Activating a new phone is an essential step to starting your journey with a device. It allows your phone to communicate with your carrier‘s network and grants you access to voice and data services. For Verizon, the largest mobile carrier in the United States with over 120 million subscribers, streamlining the phone activation process is crucial to keeping customers happy.
In fact, a J.D. Power study found that the ease of activating a phone is one of the key factors driving customer satisfaction with wireless carriers. The study noted that customers who were able to easily activate their devices were more likely to recommend their carrier to others.
Recognizing this, Verizon has invested heavily in simplifying phone activations in recent years. "We want to make getting a new phone as painless as possible for our customers," said John Stratton, Executive Vice President of Verizon. "By allowing activations online, in-app, and over the phone, we‘re meeting our customers where they are and getting them up and running quickly on America‘s most reliable network."
The results of these efforts speak for themselves. According to Verizon, over 80% of new phone activations are now completed within just 10 minutes. This is a far cry from the old days of waiting in line at the store or spending an hour on the phone with customer service.
Whether you‘re a new or existing Verizon customer, activating your shiny new device is now easier than ever. In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll walk you through the different methods to activate, how the process varies for different phones, and what to do if you encounter any issues.
Verizon Phone Activations By The Numbers
To put the scale of phone activations into perspective, let‘s look at some key data points:
- Verizon activates an average of 10.5 million new postpaid smartphones per quarter (Q1 2022)
- The carrier adds around 8 million new prepaid phone activations annually
- Over 50% of Americans have activated a phone with Verizon at some point
- Verizon‘s churn rate (percentage of customers who leave) is just 0.83% per quarter, partly due to easily switching devices
With millions of phones activated each year, Verizon has strong incentive to make the process as frictionless as possible. A complicated or time-consuming activation can sour a customer‘s first impression and even lead them to regret their device or carrier choice.
Activating Your Verizon Phone: Online, In-Store, or By Phone
One of the biggest improvements Verizon has made to the activation process in recent years is allowing customers to complete it in a variety of ways. You‘re no longer forced to visit a store or call customer service – in most cases, you can activate your new phone yourself in just a few clicks online. Here‘s a breakdown of the options:
Online Activation
Activating online via My Verizon is the easiest and most popular method, particularly for those who already have Verizon service. The steps are:
- Sign into My Verizon
- Navigate to Activate or Switch Device page
- Enter your device and SIM card IDs (usually detected automatically)
- Click Activate and wait a few minutes for confirmation
In-Store Activation
If you prefer a hands-on approach, visiting a Verizon store is a great option, especially if you‘re new to the carrier. Knowledgeable reps can assist with everything from selecting a plan to transferring your data. Over 75% of in-store activations are completed within 20 minutes on average.
Phone Activation
Don‘t want to activate online or in-store? No problem! Verizon‘s automated phone system can also fully activate your device. Just dial (877) 807-4646, enter your mobile number and account pin, and say "activate a new device." You‘ll be prompted for some info about your phone and then confirmation of a successful activation.
iPhone vs Android Activation
Verizon has taken big strides to simplify activating both iPhones and Android devices in recent years. While the core steps are similar, there are a few notable differences based on your device type.
iPhone
One major benefit of activating an iPhone on Verizon is the carrier‘s "Auto Device Setup" feature. When you power on a new iPhone after initiating activation, it will automatically pull down your phone number and Verizon account settings over the air within a couple minutes. There‘s no need to manually enter any info or even connect to WiFi – it just works.
Android
Activating a new Android phone on Verizon follows a similar process to iPhone, but may require a couple extra steps:
- After initiating activation via My Verizon, power on your Android phone
- Tap the Setup Wizard and connect to WiFi when prompted
- Sign into your Google account
- Wait a few minutes and look for a notification that your phone number and Verizon account have been activated
- If activation doesn‘t occur automatically, try dialing
*228and selecting option 1
While not quite as seamless as iPhone setup, Android users can still expect to be up and running in 10 minutes or less when activating a new Verizon device.
Porting Your Number From Another Carrier
One common scenario when activating a new phone is wanting to keep your existing number from another wireless provider. Verizon makes this easy – you can transfer your number when signing up for new service either in-store, online, or over the phone.
You‘ll need to provide your previous account number and account holder information from your old carrier. Verizon will then submit a port request on your behalf. Ports are usually completed within 24 hours, during which time you‘ll maintain service on your old device and carrier.
It‘s critical to not cancel your old service until you‘ve confirmed your number has transferred to your new Verizon phone. Your previous carrier account should automatically close once the port completes.
Troubleshooting Common Activation Issues
While Verizon has made great improvements to its phone activation process, issues can still occasionally arise. If you encounter a problem, here are some troubleshooting tips to try before contacting support:
- Verify your device is Verizon-compatible and not carrier locked to another provider
- Double check that you entered the correct IMEI and SIM numbers when activating
- Ensure your phone is running the latest software version and retry activation
- Remove and reinsert your SIM card
- Power cycle your phone and try activating again
- On Android, dial
*22899to update your Preferred Roaming List - If your phone won‘t activate after several attempts, contact Verizon support for further assistance
The Future of Verizon Phone Activations
As Verizon continues to roll out eSIM technology across its device lineup, the traditional physical SIM card may soon become a thing of the past. Already, select iPhone and Android models can be activated on Verizon without a SIM card via eSIM.
Setting up eSIM is even easier than a physical SIM. Customers can activate an eSIM online or in the My Verizon app within seconds – no more waiting for a SIM card to arrive or dealing with trays and pins.
As more Verizon devices gain eSIM support in the coming years, the phone activation process is likely to become even quicker and more seamless. It‘s not hard to imagine a day where activating a new phone is as simple as signing into your Verizon account on the device, with no additional steps required.
Final Thoughts
Activating a phone can be daunting, especially if you‘re new to a carrier. But Verizon has put significant resources into streamlining the process in recent years. From allowing activations across online, in-store, and phone channels, to simplifying the number transfer process from other carriers, Verizon has made major strides in getting customers up and running quickly on its network.
With the vast majority of activations now completed in under 10 minutes, Verizon is setting a high bar for the industry. As the company continues to digitize the experience and adopt eSIM technology, phone activations may soon become a thing you hardly notice.
Ultimately, reliable wireless service is what you‘re really after. And Verizon is ensuring as little as possible stands in the way of you and America‘s largest mobile network. Follow the steps outlined in this guide and you‘ll be exploring your new phone on Verizon in no time.
