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Adam's username Author
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iMessage stuck 'waiting for activation' following iOS 13.0 update

Since updating my iPhone to iOS 13.0, iMessage doesn't work. It says 'Waiting for activation'. FaceTime's doing the same thing.



I've tried switching iMessage and FaceTime off and then on again, Airplane Mode on/off, logging out of iCloud and logging back in, switching the phone off and then on, removing and replacing the SIM card, and doing all of those things together. And I've updated my APN settings. I've also tried waiting, as Apple says it can take up to 24 hours to activate (though I doubt it does take that long).


Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

iPhone 7 Plus

Posted on Sep 21, 2019 1:43 PM

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User profile for user: Adam's username
Adam's username Author
User level: Level 1
31 points

Posted on Sep 22, 2019 8:16 AM

I have now resolved this, although it took six hours. I also discovered that Apple are aware of this problem: others have had it.


If you have this problem:


  1. Try the things suggested in my original post above, as they're quick and easy, and they should fix this for some people. Again: switch iMessage and FaceTime off and then on again, switch Airplane Mode on/off, log out of iCloud and log back in, switch the phone off and then on, remove and replace the SIM card, update your APN settings, and try doing a combination of these things, or all of them together. If you don't know how to do anything mentioned here, try Googling it.
  2. Try connecting to a different WiFi network from your usual one. Switch Messages and FaceTime off in Settings. Power off your phone and start it up again. Switch Messages and FaceTime on. Didn't work for me, but Apple said it has worked for some people.
  3. Do a full back-up of your phone. Do a force restart and configure it as a new phone. In settings, log into your iCloud account and Messages and FaceTime on. Then you can back your phone up from your back-up. This was what worked for me, though I lost all of my apps in the process (but not their data, thank goodness).
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Question marked as Top-ranking reply
User profile for user: Adam's username
Adam's username Author
User level: Level 1
31 points

Sep 22, 2019 8:16 AM in response to Adam's username

I have now resolved this, although it took six hours. I also discovered that Apple are aware of this problem: others have had it.


If you have this problem:


  1. Try the things suggested in my original post above, as they're quick and easy, and they should fix this for some people. Again: switch iMessage and FaceTime off and then on again, switch Airplane Mode on/off, log out of iCloud and log back in, switch the phone off and then on, remove and replace the SIM card, update your APN settings, and try doing a combination of these things, or all of them together. If you don't know how to do anything mentioned here, try Googling it.
  2. Try connecting to a different WiFi network from your usual one. Switch Messages and FaceTime off in Settings. Power off your phone and start it up again. Switch Messages and FaceTime on. Didn't work for me, but Apple said it has worked for some people.
  3. Do a full back-up of your phone. Do a force restart and configure it as a new phone. In settings, log into your iCloud account and Messages and FaceTime on. Then you can back your phone up from your back-up. This was what worked for me, though I lost all of my apps in the process (but not their data, thank goodness).
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iMessage stuck 'waiting for activation' following iOS 13.0 update

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