The person you are trying to message is likely not an Apple user, is not registered, or you've entered the number wrong. When you’re trying to activate iMessage on iPhone or iPad, make sure your device is connected on an active Internet connection whether WiFi or mobile data. 5. This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. Try again. They might have some idea as to what’s going on. Upon activating iMessage, you need an SMS messaging service to activate the phone number. References Activation usually happens within an hour. Go back, and then search for FaceTime settings, and then turn it off. You will need a valid text message plan with your carrier in order to use iMessages without a wireless connection. The receiver will not be able to recognize that the message is either sent from your iPhone or the Mac. This is directly related to the previous possible solution. If you are abroad, using iMessage over Wi-Fi allows you to send texts for free. iMessage: Activated! 2. Enabling iMessage on iPhone How To Enable imessage On Iphone. Tap on the settings icon, and scroll down until “Messages” shows up on the screen and tap on it. Tap Messages. Additionally, you can sync iMessages on iCloud. Before You Start With the Fixes. Unable to contact the iMessage server. Turn off and restart iMessage and FaceTime. Scroll down and tap on "Messages". 4) Toggle on iMessage and then FaceTime, in that order. The device will verify your login information and then activate iMessages if successful. To do so, open the Settings app, … What does it mean if iMessage uses a green color? Check the message setting on the iPhone. i Message allows you to receive and send, style multimedia messages (MMS) and text messages (SMS), just as a phone would do. Go to Settings > Messages and turn off iMessage. Your support helps wikiHow to create more in-depth illustrated articles and videos and to share our trusted brand of instructional content with millions of people all over the world. Please consider making a contribution to wikiHow today. Tap Send & Receive. Before iOS 13, you could only use one phone number with FaceTime and iMessage at a time. Make sure to turn off SMS messages to avoid higher charges. Go to Settings > Messages and turn off iMessage. Hi, i’ve tried everything on the list and my imessage still says “activation unsuccessful.” i have an iphone 11 and even updated my phone to the latest IOS but it is still not working when i try to activate my phone number with imessage. If the email address is incorrect, you can update it. Before the start of using messages, sending photos, texts, videos, locations, contact cards and voice memos, you have to set it up. We've got the tips you need! 2. The new phone number should reflect on the iMessage. The slider will turn green, indicating that iMessages are now enabled. Instead of using a phone number, it makes use of your email address. [1] X Research source You can try setting an email address as the place from which iMessages send if you don't want other people to see your ph… You might have missed a step. Follow the steps listed below, and hopefully, iMessage will finally activate. If your iPhone is failing to activate iMessage or FaceTime, make sure you activated SMS messaging on your phone. You’ve successfully activated iMessage on your iPhone! Instead of just a phone number, however, it can use your email address, and it only works with other iPads, iPhones, and Macs. If you don’t have an Apple ID, see. It may take more than 24 hours to activate iMessage and Face Time. Depending on your carrier, you might be charged for this SMS. Contact your wireless provider to make sure that iMessage is supported by, this will help save time when iMessage waiting for activation after iMessage activation unsuccessful. Open Settings on the iPhone. Tested. If you have issues, make sure your device is up to date. Apple makes no representations regarding third-party website accuracy or reliability. Upon activating iMessage, you need an SMS messaging service to activate the phone number. We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. Even after following the above steps, if you continue to face the problem, it is time to contact your carrier support and Apple support. Carefully follow the steps given below to activate your iMessage smoothly: • Visit “Setting” on your iPhone. You just have to make sure to turn off both iOS and FaceTime first. The device will verify your login information and then activate iMessages if successful. Resetting your iPhone's phone number is only necessary when the phone number displayed in the iMessages section is incorrect. Here are steps on how to activate iMessage and FaceTime after Removing SIM Card or for the first time: Disable iMessage and FaceTime. If it is blue, it means the message was sent with WiFi/mobile data to another iPhone. The first thing to do is to check the message settings on your iPhone SE and make sure your Apple ID has been signed-in on Send & Receive. The service will now activate, which