9.3 on iPad 2

[Dc2006ster]

I had the activation problem with my iPad 2 3G . I had updated via wifi.

Apple support suggested I remove the SIM card and restart the iPad or that I try iTunes. Neither approach worked. Eventually Support suggested I do a forced factory restore which I did and this worked. I had done a backup before updating so I lost nothing. To do this I held the power and home. Buttons down until I saw the iTunes logo, not the Apple, I then connected to iTunes and chose Restore. The new iOS downloaded, installed and activated. It took a while. I then recovered my apps etc from the backup. I was impressed with how Support, using chat on my Mac, stayed with me for a long time until the problem was solved.

My iPad 2 seems smoother, faster and more stable. I am glad I updated. Not sure if this is due to the new iOS or to the fact I did a clean install.

 

[NYMinute]

My guess (no proof of this) is that for some reason the iPad 2 3G cannot connect to the internet after installation of iOS9.3 before activation. If the update is done over the air (via wifi) the unit will say it cannot reach the server for activation but the problem is actually no internet connection. At this stage it will not be recognized by itunes either. The only way out is to do the factory restore. When people update through itunes the unit does not need to connect to wifi before activation so there is no problem there.

The problem with doing the factory restore is that if you had apps in your iPad 2 that are no longer available for download on the appstore the only way to recover the app is if you had the .ipa file (extension for ios apps) already downloaded to iTunes. If you didn't, that app is lost. I had that problem with my iPad 2 3G. I receive a message saying some apps were not available for download. Turns out the backup does not have the apps in it. It just saves the location/folders where the app are. The app are actually downloaded from the appstore. Also, since iOS 9.0, you cannot backup an app from your iOS device to itunes. The reason is that apps don't have the "full app" on your installed device anymore. This was done to save space on your device. For example. I have one of my missing apps in my iphone but it only has the iphone components of the app even though it is an universal app (ipad and iphone). So even if I could back it up to itunes it would not work on my iPad anyway.

So, download all your apps to your mac or PC from the purchased section of your itunes appstore and back them up on an external drive because if the app is remove from the appstore you will have no other way to recover it even if you do a backup of your iOS device. Downloading the app from itunes will get you the full .ipa file so it can be used on both iPhone and iPads if the app is an "universal" app.