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Some iPhone X Buyers Are Having Problems Activating Their Phones (theverge.com)

Posted by msmash on from the great-start dept.

Apple has started to ship the iPhone X across the United States, but some new iPhone X owners say they aren't able to start using their new phones due to carrier activation issues and congestion. From a report: A number of iPhone X owners on Twitter have reported having issues activating their new phones. The issue seems to be affecting some AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint users in the last few hours as they try to get service on Apple's $1,000 phone. When users try to activate the device, a message pops up saying, "The activation server is temporarily unavailable."

43 of 82 comments (clear)

  1. Terrible by 110010001000 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Some morons aren't able to activate their $1000 phones. Oh the humanity!

    1. Re:Terrible by jellomizer · · Score: 2

      It sounds like a problem with the carrier servers not the phone.
      But what the heck I’ll say Apple is Bad and people who buy the product are idiots, to help reinforce your confirmation bias to make you feel good.
      Because a person choice in a phone that they will have on their person for the next few years, has to be based purely on price, removal battery and a headphone jack.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    2. Re:Terrible by tlhIngan · · Score: 2

      It sounds like a problem with the carrier servers not the phone.
      But what the heck Iâ(TM)ll say Apple is Bad and people who buy the product are idiots, to help reinforce your confirmation bias to make you feel good.
      Because a person choice in a phone that they will have on their person for the next few years, has to be based purely on price, removal battery and a headphone jack.

      It's both, actually. Apple's servers have been known to overload on release days.

      The reason for activation is simple - every iPhone manufactured is identical in programming. The modems are unlocked and are free to accept any programming blob you give them. When Apple sells an iPhone, the serial numbers are recorded on Apple's internal database - who Apple sold the iPhone to and on what terms. The "who" can be an individual if you bought it from Apple direct, or it can be a carrier if you bought it through them, or subsidized through them. The terms are easy - either the phone was sold fully unlocked, or locked to a carrier (or realistically, lock-to-sim, which means the baseband will lock to whatever SIM is installed).

      If the phone was sold as a contract phone, then it's lock-to-sim or lock-to-carrier, which means the baseband will SIM-lock to whatever SIM is in there (regardless if it's the right carrier), or lock itself to a particular carrier. If it's unlocked, it will stay unlocked.

      This is done so Apple doesn't program the modem firmware at the factory - they make millions of them, and it lets them dynamically allocate it - if a carrier doesn't want them, it's trivial to reallocate a batch of iPhones to a new carrier by updating the serial number database.

      And if, like the thieves who stole a bunch of iPhones from UPS, the phones are marked as stolen, well, Apple can refuse to activate them at all, so the thieves have units they can sell to iFixit because it's only good for parts.

      The secondary purpose of activation is to finish the OS signing process to ensure you can't roll the OS back.

      As for removable battery and headphone jack, the last time I had a phone with removable battery, I hate it. Sure it needed it because every time you used the camera, you had to reboot the phone or the battery would be dead in 3 hours. So it was handy then, but then I had to carry 2 or 3 batteries all the time, because I'd forget to charge them up aferwards. You know, you have to charge them up, then unplug them, remove the battery, swap them, charge it up again, etc. Annoying to do especially in the middle of the night. How you can maintain a fleet of 2 of more batteries ready to go escapes me if you have to keep swapping the phone battery every few hours. (Perhaps that's why people charge in the office? They charge one battery overnight, then swap them at the office and charge their spare?)

      And I looked at the headphone jack on my iPhone 4s (the phone I'm replacing), it's full of pocket lint and fluff. Tells you how often I actually used it.

    3. Re: Terrible by rebafoam · · Score: 1

      Wait a sec. You 'hated' (rather strong word there) the option of being able to have a spare battery because you couldn't remember to keep it charged? And your ancient iPhone has lint in the headphone jack because you didn't use it? Removable batteries are extremely useful for many. Some of us go camping, or find ourselves in situations where charging is not an option. Also, regardless of use habits lithium ion batteries only last a few years. What kind of battery life are you getting out of that iPhone 4 these days? The battery you can't replace. As far as the headphone jack goes, some of us have nice gear and want to hear our music losslessly. Bluetooth has come a long way for sure, but the audio is still compressed. Not trying to pick your post apart, but you sort of came across as saying those features are useless or outdated or something simply because you don't have any use for them.