means you should also see dialog boxes appear on your iPad or Mac asking if you want your iPhone number to be added to iMessage and FaceTime. The port completed and I now send and receive calls on my own number. Information about products not manufactured by Apple, or independent websites not controlled or tested by Apple, is provided without recommendation or endorsement. Make sure you have the correct time zone by going to Settings>General>Date & Time. If you … Contact Carrier/Apple Support. If asked, sign in with the Apple ID you're using with … I used a combination of steps: 1) toggle off both iMessage and FaceTime. If your iPhone is used with a carrier not found in the. You can turn off and turn back on your iMessage. The issue will most likely be eliminated. iMessages may take up to 24 hours to activate because Apple needs to verify that the phone number and Apple ID match. Once the reset completes, try to activate iMessage again. If you have done this and it still doesn't work, call Apple Support as you might have an issue with your phone or number. In very rare cases, the only way to activate iMessage on your iPhone will be to contact Apple Support. How To Enable imessage On Iphone So open the Settings app then scroll down until you find the Messages section.Tap on Messages and you’ll see a new page with an option at the top to enable iMessage.Tap on the button to the right of the name so that the background turns green. In order to send and receive iMessages to your iPhone, iMessage must be enabled.. By doing this, you will associate your phone number with the email address used for your Apple ID or iCloud account. If iMessage waiting for activation problem is still not resolved then last try you can … And if you’re setting up iMessage for the very first time, an SMS will be sent to servers for verification, and you might be charged for this SMS depending on which network provider plan you use. Do I need to specify which iPhone numbers I want to be able to iMessage? How to Fix iMessage sending from email instead of phone number Change the iMessage Setting. These settings will affect which emails or phone numbers you can send and receive messages to or from. In the You can be reached by iMessage at:section, you can add, remove, and select email addresses to receive iMessages. 1. Now, you can either use your Apple ID for using iMessage or your contact number. You can easily change your phone number for iMessage and FaceTime. Contact your Carrier support team and verify any limiting condition on your for iMessage… On iPhones, iMessage activates using SMS so it cannot initiate without it. You will now have exhausted the majority of your options having to do with your phone’s software. Input your Apple username and password, or click on. Why does the intended receiver show not registered with iMessage? Earlier this week I ported my number from a work account (V) to a personal account. • Turn off “WiFi”/ “Mobile Data” and restart your device. If none of the fixes above worked, then it’s time to throw in the towel and ring up your carrier (if you’re trying to activate iMessage and FaceTime on the iPhone) or contact Apple Support. Tap on an email or phone number to enable. Before you can start using iMessage, you'll need to set it up; here's how you do it! This will allow you to send and receive messages to other iPhone, iPad, and Mac users using WiFi instead of cellular data. Tap on settings, scroll down to Messages, then tap on it to reveal Messages settings. Switch off the phone, and then swap the SIM cards. FaceTime is not available in all countries or regions. The wikiHow Tech Team also followed the article's instructions and verified that they work. As a first step, you can go to Setting and scroll and tap on Message; Just turn off iMessage by swipe the toggle button and turn it back on; Note: When you activate iMessage service again, it charge some When I try to select my number for messages to be sent, it's greyed out. This article has been viewed 1,093,901 times. Tap on iMessage toggle to turn it off, this changes the toggle from Contact Apple Support. Activation usually happens within an hour. This will allow the email or number to send/receive messages using the iMessage service. You can do it easily from the below guide. A check mark will appear next to the account. It only works on Apple devices like iPod touches, iPads, iPhones and Macs. