mcfloyd49

Q: imessage and Facetime sign in activation error iPad ios8.1.2

I notice another user has posted today 21st Jan 2015, the same problem I have had for a couple of days.

 

I have an iPad Air, an iPhone 5S and an iMac. Using my iPad on Saturday 18th suddenly couldn't see my imessages or use Facetime (I'd used FT half an hour before it all went); kept on getting Activation error on both Apps. BUT ONLY ON MY IPAD AIR?!

 

My iPhone and iMac work absolutely fine and I can continue to use both with imessage and Facetime. I have so far done the following, as advised by Apple Support and my local Apple Genius Bar appointment today:

 

  • Hard reset. Used home button and off button to reset. Didn't work
  • Reset Network settings. Didn't work
  • Reset All settings. Didn't work
  • Backed up and Restored iPad. Tried to log in to iMessage and Facetime from as new setup before restoring backup. Didn't work
  • Apple Genius bar performed a "deep restore". Didn't work
  • Apple Genius bar performed a "set up as brand new iPad" process. Didn't work
  • Logged out of Apple ID on iPhone then tried logging in to same Apple ID on iPad. Didn't work
  • Apple confirmed my Apple ID is correctly verified on their system.

 

Apple have now escalated my issue to their Engineering Team, so I hope they can fix, but the Apple guy in the store said he'd never come across this problem before.

 

I have been told IT IS NOT a hardware issue, it has to a a software issue, but it sounds more like me that it's an Apple verification issue on their servers?

 

If anyone has come across this, or can provide any other ideas I'd be most grateful. I still have use of imessage and Factime on my iPhone and iMac, so its more frustration that I have an expensive iPad Air that is missing paid-for functionality that I expect Apple to address and nothing more.

 

Thanks in advance

iPad Air, iOS 8.1.2

Posted on Jan 21, 2015 7:18 AM

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Q: imessage and Facetime sign in activation error iPad ios8.1.2

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  • by 'shana,

    'shana 'shana Apr 24, 2015 6:04 PM in response to lamsipad
    Level 1 (55 points)
    Apr 24, 2015 6:04 PM in response to lamsipad

    lamsipad wrote:

     

    Perhaps they are      -     but isn't it strange that those of us who have got it working played around with the time sync and then got in.   You would have thought that if it is being fixed ID by ID for those who have the problem logged would have had a phone call at least then we could feed that back to this discussion!  By the way my time clock is -2.552 seconds off, but since being validated,   I haven't lost iMessages of facetime...... YET!

     

    mini 3  iOS8.0

    My clock is off too but iMessage is still working. I logged into Facetime but haven't tried using it. I don't know of anyone who got a call this round saying 'hey we fixed your problem try now'.

     

    All very strange. I admit, I worked in software tech support years ago and this isn't the way it normally works. Maybe this is the way it works at Apple, I don't know. I told my friend (Apple Fan) that it was working and after telling her I don't know why it started working she said "See, it just works!" Good thing we weren't in the same room at the time ...

     

    Oh and I looked back at my phone log. My first call to AppleCare was March 20.

  • by 'shana,

    'shana 'shana Apr 24, 2015 6:07 PM in response to davebeals
    Level 1 (55 points)
    Apr 24, 2015 6:07 PM in response to davebeals

    "Although all the people i dealt with from Apple were most pleasant and understanding, i have little confidence in their overall technical support."

     

    That was my feeling too. I still haven't heard back from anyone. I'm fixing to take my account out of test mode since my app is working and they seem to not want do any followup.

  • by JGW_Canada,

    JGW_Canada JGW_Canada Apr 25, 2015 6:20 AM in response to 'shana
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 25, 2015 6:20 AM in response to 'shana

    The support i have experienced so far from apple so far has been some of the worst I have experience with any form of customer/tech support.

     

    • Opening with "how are today?" feels forced and unnecessary.
    • empathizing and agreeing that my broken feature is important and the can understand how frustrating it can be when it is not working
    • followed by your intentions to resolve the issue on the call today

     

    is not helpful when

     

    • how i am is likely less than happy if i am calling tech support
    • more frustrated trying to get support on a brand new device than trying to get a feature working
    • the call ends with no meaningful progress and no feeling that I should expect the issue to be fixed in any targeted timeframe

     

    Package this all together with an undertone of we are completely baffled by your issues and no other customer has ever had a problem like this attitude leaves me to wonder if my support person is clueless or instructed to deny any possible flaws with the product because apple is perfect.

     

    I have called multiple times and have has a few call backs over the last week and none have made me feel like it is actually being looked and that I should have any expectations that the issue is going to be fixed.

