You might not be able to set up your iPhone 14 without installing a software update or using a Mac or PC

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A bug is preventing some iPhones from being activated.

iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus
(Image credit: Apple)

Apple has reportedly confirmed that an iOS 16 bug could prevent some people from being able to activate their new iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro devices, although a new patch has already been released.

With iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro handsets now in the hands of people worldwide, Apple has shared a memo confirming people might experience a bug when trying to activate their new phones while offering steps that can be followed to get things up and running.

Update time

In the memo, seen by MacRumors, Apple says that "there is a known issue for iOS 16 that may impact device activations on open Wi-Fi networks." As a fix, Apple suggests that people should connect their new iPhone to a Mac or PC running iTunes and run through the initial setup process when asked to connect to Wi-Fi. It appears to suggest that everything should then activate as normal.

On the more positive front, it does appear that the new iOS 16.0.1 update fixes this problem, and updating iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models should get things up and running without a hitch, although that's something people might not be aware of when trying to set their new iPhones up initially.

The new iPhones are officially on sale today after pre-orders went live last week. Thankfully, this issue appears to only be a problem on open Wi-Fi networks, so many people will be able to set their iPhones up without issue on others.

While the new iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max are all available from today, those picking up an iPhone 14 Plus will need to wait until October 7. Other products on sale today include the new Apple Watch Series 8, refreshed Apple Watch SE, and updated AirPods.

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.