The Activation Lock feature for the iPad is designed to prevent other people from using your iPad if it is stolen or misplaced. You need to activate the Activation Lock feature when you get a new iPad since the Activation Lock feature is important in securing your iPad’s data. Sometimes, it can malfunction, sending you an “Activation Required” notification, and you might ask yourself what you need to do to make the notification disappear.
So, what do you do if the iPad says Activation Required? When an iPad says Activation Required, the first thing you need to do is perform a force restart on your iPad. The force restart will remove any software errors and glitches, removing the activation required notification. If that does not work, you should reset your iPad’s network settings.
If the network is not the cause of the problem, activate your iPad via iTunes. You should also remove or deactivate the “Developer Mode,” which sometimes causes the iPad to error activation messages.
The Activation Lock feature turns on automatically when you set up the “Find My” feature on your iPad or iPhone. If your iPad gets stolen or lost, the person who has it cannot turn off the “Find My” feature, reactivate your iPad, or erase any data without your Apple ID password and device passcode.
When using your iPad, the device will send you messages from time-to-time with information about specific features and functions in your device. One of the messages you might see on the screen is “Activation Required,” which is usually an error if you have already activated the Activation Lock feature. If your iPad says Activation Required, here is what you need to do.
When your iPad says “Activation Required” you first need to perform a force restart, which usually fixes some errors on the device. If the activation required is a temporary error, it will go away once you switch your iPad off and then back on.
If you still see the activation required message, reset the iPad’s network settings. If you have been using different Wi-Fi networks, your iPad could develop a network issue causing the iPad to fail to reach the servers.
If you have reset the network settings, but the activation required message is still on the screen, you should activate your iPad via iTunes. You will need a computer to do so. You should also check if your iPad is in Developer Mode, and if it is, deactivate the Developer Mode.
A force restart is recommended because it is the simplest way of getting rid of temporary errors, bugs, and glitches. This method applies to most devices such as laptops, desktops, smartphones, tablets, and gaming consoles, among others. To perform a force restart on your iPad with Face ID, press the “Volume Up” button, release it, press the “Volume Down” button, and release it.
Long press the power button and release it when the Apple logo appears on the screen. To perform a force restart if your iPad doesn’t have Face ID, press the “Home” button, hold for about ten seconds, and release after the Apple logo appears. Your iPad will restart, and if the activation required message has disappeared, your problem has been solved.
Your iPad might develop network problems when you use different Wi-Fi networks and cellular data to access the internet. If your iPad cannot access the internet, it cannot reach the server, hence the activation required message on the screen. To reset your iPad’s network settings,
- launch “Settings”
- tap on “General”
- tap on “Reset”
- tap on “Reset Network Settings”
- enter the device passcode.
- tap on “Confirm Reset” to reset the network settings.
- go back to your home screen
- check if the activation required message has disappeared.
If resetting the network settings does not solve the issue, you can try activating your iPad via iTunes. First, you will need a computer with the latest version of iTunes. Rebooting your iPad can connect it to the computer using a wired connection.
Select the iPad on your computer, and you will see the message “Activate your iPad” on the screen. Log in using your Apple ID credentials and follow the steps on the screen to complete the activation process. The process can take a few minutes, but your iPad will no longer say “Activation Required after it is done.”
Sometimes, people enable Developer Mode on their iPad to access features and apps not available on the iPad. However, activating Developer Mode could affect how your device functions, and sometimes it is negative.
If you have recently enabled Developer Mode on your iPad, consider deactivating the feature. Deactivate the developer mode and select the best setup for your iPad and check if the activation required message has disappeared.
Why Does My iPad Suddenly Say Activation Required?
It is normal for your iPad to say certain messages while using it. Most of these messages are usual notifications regarding the device’s status, and some require little to no action. However, if your iPad suddenly says, “Activation Required,” you might be wondering why your iPad is showing that message out of nowhere.
Your iPad will suddenly say “Activation Required” if your iPad has recently updated its operating system and it needs to reactivate the lock. Your iPad could also be linked to another Apple ID, and this usually occurs if you bought the device from another person, and it is still linked to their Apple ID.
Also, your iPad could be having some network issues, which may cause it to fail to communicate with the server, causing it to send a reactivation message. Another reason why your iPad suddenly says Activation Required is that your last attempt to activate the lock feature was unsuccessful, and you need to do it again. If your iPad says Activation Required, you need to fix the issue using one of the methods discussed above.