    4. Re: Terrible by tlhIngan · · Score: 1

      Wait a sec. You 'hated' (rather strong word there) the option of being able to have a spare battery because you couldn't remember to keep it charged? And your ancient iPhone has lint in the headphone jack because you didn't use it? Removable batteries are extremely useful for many. Some of us go camping, or find ourselves in situations where charging is not an option. Also, regardless of use habits lithium ion batteries only last a few years. What kind of battery life are you getting out of that iPhone 4 these days? The battery you can't replace. As far as the headphone jack goes, some of us have nice gear and want to hear our music losslessly. Bluetooth has come a long way for sure, but the audio is still compressed. Not trying to pick your post apart, but you sort of came across as saying those features are useless or outdated or something simply because you don't have any use for them.

      Yes, I coudln't keep the batteries charged because I have to swap the batteries out - unplug the phone, turn it off, take out the battery, swap in the dead battery, put the cover on, put it back on charge, turn it on and let it boot up again.

      It's not that I couldn't remember to keep them charged, it was the effort keeping them charged. I put the phone in the charger, then you'd have to wait 4-5 hours for it to charge then swap the battery to charge the spares.

      In the old days of the DynaTAC and such, the chargers had extra docking bays which automatically charged the extra batteries after charging the phone battery. I think even when I had the StarTAC (which was the phone before the one I was talking about) it had the same ability

      As for my iPhone 4s, it gets me through, using it more than that old phone ever did (which I replaced with the original iPhone). And if I run short, I have an external USB battery pack, which I can charge at the same time as the phone, so it's always charged.

      For lossless audio, the 30 pin dock works great - it's got a line output, and I believe you can even plug a USB DAC into it for even better lossless connectivity. Why use the weedy headphone amp on the phone when you can use the nice line out for analog to your nice amp, or USB to get real lossless audio.

  2. "Activation" is the problem here by jonwil · · Score: 1

    I have owned a Motorola e376i, a Motorola l6, a Motorola z6, a Nokia N900 and most recently a Vodafone Smart Mini 7 (that I bought as a cheap temporary phone for a while because my N900 was out of action but which now sits in a drawer since I fixed my N900) and none of them have required me to register or take any action before the phone was usable.

    Why these phones even need "activation" rather than just "insert your SIM card and everything starts working" like with every phone I have ever owned is beyond me.

    Yes the Smart Mini 7 Android offered "register/login to Google" and the like when I turned it on but I was able to click past that and move on.

    1. Re:"Activation" is the problem here by jonwil · · Score: 1

      Actually to be fair, the Android thing may still have "activated" in the background without telling me it was doing anything (it did some sort of check for updates when I turned it on for the first time).

      But regardless, there is no reason a phone needs to have any kind of "activation". It should be possible insert the SIM, turn on the phone and have it able to work and do voice calls, SMS, data, WiFi and whatever else all without needing to talk to any backend stuff first.

    2. Re: "Activation" is the problem here by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Android also has activation lock too, so not sure what you're getting at.

      These are brand new phones anyway, so it shouldn't have any prior users it needs to verify against... unless it's spying on you under the guise of bad programming (oh, let me check [NOTHING] against the activation server....)

      Good god, the GP post wasn't exactly a novel. You could actually have maybe READ the post before getting offended that somebody might get something wrong on the internet.

    3. Re:"Activation" is the problem here by Yaztromo · · Score: 1

      Why these phones even need "activation" rather than just "insert your SIM card and everything starts working" like with every phone I have ever owned is beyond me.

      For the last several generations, iPhones (and iPads with cellular data FWIW) feature "Apple SIM", a programmable SIM that can be used with multiple carriers. The system is setup online, and allows you to pick your carrier and plan directly from the device. This is especially useful if you travel internationally -- as soon as you hit the tarmac in another country, you can register and get online with a local provider. It does, however, require an activation stage to program the SIM.

      Of course, if you want to insert a standard micro SIM you can still do that, no activation necessary.

      Yaz

    4. Re:"Activation" is the problem here by jellomizer · · Score: 1

      The first Smartphone was in 1995. However they didn’t really kick off until Around 2002.