     

    Also, to have one second level tech be my one and only contact aggravates even further when I have no idea when they work and no other second level can access their notes on the case.

  • by 'shana,

    'shana 'shana Apr 25, 2015 10:42 AM in response to JGW_Canada
    Level 1 (55 points)
    Apr 25, 2015 10:42 AM in response to JGW_Canada

    I wound up talking to my senior tech person quite a lot, some days for an hour. Not that we got a whole lot done besides learning how to back up via iTunes, learning to take an iPad screenshot and me telling him everything I have tried. He was very pleasant to talk to but seemed a little lost on what new things to try. I couldn't talk to an engineer which is what I would have liked to do. So I'd tell senior tech my theories and ideas and he would email the engineers. I don't think he got to talk to them either. I even offered to take my iPad in person to the engineers if they were in my state. Anything to help.

     

    It took 3 calls to get my account into test mode. Which really was because he always had to pretty much start at the beginning plus he was very friendly.

     

    Test mode made me uneasy since they want your info: your password and security answers! Since it is a new account w no credit card attached I did that. Not that I have any idea if it helped. Which is why as soon as I realized they weren't ever going to get back to me I got out of test mode by changing my password and security questions.

     

    He also kept wanting to screen share. Every time I said no because I didn't want to give access to anyone to my computer. I also couldn't figure out why he wanted to screen share, there was nothing wrong with my PC. I think it's a Mac thing.

     

    I hope everyone gets this sorted out. I saw a previous reply said they were working on an update for the ipads. I hope that helps.

  • by JGW_Canada,

    JGW_Canada JGW_Canada Apr 26, 2015 9:58 AM in response to 'shana
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 26, 2015 9:58 AM in response to 'shana

    Just go the first acknowledgement from Apple that I am not the only user to be experiencing this issue. All other calls deliberately steered away from any such possibility. My second level left a voicemail this morning basically the issue is still being investigated. No further updates will be available until engineering let them know.

     

    In other words don't call us we'll call you. There is not expected timeframe for a resolution.

  • by 'shana,

    'shana 'shana Apr 26, 2015 10:36 AM in response to JGW_Canada
    Level 1 (55 points)
    Apr 26, 2015 10:36 AM in response to JGW_Canada

    From the first I was told that they see this 2-3 times a week. By the time I got to senior tech, he said the same thing but it sounded like mine was the first one they couldn't figure out right away. If there was something I did to fix it I really don't know what it could have been or I would let everyone know. I did have it in airplane mode right before I tried it last but don't see how that would make a difference. It was out of airplane mode when I tried.

     

    i Still haven't heard back from Apple acknowledging my email or VM I left once mine started working.

  • by Sutton Owl,

    Sutton Owl Sutton Owl Apr 27, 2015 3:04 PM in response to 'shana
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 27, 2015 3:04 PM in response to 'shana

    Hi,


    Just to add some further examples to the FaceTime fiasco. My parents had an Ipad Air and sunbsequent;y bought a Mini Ipad 3.


    Facetime was working on the Air with their original apple id. They couldn't remember their password when trying to setup the mini iPad though and changed the password. The result was that neither the Ipad Air or Ipad Mini would log into Facetime.


    I have tried all the solutions on here and the only thing that worked for the Ipad Air was to setup a new apple id.


    Moving on to the Mini ipad neither the original id nor the newly created id (which works on the Air) worked. I'd just about given up hope when I tried another (my own) Apple ID on the Mini ipad and this worked.


    This isn't a great solution though as my parents want to Facetime me and their grandson and we both have the same apple ids on our respective ipad minis.



    I think the only solution is for my Mum to call Applecare. I really can't believe how poor and bizarre this whole thing is.


    Any advice is much appreciated.

     

     

    Richard

  • by JGW_Canada,

    JGW_Canada JGW_Canada Apr 27, 2015 3:40 PM in response to Sutton Owl
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 27, 2015 3:40 PM in response to Sutton Owl

    Call in and get a ticket escalated to 2nd level support. Hang up and hope that someday in the future they will fix the issue.

     

    Remember "It just works"

  • by 'shana,

    'shana 'shana Apr 27, 2015 3:58 PM in response to Sutton Owl
    Level 1 (55 points)
    Apr 27, 2015 3:58 PM in response to Sutton Owl

    Yes, she needs to call AppleCare and tell them it's an AppleID problem.

     

    I think they need to stop using your AppleID first so that they will know when either of the 2 IDs they have work.