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 1,093,901 times. Go to Setting and tap on Messages; You can see toggle button next to iMessage, Turn it off for a few seconds and turn it back on. Sign in to your Apple ID account page and review all the email addresses you have on file, including the one that you're trying to verify. Tap Send & Receive. If the problem persists even after 24 hours, check if that your device has the latest version of iOS or you can also contact Apple Support. If you really can’t stand to see another ad again, then please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. You can literally have a subject (much like an email) in your text messages and iMessages. Turn off and restart iMessage and FaceTime. If you get an error when trying to activate iMessage or FaceTime, If you can't sign in to your iMessage account or FaceTime on your Mac, Could not sign in, please check your network connection. That’s all on how to fix iMessage won’t activate on iPhone. Copyright © 2021 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Tap a phone number or email address to activate it. Go to Settings > Messages on your phone and make sure iMessage is turned on. But the SMS service needs a working phone number and a SIM card to function. iMessage lets you send and receive SMS-like text messages, and MMS-style multimedia messages just like a phone through your iCloud account. Please consider making a contribution to wikiHow today. This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. I received a temp SIM with a temp number to do this. is my new (correct) number - in this screenshot with area code 661. Add credit if you’re a pre-paid user. You will also need this upon activating FaceTime. Tap on the button to the right of the name so that the background turns green. iMesage has an inactivation error, how can I fix it? Verify Your Phone Number(s) Firstly go to the main setting of your iPhone. % of people told us that this article helped them. They should be able to help you get through the activation phase by suggesting fixes relevant to your device and region. You will also need this upon activating FaceTime. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Contact Carrier/Apple Support. To use iMessage or FaceTime, you need to activate them on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Contact the vendor for additional information. Why are some numbers listed as "not registered with iMessage"? My case was somewhat unusual because I was trying to activate a secondary phone number on the same iPhone. However, when I upgraded to the iPhone X, I saw the iMessage waiting for activation error, and the only fix involved speaking directly with my cellular company—the problem was on their end. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. If even your carrier is unable to fix the problem, contact Apple for help. You may do the following steps before activating Facetime/iMessage. Make sure you have the correct time zone by going to Settings>General>Date & Time. Go to Settings > Messages and toggle on MMS Messaging and Send as SMS. 5. [1] Here are the things you need to sort out in order to make iMessage … Contact your wireless provider to make sure that iMessage is supported by, this will help save time when iMessage waiting for activation after iMessage activation unsuccessful. Go to Settings > FaceTime and turn off FaceTime. 2) Turn on Airplane Mode. If the issue continues after 24 hours, follow these steps: You can also use your email address with iMessage and FaceTime. So if you want to uncheck your phone number but it is grayed out, you will need to check your email address or another phone number first. Method 7: Sign in and Sign out in iMessage Restart your device: iPhone iPad iPod touch. Tap on iMessage toggle to turn it off, this changes the toggle from You just have to make sure to turn off both iOS and FaceTime first. Tech should make life easier, not harder. Tap on Messages. You can check for updates in the General section of the Settings app. Here you will see your registered Apple ID and phone numbers if iMessage was activated using a number on some other Apple device. How to activate iMessage on iPhone X/8/8 Plus. The iMessage feature will automatically collect the user’s phone number or Apple ID or sometimes both for iPhone users. If your iPhone is already sending iMessages from your phone number, skip this method. If you see “Use your Apple ID for iMessage,” tap it and sign in with the same … Your device will now be able to send and receive messages without usi… Download iSkysoft Toolbox to transfer WhatsApp messages between iPhone and Android without resetting your phone. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. Instead of using a phone number, it makes use of your email address. 4. Apple assumes no responsibility with regard to the selection, performance, or use of third-party websites or products. When activating iMessage or FaceTime, you might see one of these messages: It might take up to 24 hours to activate iMessage and FaceTime. Oftentimes, when iMessage or FaceTime won't activate, you can resolve the problem by turning certain settings on and off or signing out of iCloud and back in. Try or Leave Public Beta of iOS. On your iPhone, launch the Settings app. I recently encountered a slight variation of this issue where not only the “Waiting for activation” message was showing up, but the phone number I was trying to activate with iMessage was greyed out with a spinning wheel next to it. I've tried: turning iMessage on and off, resetting network settings, rebooting my phone and nothing's worked. If the problem doesn’t go … back when it was Wind / Freedom mobile, they had issues with iphone users unable to activate iMessage/Facetime on their phone numbers. 