iMessage "An error occurred during activation. Try again."

Hey you guys. After several stressful hours,I found a solution (hopefully it will also work for you)

I currently have iOS Version 6.0.1, but this should work for everyone

After hours of trying several methods to fix your iMessages from different forum websites, i mashed all methods together.

This all started when i accidently hit "iMessage" and turned it OFF, then it was not able to turn it back on using my number, but instead it was giving my email address for texting, or just giving regular text. Hopefully this will work for you. Please read throughout all directions in order

At this time, make sure your iMessage and Facetime are BOTH ON ( if you cant find these two options, skip a few steps down and it will tell you how to get to there)

Before we start, BE SURE YOU HAVE A VALID "APPLE ID"

Make sure your Date,Location, and Time are correct according to your time zone and location.

Date/Time:

• Go into "Settings"
• Find and enter the "General" Tab
• In the General Tab, find and enter the "Date and Time" tab
• Turn OFF the "Set Automatically" ---- then. manually change the "Time Zone" to where you are currectly located" OR nearest location (e.g. - I am located in "Richmond CA," but the time zone I am checked in is "Cupertino CA(15 minutre drive away," So no big difference) ----Dont try and find me creepers, im a serial killer who rides a Donkey, serious business.
• Turn "Set Automatic" back ON, (If it automatically find the closest city near you, no biggie)
• End of Step

Location: iMessages

• Go into "Setting"
• Find and enter the "Messages" tab
• Scroll down and enter "Send & Receive"
• Click on your Apple ID:
• Click on "Change Location"
• Make sure your "Region" is accurate to where you are located"
• End of Step

Location: Facetime

• Go into "Setting"
• Find and enter the "Facetime" tab
• Click on your "Apple ID"
• Click on "Change Location"
• Make sure your Location is accurate
• End of Step

Okay, Now for the goodies, not too much though, might cut your tongue.

Step one: Sign out of your Apple ID.

• Find and enter your "Store" app ( where you download all your apps for your iPhone), select the "Featured" category located at the bottom left of the app.
• Scroll down on the page, you should see a tab where it shows your email Apple ID address. - click on it and Sign Out.
• If youre already signed out, SIGN IN AND BACK OUT AGAIN
• End of Step

Step two: Turn off Wifi.

• Go into "Settings"
• Find and enter the "Wi-Fi" tab,
• Turn OFF Wi-Fi
• End of Step

Step Three: Enable then Disable Restrictions

• Go into "Settings"
• Find and enter the "General" tab
• Find and enter the "Restrictions" tab
• If Restrictions are already disabled-----Enable it.
• It will ask you for a "Restrictions Password" (I put the same code i use to log into and unlock my iPhone)
• After you Enable it ---- DISABLE IT again, so that every tab is "OFF" and greyed out, unable to be clicked.
• End of Step

Step four: Turn off iMessage

• Go into Settings
• Find and enter the "Messages" tab
• Turn OFF iMessages
• End of Step

Step Four: Turn off FaceTime

• Go into "Settings"
• Find and enter the "Facetime" tab
• Turn OFF Face Time
• End of Step

Step Five: Reset Network Settings

[NOTE: This will NOT erase contacts or any of the naked pictures you take of yourself/ Personal information, ex. Music, Schedules, or your only Girlfriend Siri (Doesnt count if youre a woman, Men, dont deny it, my Siri forced me to be her Husband :'( ]

• Go into "Settings"
• Find and enter the "General" Tab
• Scroll Down and enter the "Reset" tab
• Click on the "Reset Network Settings"
• It may or may not ask you for a password, just use the same password again you use to get into your iPhone
• ::Mr. T Voice:: PRESS THE RED BUTTON FOO!
• End of Step

After you pressed "Reset Network Settings" Your phone should have automatically restarted.

Now for the Finishing Steps.

