Drummerboy1127
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Q: I have an iPhone 6 I bought in Japan. I'm now currently in Qatar. My iMessage stopped working randomly and now it keeps saying waiting for activation. I've tried everything to fix it. Please help

The title pretty much sums it up. I was stationed in Japan, then got sent to Qatar. I've tried everything from restoring my phone to signing in and out of iMessage. It's really frustrating because it's the only communication I have to my family. Please help

iPhone 6, iOS 9.2

Posted on Jan 18, 2016 9:19 AM

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Drummerboy1127

Q: I have an iPhone 6 I bought in Japan. I'm now currently in Qatar. My iMessage stopped working randomly and now it keeps saying wai ... more

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  • by ChrisJ4203,

    ChrisJ4203 ChrisJ4203 Jan 18, 2016 9:25 AM in response to Drummerboy1127
    Level 9 (59,919 points)
    iPhone
    Jan 18, 2016 9:25 AM in response to Drummerboy1127

    I'm curious how the device was working in Qatar to start with. Japan does not sell unlocked phones, and Japanese carriers report they do not unlock phones. Did you hack the phone at any point to get it to work in Qatar? What troubleshooting have you attempted to get iMessage to work besides turning it off and back on? If it stops at Waiting for Activation, it generally means that it is not connecting with the Apple server in the UK and/or receiving a response. Is the carrier that you are using in Qatar an Apple supported carrier?

  • by Drummerboy1127,

    Drummerboy1127 Drummerboy1127 Jan 18, 2016 9:48 AM in response to ChrisJ4203
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 18, 2016 9:48 AM in response to ChrisJ4203

    We're lucky enough to have wifi here. There's two different wifi servers here. There's a public one and then there's one you can pay for. I've tried activating my account on both servers but with no luck

  • by ChrisJ4203,

    ChrisJ4203 ChrisJ4203 Jan 18, 2016 9:54 AM in response to Drummerboy1127
    Level 9 (59,919 points)
    iPhone
    Jan 18, 2016 9:54 AM in response to Drummerboy1127

    You need to make sure that you have an Apple ID connected to Messages to activate without phone connection and on Wi-Fi. You may have to ensure the device is in Airplane Mode to activate as well, since the phone may try to activate via the phone number. See this support document for some additional troubleshooting. If you get an error when trying to activate iMessage or FaceTime - Apple Support