iCloud account sign-in having trouble with holiday device activation load

If you've been trying to activate a new Apple device since Christmas morning with limited success, you're not alone. Users around the world have reported problems in activating their new iPhones, Apple Watches, and other Apple products, with verification and configuration processes seemingly frozen or at the least extremely delayed.

As pointed out by MacRumors, users have been reporting issues since Christmas morning when trying to set up new Apple devices, with particular issues for HomePods and Apple Watches. A trip over to Apple's System Status page reveals an ongoing issue with iCloud Account & Sign In beginning at 4:45 am yesterday.

The notice on the System Status page simply reads that "Users may be experiencing a problem with the service," and that this problem is only impacting some users. All other iCloud services appear to be up.

Activation and cloud service problems on major gift-giving holidays are nothing new, though Apple's problems appear to be, at least, a little more insistent than in previous years. It's likely that all this process requires is time to resolve, so if you're still having trouble getting your device activated, let the problems resolve before trying again. You can keep yourself informed by checking the system status page.