For those who are unfamiliar with the term, iMessage is a service that was developed by Apple and launched back in 2011. It’s supported by the message application in iOS version 5 and later. iMessage was a hit almost from the first moment it got to the market as a built-in iPhone feature. It allows you to send messages, but also pictures, videos, contact information, etc. You’ve probably been using it for years if you’ve been an iPhone owner. But what can you do if you’re trying to set up iMessage on your phone, and you’re getting an activation error message?
Solving the iMessage activation unsuccessful error in iOS may seem complicated, but it doesn’t have too many issues. You can start fixing the problem depending on the error appearing on the screen. Apple did provide suitable solutions to resolve it so that I will explain those solutions, but Apple certainly missed an in-depth guide. IMessage is a very popular communication tool on the iPhone, free and efficient, but sometimes iMessager servers may be down, and led to some delivery issues. Today numerous people on Twitter that they encountered an iMessage issue that the Message failed to send and receive across iOS, Mac, and Apple Watch. According to scattered reports. 3 days ago I switched carriers and ported my number over, the store rep advised me to keep iMessage turned off until my number gets ported over then turn it on, it’s been over 72 hours and I continue getting “activation unsuccessful, turn on iMessage to try again”. If iMessage is not working on iOS 14 and you know there is a minor issue causing it, consider restarting your device. This will reset its present power cycle and would reboot the phone. If you are using an old generation device, then just press the Power button on the side.
When Are You Likely to Encounter an iMessage Activation Error?
The times that you are most likely to get an iMessage activation error notification is when you’re either setting up a new iPhone that you just purchased, or else when you’ve switched phone numbers or carriers. The most common reason for the problem is a software issue rather than a hardware one.
What iMessage Activation Error Notifications Might You Get?
Your device might display several different iMessage activation errors. For instance, it might say “waiting for activation,” but then it doesn’t activate. You could get one that says “activation unsuccessful.” “An error occurred during activation” is another one. There’s also one that says “could not sign in, please check your network connection.” The phrasing with each of these is a little different, but the result is the same: your iMessage feature hasn’t been activated successfully.
Connect to Wi-Fi or Cellular to Get Rid of an iMessage Activation Error
The first thing worth trying if you’ve got one of these messages is to make sure that you are connected to either a stable Wi-Fi or cellular network. Recipe box and cards. If you’re at home and you’re trying to connect to your Wi-Fi network, you can check to see that you’ve got a steady signal by going to Settings, then Wi-Fi. If you’re not connected, put in your password, wait for your device to display the Wi-Fi symbol, and see if that makes a difference.
If you want to set up iMessage when you’re using cellular data, that’s fine too. Go to Settings, then Cellular. Next, toggle Cellular Data on. You know you’ve done it right if the slider goes from clear to green.
Airplane Mode for an iMessage Activation Error is Possible
You can also turn your Airplane mode feature on and off a couple of times. Do so by going to Settings. Under your name, Apple ID, iCloud, etc., you will see the Airplane mode switch. Toggle it to the right so that it goes from clear to green. Then, toggle it back the other way so that it goes from green to clear. Do that a few times, then see if you can set up iMessage. If you still can’t, keep reading.
Checking the Time for an iMessage Activation Error
Checking the time for an iMessage activation error might not seem like it would do a lot of good, but you might be surprised. Apple tries to authenticate your device for iMessage as part of the setup process. The activation server needs the time between them and your device to be in sync. If they aren’t, then you could get an error message.
To be sure that they match up, go to Settings, General, then Date and Time. Look to see that the time and date are on Set Automatically. Sketch program for mac. Make sure that the time zone is correct, as well.
Turn Off iMessage and Restart the Device
In the Settings app, go to Messages. Hit Turn Off iMessage. Next, you will need to reboot the iPhone. To do that if you have an iPhone 8 or an earlier model, press and hold the Top or Side button until you see the Slide to Power Off slider. Slide it to the right, turning off the phone. Then you must press and hold the Top or Side button till you see the Apple logo on the display. That means the phone is starting up again.
If you own an iPhone X or later, then you’ll need to press and hold the Side button and either the Volume Up or Volume Down button. The Power Off Slider will come up. Slide it to the right, turning off the device. Next, press and hold the Side button again until you see the Apple logo on the screen.
Now, turn iMessage back on and see if you can get through the setup without seeing an error message.
No Cell Plan SMS? You May Get an iMessage Activation Error
If you are trying to activate the iMessage feature on your phone, then Apple will try to send you an SMS. SMS means Short Message Service. It is a way for you to send short, text-only messages from one phone to another.
The SMS that Apple sends you is invisible to the user. It happens “behind the scenes” with your iPhone. Apple is sending the SMS to verify its status. The problem might come about because your carrier service is not set up to receive these sorts of messages. That would be unusual, but it is not impossible. To make sure that’s not what is happening, you’ll have to reach out to your carrier to see if your phone can receive SMS messages. If it isn’t set up to get them yet, tell them to activate that feature, then try to set up iMessage one more time.
Prepaid User? That Might Be What’s Causing the iMessage Activation Error
The issue in this scenario is if you have a prepaid phone plan. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that; it’s just that you might not have enough credit to receive the SMS text message that Apple is trying to send you to verify your phone. This SMS protocol has to happen for activation to occur successfully. You’ll need to add enough money to your plan to get text messages if you want to stop getting the activation error notification and finish setting up iMessage.
Reset Network Settings if You Get an iMessage Activation Error
Next up, you can try resetting your network settings. A Wi-Fi or cellular network issue might be preventing the SMS message from getting through to your device. Go to Settings, then General. Hit Reset Network Settings. Once the reset is done, you should enter your Wi-Fi password again. You will be operating with a clean slate, and that might get rid of whatever the issue was.
