caznovak

Q: My phone number won't show up as an option on my iMessages. I am studying abroad and therefore just use wifi to use iMessage.

My phone number won't show up as an option when I try to activate my iMessages. I am studying abroad, and have therefore been using solely wifi to send and receive iMessages. I didn't have a problem with it until earlier this week. I have reset my messages, turned my phone on and off, etc... and nothing has worked. Now my phone number won't even show up as a potential option and I can only send iMessages through my email. Is there anything I can do to fix this so I can receive messages sent to my phone??

iPhone 5s, iOS 9.1

Posted on Nov 9, 2015 11:26 AM

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Q: My phone number won't show up as an option on my iMessages. I am studying abroad and therefore just use wifi to use iMessage.

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  • by fjwhiston,

    fjwhiston fjwhiston Nov 9, 2015 11:36 AM in response to caznovak
    Level 3 (540 points)
    Mac OS X
    Nov 9, 2015 11:36 AM in response to caznovak

    Hi caznovak,

     

    You should be able to send iMessages through the Messages app on your phone as normal, but they will show in the receiver's Messages as though they had come from your email address.  This is a glitch that I have had myself, and if you do the following, it should work.

    1. Turn iMessages off.

    2. Do a hard reset, by pressing the Home button and there Sleep/Wake buttons at the exact same time for about 15 seconds.  Your screen will go black, but keep both buttons pressed until you see the Apple logo reappear.  Don't worry, you won;t lose any data at all.

    3. Then turn iMessage back on. Check in Settings > Messages > Send & Receive to see if your Start New Conversations From has your phone number ticked.  If not, repeat Step 2.

    You should then find that the problem is fixed.  a Hard Reset fixes as multitude of glitches.

     

    Al the best,

    Fred

  • by caznovak,

    caznovak caznovak Nov 9, 2015 11:53 AM in response to fjwhiston
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 9, 2015 11:53 AM in response to fjwhiston

    Hey Fred, I have one really quick question: Every blog/forum I've looked at has said I need to be able to send a one time sms in order for my appleID to recognize my phone number. However, I have to keep my phone on airplane mode while I'm abroad...Will this prevent me from being able to activate my number? Thank you!

  • by Briansyddall,

    Briansyddall Briansyddall Nov 9, 2015 12:04 PM in response to caznovak
    Level 6 (8,136 points)
    Apple Watch
    Nov 9, 2015 12:04 PM in response to caznovak

    Hi

    Go to settings phone icon scroll down to second phone icon

    Click on that phone number should be at the top of page

    If not type it in.

    Cheers

    Brian

  • by caznovak,

    caznovak caznovak Nov 9, 2015 12:13 PM in response to caznovak
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 9, 2015 12:13 PM in response to caznovak

    also, my phone number won't even show up as an option to tick when my iMessage is activating....

  • by Meg St._Clair,

    Meg St._Clair Meg St._Clair Nov 9, 2015 12:15 PM in response to caznovak
    Level 9 (58,419 points)
    iPhone
    Nov 9, 2015 12:15 PM in response to caznovak

    caznovak wrote:

     

    My phone number won't show up as an option when I try to activate my iMessages. I am studying abroad, and have therefore been using solely wifi to send and receive iMessages. I didn't have a problem with it until earlier this week. I have reset my messages, turned my phone on and off, etc... and nothing has worked. Now my phone number won't even show up as a potential option and I can only send iMessages through my email. Is there anything I can do to fix this so I can receive messages sent to my phone??

    Your phone will be need to be able to send international text messages to re-activate iMessages.

  • by razmee209,

    razmee209 razmee209 Nov 9, 2015 12:20 PM in response to caznovak
    Level 7 (32,904 points)
    Nov 9, 2015 12:20 PM in response to caznovak

    Did you even bother to click on the link I provided?  You're asking question that the link has answer too.

     

    Here:

     

    If you get an error when trying to activate iMessage or FaceTime

    To use iMessage or FaceTime, you need to activate them on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. If you see an error message during activation, follow these steps.

    When activating iMessage or FaceTime, you might see one of these messages:

    • Waiting for activation
    • Activation unsuccessful
    • An error occurred during activation
    • Could not sign in, please check your network connection

    Check your device settings

    1. Make sure that you’re connected to a cellular data or Wi-Fi network. If you're using an iPhone, you'll need SMS messaging to activate your phone number with iMessage and FaceTime. Depending on your carrier, you might be charged for this SMS.
    2. Go to Settings > General > Date & Time and make sure that you've set up your time zone correctly.

    Turn off and restart iMessage and FaceTime

    1. Go to Settings > Messages and turn off iMessage.
    2. Go to Settings > FaceTime and turn off FaceTime.
    3. Restart your device.
    4. Turn iMessage and FaceTime back on.

    Still not activated after a day?

    It might take up to 24 hours to activate iMessage and FaceTime. If you've waited more than 24 hours, follow these steps:

    1. Make sure that your device has the latest version of iOS.
    2. If you're using an iPhone, contact your carrier to make sure that you can receive SMS messages.
    3. Contact Apple Support.

    Get more help

    You can also use your email address with iMessage and FaceTime. If you have issues verifying your email address, learn what to do:

    Information about products not manufactured by Apple, or independent websites not controlled or tested by Apple, is provided without recommendation or endorsement. Apple assumes no responsibility with regard to the selection, performance, or use of third-party websites or products. Apple makes no representations regarding third-party website accuracy or reliability. Risks are inherent in the use of the Internet. Contact the vendor for additional information. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

  • by Sandisues10,

    Sandisues10 Sandisues10 Jan 9, 2016 2:51 AM in response to Briansyddall
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 9, 2016 2:51 AM in response to Briansyddall

    This helped me all up to the point of signing in on my iPad. Now it says my Apple ID and/or password is incorrect. Grrrrrr!! THanks! Step 1 of 2 is done