Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

kman42 · Jun 29, 2007, 11:03 PM

I've been waiting almost an hour. How long did it take you? New customer or existing? Porting number?

I'm a new customer and porting a number. Here's the text of the emails I've received so far.

Phone service is scheduled to be disconnected on your current phone at or after 9:47 PM EDT on June 30. Please check your email and be prepared to reconnect and activate your iPhone before that time. Please call 877-800-3701 if you'd like to make other arrangements.

AND

AT&T is now processing your activation.
You will receive an email confirmation once your activation is complete.

::maroma:: · Jun 29, 2007, 11:16 PM

My phone took about 2 minutes to activate (I think). I got an email from Apple that says:

Congratulations, AT&T is now transferring your existing mobile number to this iPhone.

Your iPhone mobile number will be:

xxx-xxx-xxxx

Your iPhone may now make outgoing calls but will be unable to receive calls on your existing mobile number until the transfer is complete.

You will receive an email confirmation once your mobile number transfer is complete. If you have not done so already, please connect your iPhone to your computer now to complete this activation (or click here if your iPhone is already connected).

So I think that means its activated, but my number hasn't transferred. But I haven't gotten any emails from AT&T.

mattsgotredhair · Jun 29, 2007, 11:18 PM

Same situation here, same story as well...

2 hours waiting now.

I hope this doesn't really take 24 hours.

vln2 · Jun 29, 2007, 11:22 PM

Originally Posted by mattsgotredhair

Same situation here, same story as well...

2 hours waiting now.

I hope this doesn't really take 24 hours.

It should not take more then few minutes. Perhaps there is something going on with your computer network connection.

kman42 · Jun 29, 2007, 11:30 PM

I called. They said they are having trouble getting numbers released from some carriers and it is delaying activations. Don't know if that's legit, but I don't have much else to go on.

Brian Live · Jun 29, 2007, 11:34 PM

less than 5 minutes total time before I was playing around with it.

LeeG · Jun 29, 2007, 11:47 PM

AT&T is now processing your activation.
You will receive an email confirmation once your activation is complete.

Thats where I am. After waiting in line all day...not what I want.

L

Cadaver · Jun 29, 2007, 11:54 PM

Originally Posted by kman42

I've been waiting almost an hour. How long did it take you? New customer or existing? Porting number?

I'm a new customer and porting a number. Here's the text of the emails I've received so far.

Phone service is scheduled to be disconnected on your current phone at or after 9:47 PM EDT on June 30. Please check your email and be prepared to reconnect and activate your iPhone before that time. Please call 877-800-3701 if you'd like to make other arrangements.

AND

AT&T is now processing your activation.
You will receive an email confirmation once your activation is complete.

Same email, and almost the same times (I'm at 9:55; guess we connected our iPhones at just about the same time).
I called the number listed, and the gal who answered said that due to the heavy transfer volumes, it may really take 24 hrs. Bummer. Hope she was wrong. I'm blaming the other carriers for dragging their feet, since they know they're going to be losing customers left and right over the next week or so until iPhone-mania dies down.

LeeG · Jun 30, 2007, 12:04 AM

I first logged in, and it said "your plan is not able to have an iphone"

I had a family plan with 550 minutes, and the minimum AT&T plan for the iphone (family) is the 700 minute family.

So I called customer service, and they upgraded me to the 700 minute family. The AT&T website reflected that immediately. Took iTunes 4 hours to reflect that change, and allow me to begin authorizing. Now I have:

"AT&T is now processing your activation.
You will receive an email confirmation once your activation is complete."

Still waiting....

JohnM15141 · Jun 30, 2007, 12:05 AM

Same here. I activated at 8:45 PM PST and got that message. I'm still waiting for the e-mail, the funny part is that it said I can us all the features of my iPhone while I'm waiting, but when I turn it on it says "sync with iTunes to activate". This is dragging out the anticipation!

Originally Posted by LeeG

AT&T is now processing your activation.
You will receive an email confirmation once your activation is complete.

Thats where I am. After waiting in line all day...not what I want.

L

Cadaver · Jun 30, 2007, 12:10 AM

I hate wait.
- Inigo Montoya

::maroma:: · Jun 30, 2007, 12:14 AM

My number got transferred pretty quickly. I'd say within 20 minutes or so. Total setup time was about 30 minutes, most of which was just waiting for my old number to transfer.

sicembears · Jun 30, 2007, 12:14 AM

Turn the phone off then back on after about 1 minute. Works like a charm.

mattsgotredhair · Jun 30, 2007, 12:29 AM

Originally Posted by sicembears

Turn the phone off then back on after about 1 minute. Works like a charm.

