Valsh

Q: iMessage/Facetime activation bug on iOS 10

Hello,

 

The bug first appeared after the first intentional reboot after iOS 10 update, my iPhone 5 was offline for a couple of hours. After it was booted I started getting iM/FT requests on reboot or random time after even when I turned iM/FT completely off!

 

I haven't moved my SIM-card. If I refuse to activate iM I can't see my phone number in the Contacts section.

 

The same bug persists on my wife's iPhone 5s while her phone was never offline except 10.0.2 update.

iPhone 5, iOS 10.0.2

Posted on Oct 2, 2016 10:51 AM

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Q: iMessage/Facetime activation bug on iOS 10

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  • by iDriss_5555,

    iDriss_5555 iDriss_5555 Oct 2, 2016 11:06 AM in response to Valsh
    Level 1 (116 points)
    Mac OS X
    Oct 2, 2016 11:06 AM in response to Valsh

    Hi Valsh,

     

    Here's how to Fix iMessage / FaceTime not Activating issues.

    Before you start, you’ll need to sort these things out:

    • Make sure in the Phone app, you’ve got your number listed. On top of ‘Contacts’ you should see your number listed (My Number:). If not, you’ll need to go to Settings → Phone → My Number and enter your number.
    • Make sure Date & Time (under General) are correct. Set to ‘Set Automatically’ make sure the Time Zone is correct and the iPhone holds the right time.
    • Also make sure you’ve got a working network. Wi-fi issues can cause iMessage activation problems so have cellular enabled.
      For some users, the message sent out for activation goes out as an international SMS. Make sure your carrier permits these and you have sufficient amount to send them.


    1. Contact Your Carrier

    First of all make sure that your carrier support iMessage or not. Contact your Carrier support team and verify any limiting condition on your for iMessage, blocks, or filters on text messages.


    2. Airplane Mode

    As strange as it sounds, may be you should try this method if nothing else works. We found the airplane mode activation mode in one of the discussions. It sounds simple and if it solves, that’d be good, right?

    Here’s how it works:

    Step #1. Go to Settings → scroll down and tap on Messages and turn offiMessage (also disable FaceTime)

    Step #2. Turn on the Airplane mode. Wifi will be turned OFF automatically.

    Step #3: Turn ON Wifi.

    Step #4. Head back to Messages and turn-on iMessage.

    Step #5. You’ll be prompted for your Apple ID if you haven’t added it yet. (else, you don’t get any notification)

    Step #6. Now, head back to Settings and turn OFF Airplane mode.

    Step #7. Mostly, you’ll be shown a notification that says ‘Your carrier may charge for SMS’ – Tap on OK

    Step #8. If not, go to Messages, turn OFF iMessage and then turn it ON again.

    Step #9. In a short while, iMessage should get activated.

    Step #10. You’ll see a greyed out number and an email ID. A little later, the number should be checked and that’s it.


    3. Apple ID Sign-out, Sign-in

    Sometimes, you just need to sign-out of your Apple ID and then login again.

    Step #1. Under Settings → Message, scroll down to where it says ‘Send & Receive’and tap on it.

    Step #2. Tap on the Apple ID and then press Sign Out.

    Step #3. Switch off iMessage now.

    Step #4. Wait for a while (turn on/off Wifi) and then switch ON iMessage.

    Step #5. Enter your Apple ID details now and try to reactivate iMessage

     

    4. Reset, Or Restore

    If things don’t work, you’ll first need to reset your location settings, then the iPhone. Reset is just a forced reboot so your data remains safe. After the reset, you’ll just login with your Apple ID and set up iMessage as new.

    Should this fail, you might have to restore the iPhone as new or from a backup.

     

    Hope this helps,

    Cheers.

  • by Valsh,

    Valsh Valsh Oct 2, 2016 12:19 PM in response to iDriss_5555
    Level 1 (9 points)
    iPhone
    Oct 2, 2016 12:19 PM in response to iDriss_5555

    Hello iDriss_555,

     

    thank you for your reply.

     

    If I activate iM, my phone number will be added to the Contacts automatically. This is also an indication that iM was activated properly.

     

    I tried the "Airplane mode" trick, let me take some time to understand if it worked.

  • by Valsh,

    Valsh Valsh Oct 5, 2016 4:47 PM in response to iDriss_5555
    Level 1 (9 points)
    iPhone
    Oct 5, 2016 4:47 PM in response to iDriss_5555

    Finally, I have tested all of the above including reflashing.

     

    Nothing helped. On every reboot I'm still getting this annoying iM activation request.

  • by Valsh,Solvedanswer

    Valsh Valsh Oct 7, 2016 1:21 PM in response to Valsh
    Level 1 (9 points)
    iPhone
    Oct 7, 2016 1:21 PM in response to Valsh

    Well, this looks like a solution which I planned as a last resort: Re: iMessage and facetime activation requires after every restart

     

    However, this is still a bug with iM/FT.