Now that your phone has restarted, You must do the "Cha Cha Slide" and "Hokey Pokey" to induce a magical spell onto your iPhone. Just kidding, but try it, you'll make a fool of yourself and relieve some stress from all the researching you have been doing to fix this problem. It's Okay if you didnt, im still your friend. =D

NOTE: DO NOT SIGN INTO WIFI, From now on until your "iMessages/Facetime" Works, You should be running on "3g or 4g" internet

Step Six: Sign in into your Apple Store

• Find and enter your "Store" app ( where you download all your apps for your iPhone),
• Select the "Featured" category located at the bottom left of the app.
• Scroll down on the page and SIGN IN
• End of step

Step Seven: Sign into iMessages (MAKE SURE YOUR WI-FI IS STILL OFF or "Not Connected"!! and running on "3g/4g")

• Go into "Settings"
• Find and enter the "Messages" Tab
• Turn ON "iMessages" (It may or may not ask you to sign into your Apple ID, just sign in whenever they ask you to. OR there might be a tsb where it will say something about "You need to sign into your Apple ID, blah blah blah, something along those lines, Click it and Sign in)
• Let it load ( loading times may varry, from five minutes to 1 and a half hours, keep checking in all while you DO NOT SIGN INTO Wi-Fi!)

IMPORTANT! - Now, when i turned ON iMessages, IT FAILED THE FIRST.. or second time(cant remember), KEEP TRYING! It should turn on after three or four tries.

Now do not toggle the On&Off button during the proccess of it loading because it will restart the whole loading process. Just wait until it says "unsuccessfull" to Turn off iMessages and on again.

HOPEFULLY when your iMessages is turned on,

Step Eight: Repeat step: Seven,

For your Facetime. That also failed once for me before it started to work again.

After both iMessages and Facetime are working, you are now free kiss a baby or Pet(Gold Fish, Husband and Wife included) on the cheek out of joy....but put him him/her/it down, youre scary looking and might make the baby/pet cry

You are also free to sign back into Wi-Fi

I hope this works for you. Enjoy your day and help a random stranger out.

If it worked and you feel generous, Copy Paste this into any Forum or Website (Eg. Yahoo Answers) so others can see and be helped.

SissyRibbons OUT!

^Best nickname ever.

same here...and its really annoying! i tried sending pictures to my friend through iMessage, it would load until 90-95% then it woud stop and stay there so i tried turning on and off my iMessage but when i tried to log on again...it wouldn't let me on...it just kept saying "An error occured during activation. Try again."

Can someone please tell me how to fix this?

Same problem here (Philippines), but my ipad imessage is working fine... The imessage of my fiance is working fine too... I don't know what's happening.. When i type my imessage password, it just shows "an error occured during activation Try again"

I have just bought my son the ipod touch and gave it to him today for his birthday - have tried all options listed on blogs to get facetime and imessage working but to no avail.

Any help would be great.

Options tried:

DNS changed to 8.8.8.8

restart

reboot

power off

new apple id

Based in Switzerland so not sure if that causes an issue but only using WIFI so should be fine.

Thanks to anyone with some helpful ideas

Mine is the same (UK), really getting frustrated now. I know it can't be helped, but im too persistant to leave it, haha! Tried all of the above and still no luck 😟 Suppose ill just have to sit n' wait.

Ditto here - cant use current AppleID or a new one - iMessage still doesn't work. We also have a similar problem with FaceTime.

This started this morning on my sons iPod. Other iDevices in the house work with iMessage etc. I have tried resetting the iPod, restoring it from backup (which also failed, stupid iCloud - what is the point of having a backup system which fails to restore backups?!!)

Other parts of the iPod which use the AppleID (such as iTunes) work ok, just not iMessage or FaceTime. Does anyone have any ideas?

try going into settings>Date & Time>Set automatically to ON. Dunno if this helps for your problem but i had a similar problem with i messages and could not even login, i did this and it works now. Hope this helps.

in settings>messages>Use your apple ID for message>create a new account = "Unable to contact the imessage server. Try Again",

anyone notice this? the same thing happens in facetime server, so I think the servers are down? but some of my ios device works fine, is this problem occurs for the the newly purchased one and just setting up just for now? (same as for those who reset their phone?)

I am having the same problem with my BRAND NEW ipad just 4 hours old in London. Everthing working but the Imessage and facetime coming up with the message "an error occurred during activation. Try again." Sounds like a world wide glitch to me!

I am try facetime from my iphone to husbands iphone. It rings and rings on my end but not ringing on his. Then message came up reading facetime unavailable. Then under that its saying his name and that he is not avaible for facetime. well well apple let get this sorted

Agreed we have the same problem in British Columbia - apple should notify users about server status somewhere on their main home page so we don't have to go hunting through the forums to find out about these kind of issues.

Same problem here in Egypt , i try many ISPs , i try network reset , Back Activation / Restore activation in SAM and still not working, i faced this problem today in morning after i installed new version of Folderenhacner , i was doubt that it make this problem , but it seems world wide generic problem with Apple activation server