Thought I'd give it a chance even though it sounded bunk...

and surprise, surprise.... it didn't work for me...

3 hours now, and still waiting for my Verizon number to port.

LeeG · Jun 30, 2007, 12:31 AM

Didnt work for me either.

Still waiting for the email. Still says:

"Your activation requires additional time to complete"

L

sicembears · Jun 30, 2007, 12:32 AM

That was the only thing I did after I got the email from them. It took me like 30 seconds to get the email.
I'm sorry it didn't work for you.

pooka · Jun 30, 2007, 12:37 AM

Yeah, bs here too. Still no phone service. Thanks chumps.

JohnM15141 · Jun 30, 2007, 12:37 AM

Yeehaa! Got my "Congratulations your Activation is Complete" E-mail at 9:36 PM PST, 46 minutes wasn't too bad, well it was up until the 45th minute

chipchen · Jun 30, 2007, 12:41 AM

taking... FOREVER.... and even though the FAQ says you can play with all the iPhone features NOW, I called AT&T and they said no... only AFTER activation....

mac-kerouac · Jun 30, 2007, 12:42 AM

been waiting over five hours. Totally sucks!!!

pooka · Jun 30, 2007, 12:49 AM

My old carrier is AT&T. I'm fairly certain they're behind this....

chipchen · Jun 30, 2007, 12:50 AM

AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH......

I wsa eating dinner... trying to activate (had my computer with me and connected via Verizon EVDO), someone recognized the iPhone and was like, oh wow... I was pretty proud... but when they asked how it was, I was like... uhh..... can't use it yet..

Now I'm starting to remember why I left Cingular in the first place!

mattsgotredhair · Jun 30, 2007, 12:51 AM

For everyone that's transferring service from another carrier...

Who's your old carrier? Mine's Verizon. I wonder if they're at all behind this.

::maroma:: · Jun 30, 2007, 12:54 AM

Mine was T-Mobile, and my number took about 20 minutes to transfer over.

I was joking with my girlfriend about how maybe the other carriers are holding this up on purpose. I'm sure its not true, but I really wouldn't be all that surprised.

MacTheKnife · Jun 30, 2007, 12:55 AM

Originally Posted by mattsgotredhair

For everyone that's transferring service from another carrier...

Who's your old carrier? Mine's Verizon. I wonder if they're at all behind this.

T-Mobile. Got e-mail that said that my "transfer requires 24 hours to complete."

::maroma:: · Jun 30, 2007, 01:00 AM

This is really weird. I wonder what the discrepancy is all about?

chipchen · Jun 30, 2007, 01:06 AM

Yea.. mine's Verizon. I wouldn't find this totally beneath them....

But, there's ACTIVATION.... then there's the number transfer... you guys can't use the other iPhone features yet right?

mattsgotredhair · Jun 30, 2007, 01:12 AM

Originally Posted by chipchen

But, there's ACTIVATION.... then there's the number transfer... you guys can't use the other iPhone features yet right?

Yeah, and this totally blows. I was really looking forward to using my iPhone tonight, in at least some facet.

Nodnarb · Jun 30, 2007, 01:20 AM

Another Verizon here.

After waiting two hours, I called some numbers and found that Verizon "froze" my number and wouldnt allowed it to be ported. I talked to supervisor after supervisor, and eventrually got a conference call between verizon att and me, and everything was sorted out. they were having techinal problems with the porting tonight, but they told me to activate it with a new number, and my old one will be ported to the phone within 12 hours. hope everything works out, but verizon seems like they are doing everything they can do dampen the iphone launch experience.

CIA · Jun 30, 2007, 01:21 AM

Switching from Verizon here and I have to jump thru some extra steps since I have a Vermont number, but live in Utah. It seems portability doesn't apply when moving cross country. BUT after some creative accounting and number massaging, I finally got it to process.
The bad news is:
iPhone service is scheduled to be disconnected on your current phone at or after 1:05 AM EDT on July 01. Please check your email and be prepared to reconnect and activate your iPhone before that time. Please call 877-800-3701 if you'd like to make other arrangements.
So seems like wait times are only getting worse.

MacTheKnife · Jun 30, 2007, 01:24 AM

Yea, mine was "after 12:34 AM EDT on July 01."

mattsgotredhair · Jun 30, 2007, 02:15 AM

I juuuuuuust got activated!

