Verizon iPhone 4S iMessage activation without apple ID
I would like iMessage to work on my iPhone 4S iOS 5.1.1. I don't want to enter an apple ID for various reasons. That's not a problem, according to apple <http://support.apple.com/kb/TS4268> :
"iPhone automatically registers your phone number for use with FaceTime and iMessage during activation."
Except that it is a problem aparenly. iMessage won't activate. It says that it's "Waiting for activation".
I've tried following the troubleshooting guide: <http://support.apple.com/kb/TS4268> but nothing seems to help.
I've Erased All Content and Settings, I've tried resetting, hard resetting, etc. No luck.
Does anyone have a Verizon iPhone 4S with iMessage enabled with their phone number as the Caller ID?
iPhone 4S, iOS 5.1.1