      Do you have a problem with basic motor skills or just don’t use the smart phone enough for it to take frequent trips threw the laundry. If it is the later you probably shouldn’t be getting a smart phone. Because you are probably not using its features too often and you can get a much cheaper flip phone.
      If it is the former then I apologize for that was insensitive of me.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    5. Re: "Activation" is the problem here by Brockmire · · Score: 1

      What a shitty provider you have. You could just insert compatible Sim card in Canada and it would just works (if unlocked, of course). I can buy Sim cards from US providers to insert in my phone when travelling that just works. You're doing something wrong.

    6. Re: "Activation" is the problem here by n329619 · · Score: 1

      Android also has activation lock

      Android doesn't have activation lock. Android-based OS might, but that's only if the service provider installed bloatware. A clean android asks for nothing. For a typical android-based OS, you can skip everything including google sign-in and play around with the android device without sim card at all.

  3. "DevOps" by Narcocide · · Score: 1

    This is what happens to your big Friday launch when you try to make the lowest-bidding contract web programmers also manage the servers.

  4. Snot: â'ÂÃ by pubwvj · · Score: 1

    This is not news.
    Within a very large set there exists a non-null sub-set who failed to achieve activation.
    This always happens.
    Ergo it is not news.

    1. Re:Snot: â'ÂÃ by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      This always happens.

      Does it? Do you mean it always happens with Apple or it always happens with every phone?

      Ergo it is not news.

      It is for the people who've dropped $1000.00 for a phone they can't use to make a call.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    2. Re:Snot: â'ÂÃ by sysrammer · · Score: 1

      I just had to go to a personal iPhone from my company-supplied BB. I was *very* glad I still had my active BB because it took about 3 days to get the damn thing to connect, and another week to get it to download the stuff I needed for work. My remote work would have been crippled.

      I had to keep the 2 phones on me for a week which was a pain in the ass (left-hip pocket specifically). I told our tech that I was glad apple "just works" and he merely gave me a wry grin.

      --
      His ignorance covered the whole earth like a blanket, and there was hardly a hole in it anywhere. - Mark Twain
  5. Re:My iPhone X activated by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

    Samsung will continue to lose.

    Samsung recorded about $9 billion in profits in the first quarter of 2017. They've had record growth in profits over the past three years. If that's "losing", where do I sign up?

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
  6. don't buy phones on launch day by known_coward_69 · · Score: 1

    this happens every year and why i never buy phones on launch day

    still wet glue

    yellow screens

    hours waits for activation

    and you pay full price. Wait a month and everyone starts discounting iphones. I just bought two 8 Pluses on a BOGO deal

    1. Re: don't buy phones on launch day by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Actually 8Gb. The rest of your post is similarly accurate

    2. Re: don't buy phones on launch day by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      That was atually an execellent reply. I stand by my opinion, but thanks for correcting me on the storage. *smooch*

    3. Re: don't buy phones on launch day by JustAnotherOldGuy · · Score: 1

      And yes, I am jealous.

      You are a pathetic piece of drek, and I'm pretty sure everyone you know feels the exact same way about you.

      --
      Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
    4. Re:don't buy phones on launch day by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      hours waits for activation

      I've never had hours waits for activation. I've never had minutes, seconds, milliseconds, or microseconds waits either.

    5. Re:don't buy phones on launch day by antdude · · Score: 1

      Or don't (replac/upgrad)e often! I still use an iPhone 4S. :P

      --
      Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
    6. Re: don't buy phones on launch day by jellomizer · · Score: 1

      I not a big fan of the iPhone 6-8 design I like the return of the metal edge. Like in the original iPhone - iPhone 5s. The iPhone X looks nice with a bit of a design throwback to the original iPhone

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    7. Re: don't buy phones on launch day by Brockmire · · Score: 1

      That is a dumb way to write. Don't do that, it's stupid.

    8. Re: don't buy phones on launch day by antdude · · Score: 1

      I care not. :P

      --
      Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
  7. Quick question by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 1

    Did they perchance buy these from some guy on the street in San Francisco?

    --
    #DeleteChrome
  8. Re: A temporary inconvenience by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Still completely wrong

  9. You're holding it wrong. by Streetlight · · Score: 1

    For those who can't activate, find the best way to hold your phone. This may take significant acrobatic ability.

    --
    In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. George Orwell
  10. Re:Just one word: by jellomizer · · Score: 1

    So you are full of hate towards people who decided to choose a phone that you wouldn’t?

