You have exceeded the number of accounts that you can set up with iCloud on a single device in one year.
Learn what to do if you can’t create an Apple Account or see “your account cannot be created at this time”.
If you see “The maximum number of free accounts have been activated on this [device]”, it means that you have exceeded the number of accounts that you can set up with iCloud on a single device in one year.
You might see this message when:
Signing in to an Apple Account you already created on the web, an Apple TV, or a third-party device, but have not yet set up with iCloud.
Creating an Apple Account in Settings or System Settings on a device that has already been used to create other accounts this year.
Signing in to an Apple Account that has web-only access to iCloud.
If you have another iPhone, iPad, or Mac, you can try setting up iCloud with your Apple Account on that device. Sign in with your Apple Account, then follow the onscreen steps to start using iCloud. If you still see the same error, get suggestions on what to try next.
Or, if you already have an Apple Account set up with iCloud, sign in with that Apple Account instead.
Your Apple Account is what you use to access Apple services like the App Store, Apple Music, iCloud, iMessage, FaceTime, and more. You sign in to all Apple services with this single Apple Account.