My iMessage is stuck in waiting for activation and I cannot toggle it off or on. Plus my FaceTime option doesn’t open. It seems faded and can’t be clicked

My iMessage is stuck in waiting for activation and I cannot toggle it off or on. Plus my FaceTime option doesn’t open. It seems faded and can’t be clicked

iPhone 13 Pro, iOS 16

Posted on Mar 25, 2023 11:58 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Mar 27, 2023 11:05 AM

Hello zinna256,



Thanks for choosing the Apple Support Communities. We understand you cannot sign into iMessage and FaceTime. We have a great resource which will walk you through what to do to resolve this. Check out those steps below.


If you can’t turn on or sign in to iMessage or FaceTime - Apple Support



"When activating iMessage or FaceTime, you might see one of these messages:

  • Waiting for activation
  • Activation unsuccessful
  • An error occurred during activation
  • Could not sign in, please check your network connection
  • Unable to contact the iMessage server. Try again.


Check your device settings

  1. Make sure that you’re connected to a cellular data or Wi-Fi network. 
  2. 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 SMS.
  3. Go to Settings > General > Date & Time and make sure that your time zone is set correctly.


Turn off and restart iMessage and FaceTime

  1. Go to Settings > Messages and turn off iMessage.
  2. Go to Settings > FaceTime and turn off FaceTime.
  3. Restart your device:

4. Turn iMessage and FaceTime back on.


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:

  1. Make sure that your device has the latest version of iOS or iPadOS.
  2. If you're using an iPhone, contact your carrier to make sure that you can send and receive SMS messages.
  3. Make sure you can send and receive SMS. If a prompt appears stating "Your carrier may charge for SMS messages used to activate FaceTime and iMessage", tap "OK" to allow possible SMS charges.
  4. Contact Apple Support."


We hope this helps.


Cheers!





1 reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Mar 27, 2023 11:05 AM in response to zinna256

Hello zinna256,



Thanks for choosing the Apple Support Communities. We understand you cannot sign into iMessage and FaceTime. We have a great resource which will walk you through what to do to resolve this. Check out those steps below.


If you can’t turn on or sign in to iMessage or FaceTime - Apple Support



"When activating iMessage or FaceTime, you might see one of these messages:

  • Waiting for activation
  • Activation unsuccessful
  • An error occurred during activation
  • Could not sign in, please check your network connection
  • Unable to contact the iMessage server. Try again.


Check your device settings

  1. Make sure that you’re connected to a cellular data or Wi-Fi network. 
  2. 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 SMS.
  3. Go to Settings > General > Date & Time and make sure that your time zone is set correctly.


Turn off and restart iMessage and FaceTime

  1. Go to Settings > Messages and turn off iMessage.
  2. Go to Settings > FaceTime and turn off FaceTime.
  3. Restart your device:

4. Turn iMessage and FaceTime back on.


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:

  1. Make sure that your device has the latest version of iOS or iPadOS.
  2. If you're using an iPhone, contact your carrier to make sure that you can send and receive SMS messages.
  3. Make sure you can send and receive SMS. If a prompt appears stating "Your carrier may charge for SMS messages used to activate FaceTime and iMessage", tap "OK" to allow possible SMS charges.
  4. Contact Apple Support."


We hope this helps.


Cheers!





This thread has been closed by the system or the community team. You may vote for any posts you find helpful, or search the Community for additional answers.

My iMessage is stuck in waiting for activation and I cannot toggle it off or on. Plus my FaceTime option doesn’t open. It seems faded and can’t be clicked

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.