Q:

Direct3D-XAML Application's Activate never gets fired

I'm just testing out a stock Windows Phone 8 Direct3D XAML app generated by Visual Studio 2012. I've noticed that from the PhoneApplicationService events that have been attached to (launching, activated, closing, deactivated), Activated never gets called. I've been trying to figure out how to do that.
I've tried:

opening the app, hitting the windows button and then reopening the app.
opening the app, hitting the back button and reopening the app. 
having an alarm from the alarm app fire which displays a window over the app

What can I do on a device or emulator to get Activated called?

A:

Your attempts are wrong. When you reopen an app or hit close on the main screen, you will get Launching event. To get Activated, you need to press Windows key while the application is active and then press back key. This will return you to your application and fire the Activated event.
What you got in your cases is:

Launching -> Deactivate -> Launching
Launching -> Closing -> Launching
Screen was obstructed