DigitalEl · Jun 30, 2007, 02:25 AM

Took 5 minutes for me. I got the spinning busy wheel, then a pop-up that said the AT&T network was busy. As I clicked the "Okay" button on that message, my iPhone beeped and the words "iPhone Activated" came up on its screen. Seriously... Five minutes.

Cadaver · Jun 30, 2007, 02:57 AM

Originally Posted by Nodnarb

...but verizon seems like they are doing everything they can do dampen the iphone launch experience.

Why am I not surprised. Pretty much all cell carriers suck.

SoBayJake · Jun 30, 2007, 04:19 AM

T-Mobile here too. 5 1/2 hours in, and still no joy. :-( The email said it would port "at or after 10:51 PM EDT on June 30"

SoBayJake · Jun 30, 2007, 04:23 AM

So on a whim, I called and asked why. Just to see, since the email says I can make calls. "John" at AT&T was pretty flippant, and remarked "because we activated one million iPhones today, its gonna take some time."

So now they are telling me "by morning" this is a far cry from the "4 hours" I was quoted earlier.

chipchen · Jun 30, 2007, 05:15 AM

yea, I get a billion people are activating... but come on... let me use the damn phone! still waiting!

mac-kerouac · Jun 30, 2007, 06:52 AM

12 hours...still waiting. getting angry. I don't care about getting calls right away, I just want it activated so I can play.

Oh well.

glideslope · Jun 30, 2007, 07:10 AM

Verizon is very capable of causing an intentional slow down IMO. "were having trouble porting tonight" is BS. You should see how they are screwing up the Fios install up here in Central NY. It's a joke.

MacinTommy · Jun 30, 2007, 07:18 AM

Have anyones activated overnight? I'm already and ATT/Cingular customer and all I was doing was switching phones and it STILL has not been activated! Now I have two phones that are to no use to me... This has to be the most frustrating thing that has ever happend to me. I'm about to go to work and I get off at 2 so maybe just MAYBE it will be activated by then... If not I really dont know what to do!

pooka · Jun 30, 2007, 09:07 AM

Still screwed here. Getting ready to go to a shoot, no phone, no email. I can't express how thrilled I am they disabled my previous phone. I sure am happy with my purchase.

LeeG · Jun 30, 2007, 09:16 AM

I am furious.

Going on 12 hours. I have NO phone. They have disabled my old phone. Still no activation of my new iPhone.

I was a former AT&T customer, just switching phones. This is horrible.

I have no other phone lines in my house.

L

Stogieman · Jun 30, 2007, 09:58 AM

I'm in the same boat as you guys. Current AT&T customer just trying to switch phones. 7 hours later and still no activation. At least my old phone has not been deactivated yet.

Cadaver · Jun 30, 2007, 10:08 AM

My phone (# transfer from Verizon) became active this morning, 11 hrs after first plugging it in.
I guess, in the end, it wasn't so bad.

LeeG · Jun 30, 2007, 01:54 PM

14 hours.

no phone service.

very

moss · Jun 30, 2007, 02:06 PM

14 hours, and still a brick.

I have talked with 4 AT&T representatives through the course of the night (literally the entire night). Each time they informed me the problem has been resolved, e.g. old plan, family plan, etc. I have been an AT&T customer since 1991. Unbelievable.
The end result: invalid SIM card on my original phone... and still no iPhone activation.

The call centers have been buried. She admitted that there were over 600 on hold just in her call center, and that was 3am (PST).

NYK Ace · Jun 30, 2007, 02:19 PM

yea my port from verizon took about 6 hrs and we are still waiting for my brothers number to port on his iPhone 14 hrs later

But I am posting this on MY iPhone so its not so bad

Pasadena · Jun 30, 2007, 02:30 PM

Activation with previous cell phone number transfer was about one minute. Synch was faster than an IPod.

IPhone has difficulty keeping on my wireless at work (linksky), not so at home (airport)

The edge works fine for maps and info only web pages.

cSurfr · Jun 30, 2007, 02:38 PM

Well, i bought mine about 3 hours ago. . . and i'm waiting for activation. . . . . I'm an existing customer too. . . blackberry disconnected, and here i sit phoneless.

chipchen · Jun 30, 2007, 03:07 PM

I might have posted this in another thread... but I read somewhere else to:

Remove phone from computer, turn off (hold home button for 12 seconds or something)... then plug back into computer. All of a sudden mine activated.. it was weird...