iPhone 7 Activation and iCloud Restore Issues

iPhone 7 activation problems and iCloud restore problems at home and in the store on the day of iPhone 7 release are frustrating users.

This morning some users spent nearly two hours activating the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in the Apple Store. Crime bounces between carriers like Verizon and Apple’s own activation servers.

While trying to activate the iPhone 7 Jet Black at home, we had to try several times to activate the iPhone and then install iOS 10.0.1 on the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.

We are already hearing from users on Twitter who are having issues with iCloud restore on iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus. When this happens it says iPhone 7 iCloud restore timed out and then failed to restore.

Here’s what’s going on and possible fixes for these annoying iPhone 7 activation and iCloud issues.

iPhone 7 Activation Issues and Fixes

If you’re having trouble with your iPhone 7 activation, there are some things you can try to fix. The first thing is to switch your SIM card from your old iPhone to your new iPhone. This may allow you to bypass issues between Apple and carriers to activate. This may not work in all cases, and they may not allow you to do so if you buy it from an Apple Store.

If you are at home, you can connect it to iTunes to activate; this is sometimes more reliable than activating the iPhone 7 over WiFi.

For users who are unable to complete iPhone 7 activation with any of these methods, you may need to go to a carrier store to fix this issue. This will probably resolve itself in the next few hours.

Stuck While Updating iCloud Settings

iPhone 7 stuck on “updating iCloud settings…” for some users.

Some users are reporting that their iPhone 7 gets stuck while updating iCloud settings. If this is happening to you, it is possible to hold down the home button to start over or hold the power button to reboot. This might still get you back in the same issue.

iPhone 7 iCloud Restore Issues

We’re also starting to see reports of iPhone 7 iCloud Restore issues on Twitter and from others who have purchased an iPhone 7. Today is a very tiring day for Apple servers and this can lead to iCloud restore problems.

@AppleSupport I’m having trouble restoring from an iCloud backup, I tried many times, it said 1 minute left and couldn’t restore? Help

— Adam Rowe (@adman1990) September 16, 2016

If you run into iCloud restore problems, you can bypass it by creating a local backup on your Mac or PC and then restoring it to your iPhone 7 by plugging it in. This is the only real way to fix iCloud issues on release day. If you can’t back up your old iPhone to iCloud, you can also check out our iCloud backup issues and fixes.

When you make an iPhone backup in iTunes, if you choose the encrypted option, it will transfer over all your encrypted accounts.