How to Activate a Sprint Phone

This wikiHow teaches you how to activate your new Sprint phone for use on the Sprint network.

Part 1
Part 1 of 3:

Preparing to Activate

  1. Image titled Activate a Sprint Phone Step 1
    1
    Ensure that you have an account for your phone. If you're switching over to an iPhone or an Android smartphone, you'll need to have a iCloud or Gmail account set up, respectively. If you don't already have such an account, set one up before proceeding:
  2. Image titled Activate a Sprint Phone Step 2
    2
    Remove the old phone's SIM card. This is only necessary if you want to use the same phone number on your new phone as you used on your old phone.
    • Skip this step if you're using a brand-new SIM card from Verizon.
    Advertisement
  3. Image titled Activate a Sprint Phone Step 3
    3
    Back up your old phone's information if necessary. If you want to restore an old phone's information onto your new phone, back up the data to your old phone's cloud storage service or computer.
    • Even if you don't want to use your old phone's information on your new phone, backing up your phone is always a good idea.
  4. Image titled Activate a Sprint Phone Step 4
    4
    Find your phone's MEID or IMEI number. If the phone is brand-new, you can find this number in the phone's packaging or manual.[1]
    • You can also find the MEID or IMEI number by dialing *#06#; if you have an iPhone, you can find this number in the "IMEI" or "MEID" heading of the "About" menu in the "General" section of the Settings app.
  5. Image titled Activate a Sprint Phone Step 5
    5
    Turn off iMessage if necessary. If your old phone is an iPhone and you're switching to an Android, you'll need to disable iMessage on your iPhone before proceeding:
    6. Advertisement
Part 2
Part 2 of 3:

Activating a Replacement Phone

  1. Image titled Activate a Sprint Phone Step 6
    1
    Power down the old phone. Press and hold the "Power" button on the phone that you want to replace, then slide right the "slide to power off" switch (iPhone) or tap Power off (Android).
  2. Image titled Activate a Sprint Phone Step 7
    2
    Install the old phone's SIM card in your new phone. If you want to use your old phone's SIM card, remove it from the old phone and insert it into your new phone.
    • You can skip this step if you're using a new SIM card, or if your phone came with its own SIM card.
  3. Image titled Activate a Sprint Phone Step 8
    3
    Charge your new phone to 100 percent. Plug your phone into its charger and leave it alone for up to an hour depending on the phone's previous charge.
    • You can turn on your phone to check its charge, but don't perform any setup steps.
  4. Image titled Activate a Sprint Phone Step 9
    4
    Open Sprint's Activate page. Go to https://www.sprint.com/activate in a computer web browser.
    • You cannot use a phone's web browser for this process.
  5. Image titled Activate a Sprint Phone Step 10
    5
    Click Sign in to activate. It's a yellow button at the bottom of the page.
  6. Image titled Activate a Sprint Phone Step 11
    6
    Enter your Sprint username and password. Type your Sprint username and password into the "Username" and "Password" text boxes, respectively.
  7. Image titled Activate a Sprint Phone Step 12
    7
    Click Submit. It's under the "Password" text box. Doing so will open your Sprint Account page.
  8. Image titled Activate a Sprint Phone Step 13
    8
    Scroll down and find the phone you want to replace. You'll find the phone you want to replace in the "About my devices" section of the Your account tab.[2]
  9. Image titled Activate a Sprint Phone Step 14
    9
    Click the "Manage this device" drop-down box. It's to the right of the phone you want to replace. A drop-down menu will appear.[3]
  10. Image titled Activate a Sprint Phone Step 15
    10
    Click Activate a new phone. This option is in the drop-down menu.
  11. Image titled Activate a Sprint Phone Step 16
    11
    Enter your new phone's serial number. You can find your phone's serial number on the phone's box or in the phone's manual.
    • You may instead be prompted to select the new phone if you bought it from Sprint but didn't activate it in-store.
  12. Image titled Activate a Sprint Phone Step 17
    12
    Follow the on-screen activation prompts. Depending on your phone and SIM card options, you may be prompted to enter your SIM card's ICCID; you'll then follow any prompts to the "Activation" page, where Sprint will alert you when your phone has been activated.
    • If you're activating a different phone than the one listed on the right side of the page, click the enter new device link under the "New device to activate" heading, enter the IMEI or MEID number found in your phone's manual or box, and follow the prompts from there.
    • Activating your phone may take up to two minutes.
  13. Image titled Activate a Sprint Phone Step 18
    13
    Power on and set up your new phone. Once your phone is activated, you can turn it on and follow the on-screen prompts to add your account, set up Wi-Fi, and so on.
    14. Advertisement
Part 3
Part 3 of 3:

Activating a New Phone

  1. Image titled Activate a Sprint Phone Step 19
    1
    Find your phone's serial number. Your phone's serial number is most commonly found in the packaging or manual, though you may be able to find the serial number on your phone's receipt if you bought it from a Sprint dealer.
  2. Image titled Activate a Sprint Phone Step 20
    2
    Make sure you know your phone's MEID or IMEI number. You should have found your IMEI or MEID number already; this number in conjunction with your phone's serial number will help identify your phone to Sprint.
  3. Image titled Activate a Sprint Phone Step 21
    3
    Call Sprint customer service. Using a different phone, call Sprint at (888) 211-4727.[4]
  4. Image titled Activate a Sprint Phone Step 22
    4
    Follow the spoken prompts to contact a service representative. Depending on the Sprint menu when you call, these steps may vary, so use your phone's dial pad to navigate through the steps until you reach a representative.
  5. Image titled Activate a Sprint Phone Step 23
    5
    Ask the representative to activate your phone. They should ask you for your account information at this point.
  6. Image titled Activate a Sprint Phone Step 24
    6
    Provide the representative with the requested information. Your representative may ask for your account name, password, PIN, and/or the last four digits of your Social Security Number; they should also ask for your phone's serial number and IMEI number here.
    • If you're using a new Sprint SIM card, you'll have to recite the SIM card's ICCID number as well.
  7. Image titled Activate a Sprint Phone Step 25
    7
    Turn on and set up your activated phone. Once the representative confirms that your phone has been activated, you can turn it on and follow the on-screen prompts to add your account, set up Wi-Fi, and so on.
    8. Advertisement

Community Q&A

  • Question
    What's the activation code for a Sprint phone?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    You get a unique code. If you don't know your code, contact Sprint.
  • Question
    How do I transfer my old data plans to a new phone?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    You can ask the phone company when you are switching over.
  • Question
    Do I really have to activate a Sprint phone?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Yes. If you want to use the Sprint service provided, then you have to activate the phone. If you don't activate your phone, you might not be able to use certain features.
Advertisement

Warnings

  • Attempting to set up your phone before activating it may cause issues when trying to activate it later.
    ⧼thumbs_response⧽
Advertisement

You Might Also Like

Contact Telkom
How to
Contact Telkom
Activate a Verizon SIM Card
How to
Activate a Verizon SIM Card
Activate TracFone2 Ways to Activate a TracFone
Activate an AT&T SIM Card
How to
Activate an AT&T SIM Card
Cancel AT&T Wireless
How to
Cancel AT&T Wireless
Activate a Replacement Verizon Wireless Phone
How to
Activate a Replacement Verizon Wireless Phone
Activate a Vodafone SIM Card
How to
Activate a Vodafone SIM Card
Activate a Verizon Cell Phone
How to
Activate a Verizon Cell Phone
Keep Your Straight Talk Service Active
How to
Keep Your Straight Talk Service Active
Activate T Mobile Voice Mail
How to
Activate T Mobile Voice Mail
Advertisement

References

  1. ↑ https://www.sprint.com/en/support/solutions/device/activate-your-new-phone.html
  2. ↑ https://www.sprint.com/en/support/solutions/device/activate-your-phone-to-an-existing-line-on-sprint.html
  3. ↑ https://www.sprint.com/en/support/solutions/device/activate-your-phone-to-an-existing-line-on-sprint.html
  4. ↑ https://www.techwalla.com/articles/how-to-activate-a-sprint-phone-over-the-phone

About This Article

Jack Lloyd
Written by:
Jack Lloyd
wikiHow Technology Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Jack Lloyd. Jack Lloyd is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. He has over two years of experience writing and editing technology-related articles. He is technology enthusiast and an English teacher. This article has been viewed 889,525 times.
How helpful is this?
Co-authors: 8
Updated: September 1, 2022
Views: 889,525
Categories: Telecommunications Service Providers
Article SummaryX

1. Insert Sprint SIM.
2. Charge phone to 100%.
3. Go to https://www.sprint.com/activate.
4. Click Sign in to activate.
5. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Did this summary help you?
Advertisement