Can't restore 3G - "iPhone software update server could not be contacted"

my phone was stolen and subsequently returned to me. an incorrect passcode was inserted on numerous occassions by the thief and this action has subsequently blocked my phone.
it no longer accepts my original passcode.
i've managed to get the phone in to recovery mode but when i try and restore it, i get a message saying: "The iPhone software update server could not be contacted. The network connection timed out."
i proceeded to installed the latest version of iTunes; and turned off my firewall. i also rebooted the computer - to no avail.
Please help!

yeah, i've done that too. i'm getting a message that says "coreFoundation.dll was not found" so i'm downloading it right now...
hope that works - fingers crossed!
thanks for your help!

Similar Messages

  • HT201210 (The iPhone "Named" cannot be restored at this time because the iPhone software update server could not be contacted or is temporarily unavailable.) can anyone help me with this issue, every time i try to restore it will come up like this error m

    (The iPhone "Named" cannot be restored at this time because the iPhone software update server could not be contacted or is temporarily unavailable.)
    can anyone help me with this issue, every time i try to restore it will come up like this error message.

    Restore the iPhone when connected to iTunes by cable.
    Still the same TS1275?
    Is your iPhone jailbroken?
    Or
    Has your computer ever been used to jailbrake or downgrade (Tinyumbrella) any iPhone?

  • HT1414 i keep getting a message saying 'the iphone software update server could not be contacted' when trying to restore my iphone. Any ideas on how I can rectify this? Thank you

    i keep getting a message saying 'the iphone software update server could not be contacted' when trying to restore my iphone. Any ideas on how I can rectify this? Thank you

    Thank you. No my phone hasnt been jailbroke, therefore I'll keep trying.

  • "The iphone software update server could not be contacted" - error message recieved when i try to update to 5.1.1 via itunes , what can i do ?

    The iphone software update server could not be contacted" - error message recieved when i try to update to 5.1.1 via itunes , what can i do ?

    Dear Lawrence Finch: 
    If you're still around I hope you see this message, as you're the FIRST person (after reading every link, thread, other sites, apple support articles, etc.) to mention JB may be causing this iTunes popup window to REPEATEDLY occur:
    "The iPhone software update server could not be contacted."
    No, I did not hack anything (are you kidding?  Grannies don't hack!), but I unknowingly bought a 3Gs iOS 3.1 from ebay that was not advertised as JB.  Since it is like brand new, I was going to keep it (because my old backup is iOS 3.1.2) & was trying to simply restore & update, which (I thought) would remove the JB (that's what everybody says at forums, etc).
    Instead, after "erasing all settings/content" (inside phone's Settings to get the prior person's name out of there), it is now stuck in White Apple Mode.
    Put it in DFU/Recovery Mode & connect to iTunes but that stupid above message keeps appearing & I have already read/tried EVERYTHING to get rid of that message, starting with: 
    1.  OLD phones (3Gs) with OLD iOS 3.1+ should work FINE with OLD Mac (iBook) with OLD OSX (Tiger 10.4.11) with OLD iTunes (9.2.1[5]).  So that can't be the problem.
    Here's all the other things apple & others say to check which I already checked:
    2.  USB ports are FINE, both work FINE, so that's not the problem.
    3.  No "extra USB devices" are connected, ONLY a mouse, & then the phone (yes, I tried it w/o the mouse connected but that didn't help).
    4.  No "usb hubs."
    5.  Latest iTunes for this OSX has already been DL'd (iTunes 9.2.1[5]).  If you know of a newer one for this OSX, please advise.
    6.  No antivirus software.
    7.  No security software.
    8.  No routers; only 1 comcast modem, period.  Wired Ethernet.
    9.  No wifi gadgets, no wifi at all.
    10.  No firewalls, except what is on iBook in the SHARING/System-Prefs. section.  It's turned OFF.
    11.  Did the hosts/terminal thing sudo nano whatever it was.  There were only 3 lines, NO gs.apple.com:
    xxxxx local host
    xxxxx broadcast host
    xxxx local host
    Oh, & btw, ATT officially unlocked this phone (after I filled out their online forms) but I can't finish the process via iTunes to get their Confirmation that "Device is Now Unlocked," so I can use T-Mo.
    So that's it.  If you have any other ideas of what to do from here, since from your comment, maybe it's the stupid JB on this phone that is causing the problem (???), please advise.
    Many thanks!

  • HT201210 I'm trying to restore my phone and it keeps saying that this iphone cannot be restored at this time because the iphone software update server could not be contacted or is temporarily unavailable

    I've been trying to restore my phone the whole day and every time that's about to finish the extration this message comes up " The iphone cannot be restored at this time because the iphone software update server could not be contacted or is temporarily unavailable"
    Do anyone know if there's a way to fix this? It's in DFU mode so I can't do anything with it anymore, i have no phone.
    Please help.

