make/receive calls.
The customers most likely to be affected by this issue are those who do not already have AT&T accounts, or those porting numbers from other wireless carriers. However, existing AT&T/Cingular users are also experiencing the problem.
If you are an existing AT&T customer and have attempted iPhone activation unsuccessfully, and can no longer use your old phone, you can try the following: Remove the SIM card from your iPhone and place it in your old phone. This may allow you to at least access voice services on your old phone while you await word on iPhone activation.
The fact that the SIM card has been activated with the new line would appear to indicate that there is (in some cases) an issue with Apple’s authorization of the iPhone.
iPhone Atlas reader Jim French writes:
“After an all day wait and being 5th in line here in Baton Rouge, I tried to activate my phone upon returning home at 9:00 PM Central time, I received a message “Your activation requires additional time to complete.” I contacted AT&T twice last evening and I was assured that all was well, but that I was in the queue in with all of the activations, it would take more time. I was told that most likely it would activate during the night, “I’m 99% sure that the phone will be activated in a matter of hours”. When I awoke, no activation. Aside form the disappointment of not being able to play with the phone, they have made my existing AT&T Treo 750 useless. I once again called AT&T support this morning and still nothing. Sadly, they have offered to call forward my number to an alternate number in the interim. If I can’t get this resolved within the day, I will have no choice but to accept their generous offer of forwarding my existing AT&T number to an alternate Sprint number that I have so that I can continue to communicate with my clients. I do want to mention that all three Customer Service Representatives with AT&T were very professional and pleasant.”
Feedback? info@iphoneatlas.com.
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2 Comments
Posted by tliszt
30 June 2007 @ 12pm
My story (and yes, I’m very frustrated).
My partner and I purchased two (2) iPhones yesterday after waiting in line for 6 hours (I was #9 in the queue here in Portland, Oregon).
Very exciting. We SO wanted the phones that we are paying an additional $175/each to get out of our existing Verizon contract. So if my math is correct, that’s $1,548 ($599 x 2 + $175 x 2).
You really have to be an Apple fan to spend this kind of money!
Since we are on a Family Plan, the online iTunes process (which at least ‘appeared’ slick) said to activate one phone first, then the second phone.
So…
First phone is activated with a request to transfer the existing Verizon phone number to the AT&T plan. The screen in iTunes says, this could take “up to six minutes.â€
Then the display says, this will require more time and you will receive and email once activation is complete. At 2:30 AM, we lose patience and go to bed, fully expecting the phone to be activated in the morning (and yes, the Mac was set to NOT go to sleep).
Wake up, 8 hours later (and still counting) no success.
Contact AT&T. Response: sorry, it may not take up to 48 hours. (this is bullshit) We receive a recommendation to activate the 2nd iPhone without a transfer of existing wireless phone number.
This process takes a) 3 minutes to activate, followed up by b) a phone call to have someone at AT&T transfer the phone number—and additional 4 minutes—for a total of 7.
The initial iPhone? Now14 hours later and it appears stuck. AT&T’s response? It could take many more long hours.
Questions: Now why did I wait in line for 6 hours?! And why did Apple/AT&T attempt this supposedly automated process to activate a phone? This is absurd.
And pleas to simply reset/reboot the iPhone so we can start over and do it the ‘non phone transfer’ way do not seem to be possible (according to everyone we’ve spoken for). And all this for the low, low price of $1,500+ (not including the cost of the iPhone accessories -or- the AT&T 2-year contract).
To top it off, we have to return in person to the AT&T store to combine our now 2 AT&T family plans into a single account.
This really sucks big ones!
Posted by buckeylee
1 July 2007 @ 6pm
Big Tip for setting up the iPhone.
1. Go into AT&T center.
2. Sign up for service (don’t buy iPhone yet!!), transfer number to AT&T ( we changed from T-Mobile)
3. Pick out and get your new free phone (We got a V3 Razor and a BlackJack)
4. Make sure new phones are activated and numbers are up and running on AT&T’s network.
5. buy your iPhones, activate thru iTunes.
You end up with brand new phones to either as backup or to sell to recover some of the cost of the iPhone. we figure we will lower our net cost to $300 ea.
Of course the best time to have transfered your phone #s and get your phones up and going was before the iphones went on sale. Which is exactly what we did, @ about 4:15 PM local time, before they shut the the AT&T Store to prep for the release of the iPhone.
Buckeylee