iPod Touch (4th Gen) iOS 6.1.6 iMessage & Facetime won't verify email
I recently updated my iPod 4th generation to iOS 6.1.6 to ensure its not vulnerable to the security flaws in earlier versions.
Now however, when I try to reactivate iMessaging and Facetime on the device, I am unable to get it to go past the verify email address step. Here's the basic steps:
1. Settings
2. iMessage (or Facetime)
3. Enter Apple ID - I enter my email and password for the master account.
4. Sign In - Signing In dialog displays.
5. It shows the phone numbers and email addresses associated with my ID. I remove checkmarks from all but the email address for this device.
6. Hit "Next". -- At this point, the "Verifying..." message displays for about 15-20 seconds, and then it returns to the iMessage sign in screen in step 2.
I have tried deleting the email address from my account and reverifying it.
I setup a brand new email address and iTunes account and tried activating it using that profile.
I went back to the original profile and tried to activate again as I did the first time.
Nothing is working. Facetime and iMessage worked fine on this device with the exact same setup before my upgrade. What am I missing? The App Store / iCloud, music, applications, etc. all seem to work fine. Just Facetime and iMessage broken. Appreciate any suggestions.
Thanks.
iPod touch (4th generation), iOS 6.1.6