Apple included the Activation Lock feature in all its devices that use the “Find My” feature. The Activation Lock features help keep your device safe even if someone else has it. If someone steals your iPad and tries to erase the data so that they can use it or sell it, they cannot do so if you have activated the “Find My” feature.
Your Apple ID credentials, and the device passcode will be required before the person can turn off the “Find My” feature, erase data or reactivate the device and use it. Therefore, the device will be useless unless they return it to you. In the meantime, as they struggle to find a way to bypass the Activation Lock, you can use the “Find My” feature on your iPhone to locate the iPad.
You should note that the Activation Lock turns on automatically when you set up your “Find My” feature. Therefore, if you fail to turn on the “Find My” feature on your iPad, you cannot use the Activation Lock to protect your device.
After finding out which issue is causing your iPad to say Activation Required, you should fix it immediately. Some of the reasons causing the Activation Required message are straightforward and can be fixed within a few minutes. If the issue is caused by the iPad still linked to another person’s Apple ID, you will require their assistance to fix it.
If you want to purchase a secondhand iPad, you need to ensure it has been erased and no longer linked to the seller’s Apple ID. If the iPad is using iPadOS 15 or later and Activation Lock is enabled, you will see the message “iPad Locked to Owner” whenever you turn it on or wake it.
To avoid buying stolen devices, you should not purchase an iPad that says it is locked to the owner unless the seller can erase it at that moment. If the seller is near you, hand them the iPad and ask them to enter the password so that you can erase the device.
If the seller is too far from you, ask them to use a browser to remove the iPad from their account. If you are selling your iPad, you should turn off the “Find My” feature before giving it to the buyer.
How Do I Reset My iPad After Activation?
If you have been using your iPad for some time, at some point, it might start to malfunction in ways such as slowing down or hanging when you run certain apps. You can reset your iPad to fix these issues, allowing your device to start functioning at an optimum level. Here is how you can reset your iPad after activation.
After activation, you need to perform a soft reset or a force restart to reset your iPad. A soft reset or a force restart will not make you lose your data or settings; therefore, your Activation Lock will still be active after the reset. To perform a soft reset, long press the power button until you see the slider appear on the screen. Drag it from left to right to turn off the iPad.
After the iPad is completely off, long press the power button again until you see the screen light up and the Apple logo appear on the screen. To perform a force restart, if you are using an iPad with Face ID, press and release the “Volume Up” button, press and release the “Volume Down” button and then long press the Power button until the device restarts. If you are using an iPad without Face ID, long press the “Home” button for a few seconds until you see the Apple logo appear on the screen.
A soft reset and force restart is the best option if your iPad has temporary issues and you do not want to lose any data or the settings. However, if the soft reset and force restart has not solved the issue, you can perform a factory reset.
A factory reset will completely remove all the data and restore your iPad to its factory settings. If you have set up your “Find My” feature and the Activation Lock is enabled, a factory reset will undo all your work.
After it is done, you have to start the process of setting up the “Find My” feature again to enable Activation Lock. You should only perform a factory reset if you have backed up all your data, want to sell the device, or the factory reset is the only option to make your device work again.
If you have been using the iPad for a long time and have stored plenty of data in it, it is best to back up the data before performing the factory reset. You can back up the data on iTunes or iCloud.
Ensure your iPad is connected to a working internet connection before starting the backup process, and only start the factory reset when the process is complete. To perform a factory reset on your iPad,
- go to “Settings”
- tap on “General”
- tap on “Reset”
- select “Erase All Content and Settings”
- tap “Erase iPad” to confirm you want to factory reset the device.
After the factory reset, the iPad is restored to its original setup and ready for use. You can choose to set it up as a new iPad, or you can restore your backup data.
To avoid backing up your data every time you perform a factory reset on your iPad, enable automatic backup. You can automatically back up data on iCloud every day. First, ensure that iCloud Backup is turned on.
Go to “Settings,” select your name, and tap on “iCloud Backup.” Connect your iPad to a power source and connect it to a working internet connection. Lock your iPad’s screen is locked. If you run out of space, your iPad will alert you that you do not have enough iCloud storage, and you have to buy more storage to continue with the backup.
Finally
The Activation Lock feature is an important feature that limits the use of your iPad in case it gets stolen. To use it, you need to enable the “Find My” feature to activate the Activation Lock feature on your device.
Sometimes, your iPad might malfunction, and you might get error messages such as “Activation Required” even after enabling the “Find My” feature. If your iPad says Activation Required, you can use some of the solutions discussed in this article, such as soft reset, force restart, resetting network settings, and activating the iPad using your iTunes. However, if you decide to perform a factory reset on your iPad, backup all your data.