     

    I'm a little confused, but they have an iPad Air that had a working AppleID for FaceTime. They got an iPad Mini 3 and went to set it up and use Facetime but forgot the password to the ID working on the Air, so they changed the password. Then neither iPad could sign into FaceTime. So they made a new ID and that worked on the Air but not on the mini 3. But your ID worked on the mini 3

     

    That makes sense because with this new problem, new IDs (and recent ones) don't seem to work on the mini 3 for FaceToime or iMessage for some reason. My ID didn't work on anything, my husband's worked on his iPod but not my iPad mini and my friend's id worked fine on my iPad. Her id is several years old.

     

    Anyway, your parents need to decide which id they want to use where.

     

    I can see that they might want a different id for the Air and mini when it comes to Facetime. I don't know the best way to decide which id should go to which iPad, but once they have the Air working (and really it should work with either ID) I'd use the other for the mini.

     

    Once y'all have that sorted out then make sure the mini 3 has the time as close as you can get it and try again.

     

    So for example if they leave the new ID with the Air (the one that works) and use the older ID (that's not working on the air or mini) on the mini. Then have her call Apple and tell them it's an ID problem, that their original ID doesn't work on the mini for FaceTime and iMessage, that they tried a new ID that works on the air but not the mini. And that they tried yours and it does work on the mini. (She needs to tell them that so they don't go round and round with it's a problem with the iPad Mini and try charging you for AppleCare or try to convince her she needs to send it in for a refurb replacement)

     

    They should pass her up the ladder till she talks to a Senior Tech or second line tech. They talk to the engineers. They will talk to her and take down info but don't hold your breath that they will have any suggestions that work. But she needs to call in anyway.

     

    Mine suddenly started working after a month. I just kept trying to sign in and it suddenly worked. I have no idea why, whether Apple did something or I happened to try at the exact right cosmic moment- AppleCare quit returning my emails and phone calls.

     

    Hope that made sense and it helped!! Good luck

  • by fueradeljuego,

    fueradeljuego fueradeljuego Apr 28, 2015 10:09 AM in response to mcfloyd49
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 28, 2015 10:09 AM in response to mcfloyd49

    Same problem, with a 4th generation iPod touch.  Supposedly elevated to an "engineering" level of problem resolution, but I'm not holding my breath.  Really *** because I wanted to set this up to use imessage with my 85-year old father, and it looks like it won't get resolved any time soon.

  • by 'shana,

    'shana 'shana Apr 28, 2015 11:21 AM in response to fueradeljuego
    Level 1 (55 points)
    Apr 28, 2015 11:21 AM in response to fueradeljuego

    I Saw elsewhere that someone was able to get FaceTime and iMessage working today by setting up a new AppleID just for the FaceTime and iMessage. Asked him to post here.


    MIght be an idea for people with new devices, maybe Apple fixed the problem on newly created AppleIDs?

  • by fueradeljuego,

    fueradeljuego fueradeljuego Apr 28, 2015 12:09 PM in response to 'shana
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 28, 2015 12:09 PM in response to 'shana

    Tried that by creating an icloud email address.  I've tried setting up the device using the alternate id, tried logging into iMessage using one or the other, nothing changes.

  • by fueradeljuego,

    fueradeljuego fueradeljuego Apr 28, 2015 12:18 PM in response to fueradeljuego
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 28, 2015 12:18 PM in response to fueradeljuego

    Even though I'm having this problem with an iPod and this is an iPad thread, I think there is a connection.  I'm willing to be that the iMessage IDs are email addressed and not telephone numbers.  Am I right?

  • by 'shana,

    'shana 'shana Apr 28, 2015 12:28 PM in response to fueradeljuego
    Level 1 (55 points)
    Apr 28, 2015 12:28 PM in response to fueradeljuego

    Sorry it didn't work.

     

    Yes, they're associated with an email address. And I'm pretty sure you have the ID problem we're discussing even if you're trying with an iPod.

     

    While I couldn't log into FaceTime and iMessage on my iPad, I couldn't log in on my husband's 4 gen iPod Touch either. His ID worked on his iPod, but not on my iPad. My friend's id worked on both her iPad mini 1 and my iPad mini 3

     

    It has to be an AppleID problem of some kind.

     

    The other poster used a different email address to create the new AppleID, not a cloud address. He's using it just for FaceTime and iMessage. Unfortunately we're all in the dark... because Apple isn't communicating anything except 'we're working on it' and if someone's ID starts working, Apple won't say why (if they even know)

  • by Sutton Owl,

    Sutton Owl Sutton Owl Apr 28, 2015 1:47 PM in response to 'shana
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 28, 2015 1:47 PM in response to 'shana

    Thanks 'shana,

     

    apologies if i wasn't clear. You're summary was correct.

     

    iI'll tell My mum to call Applecare.

     

     

    i'll post when I have any further updates.

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