SMS/FaceTime waiting on activation

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Level 1

9 points

SMS/FaceTime waiting on activation

Hey,

I bought a new iPhone XS to replace my old 6s. Both are connected to my Apple ID (as is my work phone, although I do want to figure out how to create a new Apple ID for my work phone.) My old 6s is still active and works fine but my new phone, although it was an upgrade I’ve been given a new phone number. I can call out/use iOS/apps work fine but I can’t send or receive sms or use FaceTime as it says waiting on activation.

I've looked for solutions online, so far I have done a hard reset, turned phone on/off, turned airplane mode on/off, contacted my carrier who didn’t know, activated my sim online (made no difference), checked the settings matched my old iPhone.

please can anyone help me? I have this lovely new phone and can’t use it which is disappointing!

iPhone XS, iOS 13

Posted on Mar 30, 2020 12:00 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

SravanKrA

Level 10

432,756 points

Mar 30, 2020 12:07 AM in response to Confused_83

For iMessage and FaceTime activation....

If you're using an iPhone, you need SMS messaging to activate your phone number with iMessage and FaceTime. Depending on your carrier, you might be charged for this (for iMessage activation only) SMS.

Contact your Carrier (Cellular Service Provider) The agency who issued the SIM to you to know whether you have SMS plan enabled at least for One SMS

Turn off and restart iMessage and FaceTime (The order / sequence is very important)

Go to Settings > Messages and turn off iMessage.
Go to Settings > FaceTime and turn off FaceTime.
Restart your device.
Turn iMessage and FaceTime back on. (Watch the GIF below)

Still not activated after a day?

It might take up to 24 hours to activate iMessage and FaceTime. If the issue continues after 24 hours, follow these steps:
Make sure that your device has the latest version of iOS.
If you're using an iPhone, contact your carrier to make sure that you can receive SMS messages.
Contact Apple Support.

If you do not want to use Phone Number for iMessages then you can send it over WiFi without SIM through your Apple ID.

If you get an error when trying to activate iMessage or FaceTime ...

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Answer 2

Confused_83 Author

Level 1

9 points

Mar 30, 2020 12:21 AM in response to SravanKrA

Thank you, I’ve followed all the steps in the correct order and still not working. I’ll go back to my carrier however due to COVID-19 they can’t access any of my details as they are working from home. Might have to wait a few weeks to get up and running :(

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SMS/FaceTime waiting on activation

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