User level: Level 1 (4 points)my iPhone 5 says can not connect to activation servers.. and i’ve tried via finder and will not work.
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
Original Title: activation servers failing
Posted on Oct 26, 2026 2:22 PM
User level: Level 10 (208,430 points)Oct 26, 2026 2:25 PM in response to charleysacc
charleysacc wrote:
my iPhone 5 says can not connect to activation servers.. and i’ve tried via finder and will not work.
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
Original Title: activation servers failing
ref: If you can't activate your iPhone or iPad (Wi-Fi + Cellular) - Apple Support
User level: Level 10 (199,348 points)Oct 26, 2026 2:31 PM in response to charleysacc
The servers are fine. Support Status for the iPhone 5 is listed as Obsolete, so Apple will not activate that model.
User level: Level 9 (55,707 points)Oct 26, 2026 4:31 PM in response to charleysacc
Several threads on these forums suggest that it may no longer be possible to reactivate really old iPhones.
The iPhone 5 (assorted variants) is a 32-bit device that cannot update past iOS 10. Although some variants have limited support for 4G (LTE) data, none support Voice over LTE. In many parts of the world, carriers have shut off their 2G and 3G networks, making the iPhone 5 useless as a cell phone.
Although this does not directly address the question of activation, iCloud now requires iOS 12 or later for even the most basic features like backup and restore. Then there's the matter of a key security certificate that will expire at the end of January, 2027. Apple issued patches for that all the way back to iOS 12 - but not, as far as I know, to any earlier version.
User level: Level 10 (208,430 points)Oct 26, 2026 2:36 PM in response to charleysacc
Seems you are out of luck..
Obsolete Status: Apple officially classified the iPhone 5 as obsolete on March 16, 2026, after moving through its vintage phase.
The iPhone 5 stopped receiving iOS updates years ago (maxing out at iOS 10.3.4) July 22, 2019
Originally posted at discussions.apple.com/thread/256383536