1. If you see an error message during activation, follow these steps. You must have at least one destination checked on this screen if you have iMessage turned on. Tap on settings, scroll down to Messages, then tap on it to reveal Messages settings. Amid the current public health and economic crises, when the world is shifting dramatically and we are all learning and adapting to changes in daily life, people need wikiHow more than ever. mind you, this … 3. iMessage won't verify my phone number. Here's how to activate an iPhone shipped to you or after upgrading from a previous device. wikiHow's. Then tap on the phone to open the phone menu. Go to "Settings" app on your new iPhone. If iMessage Still Doesn’t Activate, Contact Your Carrier. Turn the iMessage toggle On. Contact your Carrier support team and verify any limiting condition on your for iMessage… Once you have set a phone number on iPhone, you could now freely turn on or off this number with iMessage on iPad and iPod devices. If you want to use the Apple pay cash in iMessage or send multimedia messages in iMessage, the first step is to set up the iMessage function on iPhone X/8/8 Plus. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. If you have two phone numbers activated on your Dual SIM supported iPhone, you can now activate FaceTime and iMessage on both numbers together. I have tried a number of suggestions I've found online: turning off iMessage & Facetime and restarting phone; changing phone number and changing back; signing out of AppleID throughout phone then signing back in - however I still can't activate them. Last Updated: October 1, 2019 Address, create, and send messages with iMessage. Contact your Carrier support team and verify any limiting condition on your for iMessage… For Messages, open “Settings > Messages” option and make sure that iMessage is on. If the message is green on your screen, it means you are either talking to someone with an Android device, or the message was not sent using WiFi. Download iSkysoft Toolbox to transfer WhatsApp messages between iPhone and Android without resetting your phone. i Message allows you to receive and send, style multimedia messages (MMS) and text messages (SMS), just as a phone would do. When you’re trying to activate iMessage on iPhone or iPad, make sure your device is connected on an active Internet connection whether WiFi or mobile data. 1. Check the date and time settings on the device. If you don't have an Apple ID, see this guide for detailed instructions on creating one. iMessages may take up to 24 hours to activate because Apple needs to verify that the phone number and Apple ID match. Method 6: Turn off and turn back on iMessage. If you are on an iPad, only iPhone and other iPad numbers can be used to text and Facetime. Why am I unable to click on "Messages" when the "Preferences" section is faded? From the Home screen, tap the Messages icon. On the contrary, if you are on an iPad or … Understand when to use this method. If you don't see the link, check your junk mail folder. So I receive my iMessages over email which I don't want to do. How to Turn ON iMessage on your iPhone and iPad. Also, check that your mobile plan includes SMS service. You can easily change your phone number for iMessage and FaceTime. Go to Settings > General > Date & Time and make sure that. Go to Settings > Messages Now turn off iMessage and FaceTime Next, go to Settings or open Notification center and enable the Airplane mode iPhone Not Syncing iMessage ? In the phone menu at the top verify that at the top check on the My number and verify that your number is entered correctly or not. Contact your wireless provider to make sure that iMessage is supported by, this will help save time when iMessage waiting for activation after iMessage activation unsuccessful. If you do not have Wi-fi does iMessage still work? It only works on Apple devices like iPod touches, iPads, iPhones and Macs. They should be able to help you get through the activation phase by suggesting fixes relevant to your device and region. In the form that appears, you can address a message in a couple of ways: Begin to type an address in the To: field, and a list of matching contacts appears. Before iOS 13, you could only use one phone number with FaceTime and iMessage at a time. Depending on your carrier, you might be charged for this SMS. In order to send and receive iMessages to your iPhone, iMessage must be enabled.. By doing this, you will associate your phone number with the email address used for your Apple ID or iCloud account. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Every day at wikiHow, we work hard to give you access to instructions and information that will help you live a better life, whether it's keeping you safer, healthier, or improving your well-being. 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