    Windows user? Maybe you should check your HOSTS file to make sure nothing is stopping you from contacting Apple's servers - though if you're not looking to update you might still be out of luck. Also, maybe disable IP blacklist apps like PeerBlock just in case they're interfering with your connection to Apple.

  • Can't update my Iphone (the iphone software update server could not be contacted)

    Hello,
    I've been trying to fix this problem by my self with no luck so I'm writing to you guys, hoping you will have the right answers.
    I dropped my iPhone4 today and it turned off, when I plugged it into a charger it showed me a screen of IOS6 (which I didn't had this update updated) and when I "silde right" it wrote that I need to update it by iTunes.
    So I opened ITunes while my IPhone was connected that it automatically tried to update it as needed, after 20 seconds of loading I get this error massage:
    "the iPhone software update server could not be contacted"
    I've tried everything; turning off firewall, update my AntiVirus,restarting my router, restarting pc while IPhone not\connected, changed usb exist (using a back exit atm),changing usb cable and even reinstalled my iTunes (yes, my iTunes is up to date), although when I tried to update my itunes it gives me this error:
    "The iTunes update server could not be connacted. Please chek your Internet connection, or try again later. " but I don't think it's related but worth to mention it.
    My iPhone is NOT jailbreaked
    please help me to fix this problem,
    Thanks In Advnace.

    Error 20, 21, 23, 26, 28, 29, 34, 36, 37, 40
    These errors typically occur when security software interferes with the restore and update process. FollowTroubleshooting security software issues to resolve this issue. In rare cases, these errors may be a hardware issue. If the errors persist on another computer, the device may need service.
    Also, check your hosts file to verify that it's not blocking iTunes from communicating with the update server. See iTunes: Advanced iTunes Store troubleshooting—follow steps under the heading Blocked by configuration (Mac OS X / Windows) > Rebuild network information > Mac OS X > The hosts file may also be blocking the iTunes Store. If you have software used to perform unauthorized modifications to the iOS device, uninstall this software prior to editing the hosts file to prevent that software from automatically modifying the hosts file again on restart.

  • When trying to Sync my iPhone i got a message saying that my phone could not be read and that it should be restored, upon doing so i got another message saying the iPhone software update server could not be contacted what do i do?

         When trying to Sync my iPhone i got a message saying that my phone could not be read and that it should be restored, upon doing so i got another message saying the iPhone software update server could not be contacted what do i do?
         I have now discovered that i cannot update or restore any of my devices

    Were those items purchased or downloaded under a different apple ID than what you are logged into on the phone?

  • HT201210 iPhone cannot be restored at this time because the iPhone software update server could not be contacted or is temporarily unavailable

    iPhone cannot be restored at this time because the iPhone software update server could not be contacted or is temporarily unavailable

    Restore the iPhone when connected to iTunes by cable.
    Still the same TS1275?
    Is your iPhone jailbroken?
    Or
    Has your computer ever been used to jailbrake or downgrade (Tinyumbrella) any iPhone?

  • Everytime I try to update my iPhone this happens: The iPhone cannot be updated because the iPhone software update server could not be contacted or is teporarily unavailable. Please try again later. Can you please tell me how to fix this? Thanks in advance

    Everytime I try to update my iPhone this happens: The iPhone cannot be updated because the iPhone software update server could not be contacted or is teporarily unavailable.
    Please try again later.
    Can you please tell me how to fix this? Thanks in advance.

    We're Sorry, Activation Server Temporarily Unavailable, contact Customer Care...Your request Could Not Be Completed?"
    99.9% of the time, the cause of this issue is the fact the phone was jailbroken/hacked to unlock it for use on networks other than the network the phone was originally locked to. Apple maintains a database of officially unlocked iPhones, and when Apple's servers detect phones such as yours, activation stops & you get the message you got.
    So, you need to get a sim card from the carrier the phone was originally locked to, or get it officially unlocked, if you want to activate it. Because it appears that it was not officially unlocked.
    Apple has started to get "tough" with hacked iPhones, & simply won't permit their activation.

  • HT201210 i want to restore my iphone and it keeps saying The Iphone software update server  could not be contacted

    WHY DOES MY PHONE KEEP SAYING " THE IPHONE SOFTWARE UPDATE SERVER COULD NOT BE CONTACTED???

    The most likely reason is you once used your computer to hack or jailbreak a phone or iPad, and the process corrupted the network database on your computer. You need to edit your hosts file and remove any lines that contain gs.apple.com.
    The other possibility is that your firewall and/or antivirus is blocking access to Apple's activation servers.

  • The iPhone software update server could not be contacted. An unknown error occurred (-50). I'm using windows 8.1...

