My iMessage shows my email not my number

Hi I'm from Vietnam and I have the same problem. Tks for all your helpful advice, but I have a specific problem: I can't verify my phone number in Apple ID.

My phone number in Apple ID is like: (84x) xxx-xxxx ; means it only allows 8 characters. BUT I have 10 characters in my phone number :|.

Is that the reason why I send iMessage from my email instead of my phone number?

Tks in advance.

Just thought I'd try to help as much as possible since I also took hours trying to solve this problem. I toggled iMessage on and off, reset my network settings, rebooted my phone several times, and after so many repeats nothing was working. I even tried signing out of my apple id in hopes that my phone would have no choice but to send iMessages to my phone number. Unfortunately, it was still greyed out and under iMessage it said "waiting for activation". I thought I'd never get this problem fixed until I realized that the area I was in had poor cellular service. I had absolutely no bars. After I moved to an area with good service, my problem was fixed in no time! I still cannot believe how simple this was and I never thought of it. Point being..

*BE SURE THAT YOU ARE IN AN AREA WITH GOOD CELLULAR SERVICE.*

Hope this helps!

Hi, maybe you all have some good advice... (sorry for mistakes)

So, I just bought my first Iphone (4s) and my bfriend have Iphone 4, the things is, that we can send imessages to other friends to brother etc... to other person who have Iphone 4, 4s, but not to each other. Any idea why so ?

Okay same problem here I could use my iPod an my iPhone together to both text my bf on iMessage then I turned off iMessage on my iPhone an now it's showing my number but grey an wont let me select it as a contact number but still works for my iPod?? Have no idea how to fix needs help w this problem plzz

Dawn, I did check all settings again, and then restarted twice 😀 and now everything is working.

I have the same problem! My iphone 5 is only showing my email and doesn't even have my phone number on there .. At first it was grey and wouldn't let me choose this option. I have tried turning both iMessage and FaceTime off and turning them on again didn't work! I tried to sign in and out of FaceTime an iMessage and I had the choice of two which were my number which is still grey with a tick and my email.. I un ticked my email and left just my number.. But this now says under send/recieve at ... NO ADDRESSES! Now I my number doesn't even show as an option! I have entered my number on the ID account but this still doesn't work! What do I do?

I have the same problem... Awaiting activation

Hey if u all r having this same problem I reset my settings in settings in the general at the bottom it says reset an reset all trust me it won't mess up anything it just restarts an then goes to ur original backgrounds just do it I promise it worked for me!! If not post back an ill try to help y'all again w it but ur number shows up grey either way but it should have a check beside it

i change my number then i turr of imassage when i turn on has new problem Imessage Activation an error occurred durring activation. Try again. what i have to do can you tell me please

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRNzXReLV44

this is how you fix it.

how did you enter your moble in there ?

i have solved this issue by restoring to ios 6.1.3 to my iphone 4s.

i tried every steps on this forum and google. then i found a way to activate imessage and facetime with following steps.

step 1: backup your device to itunes.

step 2: fresh restore your device with latest firmware.

step 3: while activating your device do not sign with your apple id-skip it.

step 4: let it activate your phone number first. start using iphone.

step 5: imessage and facetime will activate to your phone number.

step 6: restore you backup and you will see your phone number and apple id activated to imessage and facetime.

hope this will solve your problem.🙂

My number is greyed out on imessage, why?

This usually happens when you change the SIM card / phone number. All you (usually) have to do it deacivate iMessage then reacitvate it. It will then send an SMS message to the Apple server to activate iMessage for your phone number (provided you have te credit to send one SMS).

i figured it out!!! ok so i chenged my phone number and i also switched from a iphone 4s to a 5, what i noticed one day was when i sent a imessage out to someone they recieved them as my email and when i tried selecting my phone number to send out the messages it wouldnt let me, to make the long story short the way to fix this is to go in settings - messages -sent & recieve- it should have two addreses your phone number and email select that you want your phone to start the conversation if it still doesnt let you then, click on Apple ID: and press view account, verify with your password then press "manage apple id" its going to send you into a website sign in, once you are in, press "phone numbers" and add your mobile phone number " your iphones #" once you are done turn off imessage then turn it back on once you are finish it should now give you the option to use your phone number as a imessage starter!! thats it hopefully that helped you guys out🙂