iMessage won't let me use my phone number

I had this problem.

Resolved it by

1. Turn off iMessage and if FaceTime is activated turn it off also.

2. Turn iMessage back on first. Phone number and Apple ID were both selected then. Reactivate FaceTime afterwards. When FaceTime was activated first imessage problem remained.

No need to turn off iPhone if my case.

Turn iMessage OFF. Restart. Turn iMessage ON and wait to verifying.

Your number MUST be grey with a tick mark besides.

I had the same problem... I just turned off iMessage on my phone, then turned off my phone for 30 seconds then when I turned it back on it has selected my number for iMessage 🙂 thanks guys!!!!

This JUST happened to me and as I was panicking and reading this thread thinking "how stupid of someone to tell us to just wait it out", it worked! I looked and there it was, my number verified. this works!

Open the Message app (not in Settings) and start to use it.

I'm having the same problem. My iMessages won't work and my number is grey so I can't select it. How do I fix it so iMessage works?

mine is like that, too. It won't verify my number and it has my friend's number, not mine. and it's weird because my sim is in my phone, not my friend's

I also thought it was so stupid just to wait, but it worked. At the end of 2 days, it just happened by itself, i even didnt know at what time exactly, but no longer than 2 days, it was verified naturally.

I had the same problem on all of my devices (phone, macbook pro, and ipad). I first turned off imessages on all devices. Turned off my phone, then turned the phone back on and turned the imessages back on. This allowed the number to pop up on all of my devices when I turned back on the imessage on the devices.

I used a Vodaphone SIM in New Zealand and when I returned and changed back to my Verizon SIM, iMessage would not go back to my Verizon U.S number. The Vodaphone number was listed but not checked. My Apple ID showed the Verizon number. I followed these steps recommended in an earlier post.

1. Turn iMessage off.

2. Turn phone off for 30 seconds.

3. Turn phone back on.

4. Turn iMessage on.

It worked. My Verizon number is now listed and checked. FaceTime has never been turned on for this phone. I no longer get texts asking "who is this?" from friends.

Morganism, did you solve your problem? Mine is exactly same as yours. For facetime and imessage, my phone number is gray and not selectable, i can only do it with apple id, which means someone cannot facetime with me via my phone number, but has to know my mail address. I have been using this iphone 4 for almost 2 years, no problem at all till yesterday, when i upgraded to Ios 6.0.1 and happened like this.

My apple id is black and ticked, my phone number is gray and not ticked, because that it is gray, so not selectable, not tickable. This just happened after i upgraded to ios 6.0.1, so called for fixing the bugs. I tried to make facetime call to my Iphone4 by my ipod touch, it doesnt work, says it is not available. However when i call facetime using my apple id, it starts ringing immediately. I have been using the same phone, same number and same sim card for almost two years, didnt change any setting. Any suggestions? Except restoring the phone via itunes, such a stupid program?

Not true. My phone number IS gray AND has a tick beside it and still not working properly. All my messages come thru the Ipad??!!! This just started a few days ago. Weird.

Your phone number should be grey AND ticked. As long as its ticked then its working fine.