    {The iPhone software update server could not be contacted. An unknown error occurred (-50)}. {Verbatim} -
    I'm using windows 8.1...   -   I can't seem to find an answer to -50 ERROR?? -
         Please, Anybody - - HELP!!???
                                              Thank you                 -              Captkirkoes or Mitch         -          9/25/2014

    Hi Captkirkoes,
    If you are getting an error when attempting to update the operating system on your iPhone, I would suggest that you troubleshoot using the steps in this article - 
    Resolve iOS update and restore errors in iTunes
    Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.
    Best,
    Brett L 

  • "The iphone software update server could not be contacted. An unknown error occured (-23)"

    FYI,
    Iphone 4 - iOS 4.3.3  (I would like to update to iOS 5)
    Currently in DFU Mode, connected to my Lenovo (Windows OS) laptop.
    Now the itunes asked for:
    - Remind me later
    - Download and update
    - Download only.
    I try to download and update, after i back up my iphone; when i click update, It's warning from ITUNES
    "The iphone software update server could not be contacted. An unknown error occured (-23)"
    Anyone can help me regarding this problem?

    error 23 indicates a hardware issue with your device. Follow the steps in this article. Also attempt to restore while connected with the white USB Dock Connector cable that shipped with your device, on a known good computer and network to isolate this issue to the device. The mac address being missing  or the IMEI being the default value, (00 499901 064000 0), can also confirm a hardware issue. out of date or incorrectly configured security software can also cause these errors.

  • HT1414 the iphone software update server could not be contacted.a duplicate file name was specified , please help as this is driving me nuts,does anyone know which file it could possibly be ?

    Hi could anyone help me out? my iphone 3gs keeps restarting itself every two minutes which i think is some kind of software issue,now there are a number of things i have done starting with putting in a new battery.when i charge the phone it resets itself every two minutes or so and the battery indicator stays at 4% so i decided to restore the phone on itunes (which is the latest edition) and when i connect my phone which i have put into recovery mode using the buttons, i get an error message saying :- the iphone software update server could not be contacted.a duplicate file name was specified. i have tried re-installing i tunes and that doesn't solve the issue and i have trawled through the program files to see if i could spot the duplicate but without success ,has anyone had the same issue and resolved it?

    An iPhone 3G cannot be updated beyond iOS 4.2.1...that's the end of the line for your phone.

  • HT201210 When I try to update my iphone to the latest iphone software on my MacBook in itunes a message displays "This iphone cannot be updated at this time because the iphone software update server could not be contacted or is temporarily unavailable.

    Hi guys, When I try to update my iphone4s to the latest software on itunes via my MacBook a message displays a message: 'This iPhone "Seans iphone" cannot be updated at this time because the iphone software update server could not be contacted or is temporarily unavailable'. This has happened a few time s now. I have look through the FAQ's but no luck. Can someon help? Cheers

    Try posting to the correct forum.
    This is the iPhone for the Enterprise forum... there is nothing about the issue that appears to apply to using an iPhone in an Enterprise (corporate) environment.
    Try posting to the iTunes for the Mac forum.

  • ITunes: "The iPhone software update server could not be contacted"

    Could someone please help me with a problem that I´m having with iTunes that´s really annoying. I want to update my iPhone 3G with the latest 3.0 software. For the first time ever iTunes is giving me the following message every time I try to update (been for more than 24 hours now):
    +The iPhone software update server could not be contacted. Make sure your network settings are correct and your network connection is active, or try again later.+
    I also get a message if I try to click on the update itunes( not that I need to, as it updated to iTunes 8.2 earlier this month) but still I figure it´s all part of the same problem:
    +The iTunes update server could not be contacted. Please check your Internet connection, or try again later.+
    Solutions tried so far:
    * Going through my internet connection settings - I´m connected to the internet with no problems!
    * Changing from wifi to wired connection - same thing, can´t update
    * Reinstalling itunes (twice) - no difference
    * Switching off Netbarrier
    I don´t know what else I can do. I´m beginning to think it may be related to either iTunes being updated to 8.2 or one of the many recent software updates apple has been sending us of Mac OS. My computer is got all recent updates.
    Please help!

    Thanks for the response. Yeah I'd seen that a lot of these issues in the past had mainly affected Windows users. Anyway I tried naming a new location and no success and I don´t really understand the last post in that thread. There is no "check for updates" under the help menu. It's only in the itunes menu and that´s what I keep trying to do with the same message.
    Anyway it's clear to me now that it's not a local connection issue nor an iPhone server issue. I've since upgraded to the 3.0 software via a Windows PC without any problems and without having to sync all the music and stuff which is a relief. Afterwards, when I put it back into my Mac all it asked me to do was a backup and nothing else had been synced (or wiped) so the immediate problem is out of the way. It's just this remaining issue now that iTunes still won´t connect to update servers although it does connects to the itunes store all ok. Any other ideas before I call Apple on Monday?

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