Often iPhone users facing a problem with iMessage activation. The smartphone may report waiting for iMessage activation, write that it is not possible to connect to the iMessage server, or simply not send messages, even if all the settings seem to be done correctly. What to do if iMessage is not activated is described in this guide.
Note: in the instructions we have listed various ways fixes an error with the inability to activate iMessage starting with simple methods and ending up pretty non-standard. If you have already tried one or more of these methods, just move further down the list - something will definitely help!
Updated May 18, 2018!Due to Roskomnadzor blocking for many Beeline subscribers. The problem in this case is solved only in one way - using a VPN, for example, here this free application or verified application. It is expected that the problem with iMessage for Beeline subscribers will be temporary.
Restart your iPhone
Let's start with the simplest way to solve the problem forced reboot helping to drop software errors iOS. Press the buttons Nutrition And Home(volume down button on iPhone 7/7 Plus) and hold until the Apple logo appears on the screen.
Top up your account
iMessage activation occurs after sending a service message, costing a few rubles. Make sure you have funds on your phone and top up if necessary, then try activating iMessage again.
Very often, users are faced with the fact that iMessage randomly "falls off", which is why multiple write-offs funds from the account mobile phone. If you stumbled upon this guide in order to find a solution to this particular problem, then try the methods listed below - they can help get rid of the problem.
Reset network settings
Go to menu " Settings» → « Main» → « Reset" and press " Reset network settings". This operation is often a lifesaver in case of various iMessage related issues. Please note that when you reset the network settings, the saved passwords for Wi-Fi hotspots will be removed.
Enter your details in settings
Not everyone knows, but correct work iMessage may be hindered by the lack of specified data about iPhone owner in the smartphone settings. For this:
Step 1. Fill in your contact in the contact iPhone book to the maximum.
Step 2. In the menu " Settings» → « Mail, addresses, calendars» → « My details» select your contact.
Activate automatic time setting
And another simple but extremely effective way troubleshoot iMessage activation issues. Go to menu " Settings» → « Main» → « date and time" and switch the switch " Automatically» to the active position. Also make sure " Timezone” in the same menu is correct.
Activate iMessage from another SIM
If none of the above methods solved the problem, try activating iMessage from a different SIM card. According to reviews on, after successful activation, iMessage starts working without failures even after installing the iPhone owner's SIM card.
Wait a few days
And one more addition from forum visitors. In most cases, the problem with activating iMessage by phone number occurs after installing a new one. iOS versions or change Apple password ID. And very often it resolves itself after a few days.
Link iMessage to mail
If nothing helps, and it is vital to send iMessage, linking the messenger to the box will help out Email, which will start acting as your number. For this:
Step 1. Go to the menu " Settings» → « Messages» and turn off iMessage.
Step 2: Remove the SIM card from iPhone and connect to a Wi-Fi network.
Step 3. Go to " Settings» → « Messages» and turn on iMessage.
Step 4. In the same menu, select " Send/receive"and in the section" Your iMessage address» check the box next to postal address, which must be an iMessage login.
After completing these settings, iMessage will be successfully activated and you will be able to continue communicating through the messenger.
Most often, Face Time activation goes smoothly, but sometimes errors do happen. Failures are accompanied by an explanation that the system failed to activate or sign in.
Enable Face Time
Before understanding the causes of the Face Time activation error, you need to make sure that you enable the service correctly.
After activation is completed, fill in the fields "Your address for calling" and "Subscriber ID". The setup is complete - now you can call via Face Time. To use the service for communication, find a contact in the Phone application and select an audio or video call in the "Face Time" field.
If the contact does not have such a field, this indicates that the recipient has not activated Face Time on his device, or he does not have such a program at all - for example, he uses an Android device.
Problems with activation
When activating Face Time, crashes may occur, which are accompanied by an error message. It could be:
- Hanging message "Waiting for activation".
- "Failed to execute."
- "Check your network connection."
The reason for this behavior of the system can be various factors, including those beyond the control of the user - for example, problems on Apple servers. To resolve an activation error:
- Make sure your device is connected to the internet via mobile data or Wi-Fi.
- Check your balance personal account. To activate phone number Face Time will require messaging, which is not captured in the corresponding app. Depending on the operator, charges may apply for sending SMS. If there is no money on the balance, then the notification "Waiting for activation" will hang until the account is replenished.
