RosBufo
Level 1 (9 points)
iPhone

Q: iMessage/FaceTime not activating

This is a solution, not a question (don't know where else to post these).


I struggled activating iMessage/FaceTime for over two weeks! After trying everything my carrier's senior tech support told me to do (reset network settings, reset all settings, restored my iphone, sim swap), I managed to solve the problem myself...

Make sure that you have airtime loaded on your phone! I have a contract phone so naturally didn't think of that (and no one did), because there are always minutes, sms's and data on my phone.


The activation sms that iMessage and FaceTime sends and receives to activate the service, is a paid sms and will not activate using your contract sms bundles.

After loading the minimum amount of airtime on my phone, I turned on iMessage and it almost immediatly activated! Same for FaceTime.

 

Hope this helps!

iPhone 6s Plus, iOS 9.3.2, Carrier: MTN (South Africa)

Posted on Jul 2, 2016 2:57 AM

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RosBufo

Q: iMessage/FaceTime not activating

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  • Helpful answers

  • by ckuan,

    ckuan ckuan Jul 2, 2016 3:00 AM in response to RosBufo
    Level 7 (33,267 points)
    Jul 2, 2016 3:00 AM in response to RosBufo

    FaceTime & iMessage do uses International SMS, but on supported providers the fees is waived.

  • by deadman.walking,

    deadman.walking deadman.walking Jul 2, 2016 3:21 AM in response to RosBufo
    Level 2 (199 points)
    Jul 2, 2016 3:21 AM in response to RosBufo

    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:

    FaceTime is not available in all countries or regions.