'Iphone may be damaged and cannot be activated for service'

Ive just bought a used iphone4. it arrived having been cleared and reset.
I connected to itunes and upgraded to the new software. Then it worked for half a day. Then a message came up saying i need ot restore the phone.
So i plugged it in again and at the end of the uprgrade sequence it comes up with-
'Problem with the iphone - may be damaged and cannot be activated for service' - please visit apple store.
Its obviously out of warranty and the apple store is a long way away. Ive only had it a day and im assured its never been jailbroken, dropped or water damaged.
I know loads of people have had this message come up and people have recommened going to the apple store. But before i make the long trek i just wanted to know if anyone ever came up with a solution to fix this and use the phone again.
Any help much appreciated. back on sh+tty blackberry!!

Thanks for the replies guys!
I cant access the phone it just stays on 'connect to itunes'
Could someone quickly explain how jailbraking an iphone could cause it problems? I want to email the person I bought this from and tell them why I think they have damaged it by jailbraking it.
I really appreciate this help bacuase ive shelled out £160 for this paperweight, Thanks.

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The forum is in the ipad section under the title of "There is a problem with your device".
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We're sorry, the device you connected may be damaged and cannot be activated for service. We recommend you visit your nearest Apple Store for more information. To find your nearest Apple Store, click here.

I needed to restore my phone to an earlier restore point because my notes were deleted after I restored I recieved this message
"We’re sorry, the device you connected may be damaged and cannot be activated for service. We recommend you visit your nearest Apple Store for more information. To find your nearest Apple Store, click here."
I need to get phone running asap abd do not want to go to Apple to talk with Genius.

That message will occur when you put in a NON-AT&T sim
just get the sim out and try again

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My Iphone 4 was working perfectly fine it is factory unlocked and was never damaged or dropped ...please advise me if there is solution. My phone is out of warranty

I hope I am not alone with this problem of bricked...useless iphone 4 ...my phone was working perfectly fine untill last night and saw this message this morning to perform the restore .
I also called the tech support who had no idea about this problem , I seriously want to break this **** phone in peices but dont have money to buy a new samsung phone...so have no choice but to wait and see if the problem is resolved ...
From Ireland .

Itunes says iphone is not recognized and cannot be activated for service

I have had some trouble trying to restore my iphone and recently I was asked to restore it again because the phone could not make or receive calls. After restoring my iphone I got this message on itunes and now I can only use the phone for emergency calls. Can anyone please help me?
I am not sure which model it is, I know it is an old one.
Thanks!

I reccomend a re-install of Apple Mobile Device components. This has happened to me with my iPod Touch before.
Apple has now echoed this advice in a Knowledge Base document (#306637) specifically for the issue where the iPhone or iPod Touch is not recognized by the host computer. This can be accomplished by the following platform-specifc processes
Mac OS X
Delete the following files
/System/Library/Extensions/AppleMobileDevice.kext
/System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/DeviceLink.framework
/System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/MobileDevice.framework
/Library/Receipts/AppleMobileDeviceSupport.pkg
then re-installing the latest version of iTunes.
Windows XP
Quit iTunes and disconnect the iPhone
Go to the Start menu, thenthe Control Panel and open Administrative Tools, then Services.
Select "Apple Mobile Device" then "Stop the service."
After it is stopped, click "Start the service."
Connect the iPhone again, launch iTunes and check for recognition.
Windows Vista
Quit iTunes and disconnect the iPhone
Go to "Start," then search for "Services"
In Programs, click "Services".
Select "Apple Mobile Device" then "Stop the service."
After it is stopped, click "Start the service."
Connect the iPhone again, launch iTunes and check for recognition.

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Thanks,
Lina1116

did you find a fix?

The device you connected may be damaged and cannot be activated

i have iphone 4s locked to at&t before when i was insert non at&t sim i was getting that message
sim is not vaild (the normal message)
but now
when inserting non at&t sim its takes me to the activation then when i push
next i got
the device you connected may be damaged and cannot be activated
i restor it to a new via itunes but the same message when inserting non at&t sim
the device you connected may be damaged and cannot be activated
with the orginal at&t sim i can activate with no proplems
im not asking to unlock it i just want to khnow about that message
is that normal

You can NOT use a non-AT&T SIM in your phone. AT&T will NOT unlock iPhones for any reason.

The iPad you connected is not recognized and cannot be activated for servic

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Today I've received a replacement iPad (from Apple), and surprise surprise, when I connected it to iTunes for proceed with the initial setup, the following message arised
We're sorry, the iPad you connected is not recognized and cannot be activated for service.
We recommend you visit your nearest Apple Store for more information.
I've contacted with my local apple support, and they told me to try to reinstall the iPad entering in DFU mode. I did it twice, and both times the procedure went perfectly but once finished the above message appeared once again.
They have told me to send it once again for repair, but, someone knows how to resolve this ? I've sent my previous iPad ten days ago, and now, I will have to wait other ten and I'm a little bit dissapointed.
Well, thanks in advance and merry christmas for all of you.
julio

They should pay to overnight pickup and overnight delivery back to you since it's their screwup. Ask them!

HT201401 I just restored my iPhone and it worked, but it will not let me go any further (iTunes telling me "The iPhone you have connected may be damaged and cannot be activated") so I'm trying to find out how to get past this... Why is it "damaged"?

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I ordered a new battery online and replaced that, in the process loosing two screws, the two at the bottom which hold the LED touch screen in place. Although it doesn't move without the screws, I do need to replace those also. Everything works fine. Buttons, touch screen, I just think there might be a small problem with the mother board, from the battery swelling and causing it to bend, or even heating the metal on it. That would suck, total bummer.. Anyways, anyone with a solution or even a bit of advice, or just a suggestion please feel free to help. I have taken it apart one last time after I restored it, and cleaned it very little with alcohol, thinking that might be a problem, but still nothing yet...
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HOLLY

If things seem to be going haywire with your phone, it seems that it MAY be a software issue.
Now, that being said, that does not necessarily mean that it is a virus. Software issues do happen sometimes. It is probably just coincidence.
What you need to do is restore the device using iTunes. This will fix any software issues. After you have done this, you can restore from an iCloud backup.
iCloud does not back up the actual software, so no, the "virus" would not have gotten into the backups.
The link below provides steps on restoring your device using iTunes as well as how to restore from an iCloud backup.
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1766
Don't worry! Everything should be back to normal if you follow these steps.

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'Iphone may be damaged and cannot be activated for service'

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