Updating iOS Might be the Answer to Your Activation Error Issues
You can also try updating to the latest version of iOS if there’s a new one out. To check on that, go to Settings, then General. See if there is a Software Update. If there is one, tap it to get it started. Once it’s finished, try setting up iMessage on your phone again.
Try Waiting 24 Hours
The last thing that we can suggest is to sit back and wait for 24 hours to see if the problem resolves itself. This is the least proactive thing that you can do, but it’s one of the options that Apple suggests for this particular issue. If you have attempted everything else on this list and nothing has worked, then there is no harm in giving it a try.
If that failed to solve the problem, then the time has come to either reach out to Apple Support online or take the device to an Apple Store with a Genius Bar. It’s probably better to get the professionals to look at the device in person since there are limits to what you might be able to accomplish through Live Chat.
When you first buy your new iPhone, and you are setting it up, you expect things to go smoothly. Ideally, all of the features will be working as they should, and you won’t have to make any adjustments or do any troubleshooting. Occasionally, though, you might run into a problem, and iMessage activation is an area where that can take place.
iMessage is Apple’s instant messaging service that sends messages over the internet using your data. If you aren’t able to set it up correctly, then you will not be able to send and receive texts, and also pictures and videos. In this article, we’ll discuss what you can do if iMessage activation has failed for your device.
What Messages Indicate that iMessage Activation Has Been Unsuccessful?
There are several messages that you might get, which will let you know that iMessage activation has failed as you are trying to set it up. You might get one that says “Unable to contact the message server. Try again.” You may get “Could not sign in, please check your network connection.” There’s the “An error occurred during activation” message, as well as “Activation unsuccessful.” Any of those let you know that you’re going to have to make an adjustment with your device to get iMessage functionality working.
For iMessage Activation Failure, Check Your Device Settings
The most logical thing to do if you get one of these messages as you’re trying to set up iMessage is to check your phone’s settings. Specifically, you should check to be sure that you are either connected to Wi-Fi or you’re using cellular data. If neither of these is true, then you won’t be able to use the iMessage feature on your phone.
To see if you are connected to Wi-Fi, go to Settings, then check Wi-Fi. The network to which you are connected should come up, and there should be a checkmark next to it. If you aren’t connected to a network, then you can do so if you have the password to it, and the network is stable. It’s best to only connect to trusted networks. That way, you can have iMessage accessibility, but you can also be sure that any sensitive data on your phone will not be compromised.
If you don’t have access to a Wi-Fi network, but you still want to activate and use iMessage, then you’ll have to use your cellular data. If you have a data plan with a service provider, then you should be able to do that. You’ll need to go to Settings on your phone, then tap Cellular. Where it says Cellular Data, toggle the switch to the on position. When it is on the right-hand side and turns green, you’ll know that you’ve done it correctly.
Imessage Unsuccessful Activation Ios 12
With either Wi-Fi or cellular service working, you should be able to activate iMessage. If you can’t, then keep reading.
You Need SMS Messaging to Activate iMessage
In order for iMessage to work on your iPhone, you also need SMS messaging to be functional. SMS stands for Short Messaging Service. This is the technology that is used for text messages, which are typically sent over a cellular data network. Rendering for mac sketchup. All iPhones come equipped with this tech, so that’s never going to be an issue for you.
The only reason that your SMS messaging might not be working is if the data plan that you got with your carrier does not support it. It’s not very likely that would happen, but you should always read through your carrier contract carefully to make sure that SMS messaging is a part of it. If you don’t have it as a part of your plan, then you won’t be able to use iMessage.
Activation Issues Related to Date and Time Settings
You should next look into whether the date and time are set correctly on your iPhone. There are particular functionalities that don’t always work as they should until you set the correct date and time on your device. Go to Settings, then General. Go to Date and Time and set it up for your time zone and the correct date if you see that what you have there is not accurate.
See if iMessage is working for you now.
Try Turning Off iMessage and Turning it On Again
The next thing that you could try is to go to Settings, then Messages. From there, turn off iMessage. Next, restart your device. If you have the iPhone X or above, then press and hold the Side button and either of the Volume buttons. When the slider comes up, drag it to the right, turning off the phone. After a few seconds have passed, press and hold down your Side button until the Apple logo comes up. When the phone is up and running again, turn iMessage back on and see if it’s working.
If you have an iPhone 6, 7, or 8, then you’ll need to press and hold down your Side button until the slider comes up on the display. Drag the slider and wait as the device powers down. Then, press and hold your Side button again until you see the Apple logo, and the phone will power back up.
If you have the iPhone 5 or below, then you’ll need to press and hold down your Top button until you see the slider. Slide it to the right, shutting off the phone. To turn it back on, press and hold down the Top button until you see the Apple logo.
If You’re Still Dealing with iMessage Activation Failure, Update iOS
The next option that is worth trying if you still can’t get iMessage to work is to check and see if there is a new version of iOS available. iOS is the universal Apple operating system, and they put out new editions of it periodically to fix glitches and bugs.
You’ll need to go to Settings on your iPhone, then General. Tap Software Update, and if you see that a new version is there, download it. You can also turn on the automated setting for updates if you like.
If iMessage Still Doesn’t Activate, Contact Your Carrier
Imessage Activation Error
You will now have exhausted the majority of your options having to do with your phone’s software. If iMessage still fails to activate, then you should reach out to your carrier. They might have some idea as to what’s going on.