    Or are you a Pixel 2 or Note 7 user who is just happy to see that you are not the only person in the world with problems. Even though this isn’t a problem with the phone but with the servers.

    --
    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  11. Re: Just one word: by jellomizer · · Score: 1

    Damn right I am going to pay $950 for a Pixel 2 Plus or a Samsung Galaxy note 8.
    Sure they are some minor build quality issues and the processor is slower. But damnit I don’t want to cross the 4 digit mark and I refuse to convert the number to hex to help keep perspective.

    This is how it goes...
    Apple released a device, it is one of the most powerful devices out there. Apple users get confirmation bias that they got the best product.

    6 months later Samsung or some other company will release a product that is more advanced then the Apple and sell it to their user base and they will get confirmation bias that they had got the best product.

    6 moths past that Apple upgrades their phone...

    --
    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  12. Re:A temporary inconvenience by jellomizer · · Score: 1

    Is Donald Trump Trolling Slashdot now?
    Dude you are the president do your freaking job.

    --
    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  13. Re: A temporary inconvenience by jellomizer · · Score: 1

    Sources?
    All the reviews even from Android fans seem rather neutral on the Face ID. There is some issues in bright light conditions where you need to put the phone closer to your face. But compared to the fingerprint reader which fails when you are sweaty or the android iris scanner which needs a more direct looking into the device it has been working rather well.

    There has been some tests to see if the can confuse it. Identical twins can bypass it. If you put on a wig or distort or cover you face too much it fails. But that is about it. I wouldn’t call it perfect but not a disaster

    --
    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  14. Re:My iPhone X activated by jellomizer · · Score: 1

    Why is it Apple and Samsung can’t both win?
    They are both good phones and they fill different needs.

    --
    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  15. Re:Amazing by jellomizer · · Score: 1

    Yes, when you can get a Pixel 2 Plus for $950 and all you need to deal with is a slower processor. Screen burning, not being shipped with and OS plastic buttons...

    These types of phone are now in the price range now. You can debate features and will go back and forth because feature Y for you
    Is a big deal while Feature X for me is a big deal.

    You are no more a sheep then anyone else. You just follow a different Sheppard.
    Or perhaps not all people just blindly buy a product that you may not like for good reasons on their own.

    --
    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  16. Re:Amazing by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

    You just follow a different Sheppard.

    You mean David, the cricketing bishop?

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  17. Re:Amazing by JustAnotherOldGuy · · Score: 1

    You are no more a sheep then anyone else. You just follow a different Sheppard.

    Whatever. I'm not so much of a sheep that I'll drop $1000 on a phone, lol.

    While the iSheep are trying desperately to get their ego fulfillment from a new gadget, I'm even happier not following in their cringeworthy consumerism. But hey, if that's what makes your life complete, have at it. I hope the warm glow it gives you inside lasts for at least a few days.

    --
    Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
  18. Re:Just one word: by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

    Hate? Really? Drama queen much?

    More like disdain, or maybe contempt.

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  19. Re: A temporary inconvenience by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

    Good comeback, Cal.

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  20. NEVER be "the first" by p51d007 · · Score: 1

    To buy something new...One, usually has problems, Two, usually limited quantity, and most important Three, TOO EXPENSIVE. Wait a couple months and the price comes down, the quality goes up, the bugs are removed. But, there isn't anything you could do, to get me to pay over 500.00 for "a phone".

  21. Re: My iPhone X activated by Brockmire · · Score: 1

    I wanna be a 2X Samsung loser. Sign me the fuck up.

  22. Re: Amazing by jellomizer · · Score: 1

    So point out a superior product, that costs significantly less, and not just $50 difference.

    --
    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  23. Re: Just one word: by jellomizer · · Score: 1

    You can get Honda Fit which does 95% what a Roles Royce at 1/8th the cost.
    You can make your dinner at home, or go to a fancy restaurant and get the same food at the cost of a month of grocery trips.

    The thing is freaking people out is that it went over the 1k mark. while the other in the same category are in the 0.95k mark. So it passed a threshold from our base 10 mathematics (Or base 2 if you get the extra storage).

    At this phase of the game, iPhone users will stick with iPhones, and Android Users will stick with android, unless one side really makes a bad product, or a side can come up with something past the rectangle screen. There isn't much point getting so angry at the person who wanted a nice phone which will be on their person for 3 or 4 years.

    --
    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.