Some tariffs may prohibit sending SMS to other countries. Face Time is not activated in Russia, so this restriction is also the cause of the error. Sometimes only changing the SIM card helps - keep this in mind. Some users have to change SIM cards several times until they find one that copes with the activation of the service from Apple.
Perform a network reset just in case. It is possible that an error occurred while connecting to the Apple server. Resetting the network settings will help eliminate it quickly and without negative consequences:
- Open settings.
- Go to the "Basic" section.
- Select Reset.
- Click Reset Network Settings.
When you select this reset mode, only the network settings will be rolled back to the factory state. If, when connected to the Internet or sending SMS there were some mistakes, they will be corrected.
Checking Apple Settings and Servers
If everything is fine with the Internet connection and balance, check the date and time settings.
- Open settings.
- Select the "Basic" section.
- Go to the "Date and time" submenu.
- Check if the time zone, date and time are correct. You put automatic detection data to eliminate the possibility of error.
If this was not the cause of the error, then try turning on Face Time again, after rebooting the device:
- Open settings.
- Go to the "Face Time" section.
- Move the slider to the inactive position.
- Reboot your device.
- Open settings again and enable Face Time.
Face Time and iMessage activation can take up to 24 hours. If after a day the message “Waiting for activation” still hangs, check the performance Apple server. For this:
- Go to the Apple website.
- Go to the Support page.
- Scroll down the page. In the "Resources" section, select "System Status".
- Make sure that there is a green checkmark next to Face Time, which indicates that the service is available.
If the mark is yellow or red, then you need to wait for troubleshooting by Apple. Most likely, after solving the problem, Face Time activation will be successfully completed. If it doesn't, follow the steps above to fix the failure yourself.
Some users have reported problems activating iMessage and FaceTime services on their devices. Usually similar errors arise due to too, but if the problem repeats over and over again, you can try to solve it yourself.
Most of the mistakes look In a similar way. In some cases, under the toggle switch for enabling the function, the inscription “Waiting for activation” appears, which can drag on for a long time.
How to solve this problem? There are some simple tricks to fix the activation error.
To get started, make sure the email address you want to receive iMessages and FaceTime calls, matches your Apple ID. You must also include your phone number.
iMessage
face time
Open Settings, then FaceTime. After that, we check the addresses for FaceTime calls.
After changing the data, try disabling and re-enabling both toggle switches. The same action is recommended to be performed, even if everything was entered correctly. Don't switch randomly: Wait five seconds before turning on again.
If the problem still persists, you can try resetting your network settings. To do this, go to the main iPhone settings, then Reset, then Reset network settings (toggle switches must be on). After that, reconnect to your Wi-Fi network and try to send iMessage or make a FaceTime call. You may need to make a FaceTime audio call first, and then only video.
Did not help? Reboot your device. Once enabled, resend iMessage or make a FaceTime call - everything should work in normal mode.
In the worst case, experts advise you to try iPhone recovery.
Have you encountered this error on iOS 7?
Sourced from www.osxdaily.com
Despite the high degree of friendliness iOS systems However, sometimes users experience a variety of problems, one of which may be the inability to activate iMessage. When trying to use the service, the device informs about this by displaying the messages “Waiting for activation”, “Activation failed” or “An error occurred during activation”. What to do in such cases?
Fixing iMessage activation issue
There are several options for fixing the problem of activating the messaging service.1. Restart iMessage.
First, you can try simply restarting iMessage. You can do this in Settings > Messages. Disable iMessage, restart your device, and restart the messaging service.
Did not help? Move on.
2. Reset network settings.
To save yourself from the painfully endless waiting for activation, you can reset the network settings. To do this, launch the Settings app and go to General > Reset > Reset Network Settings. Then restart your device and try launching iMessage again.
3. Enter your details. Probably, the device did not recognize you, so we are trying to enter information about ourselves. To do this, launch the "Settings" application and go to the "Mail, addresses, calendars" section, where we are interested in the "My data" item.
Here we need, in the list of contacts that opens, select ourselves. Didn't find your name? We launch the "Contacts" application and add information about ourselves. After specifying the data, "waiting for activation" in iMessage should stop.
4. Sign out/sign in to your iMessage account.
Go to the "Settings" application, find the "Messages" section, where we are interested in the "Sending / Receiving" line. In the "Send / receive" subsection, you can exit from account, tapping on AppleID, and then log in again.
5. Flashing iPhone or iPad.
In case of total unwillingness of the service to be activated on your device, it is recommended to flash the device. Instructions for flashing iPhone or iPad
Most often, this problem appears with each new iOS update. If you have experienced this problem, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with our tips for correcting the error.
The iMessage activation process usually takes up to 24 hours. However, it happens that the activation is completed within an hour or so.
If iMessage freezes and the error message persists, there are several effective solutions. The proposed options are applicable not only for the error " iMessage waiting activation”, but also with messages such as “Activation failed” or “An error occurred during activation”.
Before considering the solution to the error, you need to take the following steps. As a rule, at the first stage there are no difficulties. Everything can be solved with simple checks. So, if you encounter an error while activating iMessage, you can simply run quick checks listed below. If you're lucky, the problem with iMessage activation will be solved as soon as possible.
1. Make sure you have entered your number in the Phone app. Your number should be displayed at the top of the "Contacts". If it is not there, you need to go to "Settings" → "Phone" → "My number" and you need to enter your number.
2. See that you are connected to Wi-Fi (or have a mobile network connection).
3. In the "Settings" section, go to the "General" section and make sure that "Date and time" is set correctly.
The prerequisite is that you have an operator that supports iMessage. Most often, operators such as: Tele 2, MTS, Beeline, Megafon, etc. support iMessage.
If you've tried all the methods, waited 24 hours, and iMessage doesn't work, it's a good idea to contact your carrier. This is necessary to ensure that your tariff plan SMS messages do not have any restrictions that could prevent facetime activation or iMessage.
*The methods below can also be used to fix the Facetime activation pending error.
How to fix iMessage waiting for activation error?
This simple solution is very effective in solving various problems iPhone. With just a few steps, you can get rid of the “iMessage pending activation” error.
1. Open settings.
2. Click Messages.
3. Toggle the iMessage slider to the off position.
4. Go back and select Facetime. Toggle the Facetime slider to Off
6. Turn on the flight mode for a few minutes, then turn it off. 
7. Restart Wi-Fi and mobile internet.
8. Go back and select "Messages" again. Toggle the iMessage slider to the On position.
9. Go back and select Facetime. Toggle the Facetime slider to the On position.
10. Go back and scroll up to Airplane Mode, then disable Airplane Mode.
12. If a message appears stating that your carrier may charge you for SMS, click OK.
13. If it doesn't, turn off iMessage and Facetime again.
14. Reboot your iPhone.
To restart your iPhone, press and hold the Power button and then drag the slider to turn off your phone. After the phone is turned off, press and hold the Power button until you see the Apple logo.
Go back to Settings, tap Messages, and turn iMessage back on. We hope this will make a difference and iMessage service is activated.
This method to fix iMessage pending activation error was discovered by users on the Apple forum. It may seem strange, but this decision is one of the most successful ways make iMessage or Facetime work.
Sign out of Apple ID and then sign back in
If the above solutions didn't fix the problem and you're still seeing one of the iMessage activation error messages, sign out of your Apple ID and sign in. Let's see how to do it:
1. Tap "Settings" and go to "Messages".
2. On the Messages screen, scroll down to Send/Receive and tap it.
3. Click on apple icon ID.
4. You will see a pop-up window, click "Logout".
5. Now go to "Settings" → "Wi-Fi" → switch the slider to the “Off” position for a few minutes.
6. Then turn on Wi-Fi by switching the slider to the “On” position.
7. Tap Settings → Messages → Enabled.
8. When prompted, enter your Apple ID and check if the iMessage activation pending message is gone.
Most likely this will allow you to activate iMessage. If not, there are two more methods.
Software update
If all the solutions mentioned above fail to fix the problem, before latest version. To do this, click: "Settings" → "General" → "Update software(ON)".
If or it is missing, restore it with using iTunes. Before restoring, make sure you are using backup devices.
Reset network settings
This solution helped many users and they finally got rid of the "iMessage waiting for activation" error. It must be understood that when using this method, the Wi-Fi network settings will be reset.
1. Go to "Settings" → "General".
2. Click Reset.
3. Next, click "Reset Network Settings".
4. Enter your password.
5. Click Reset network settings' to confirm your action.
This will not delete information from your iPhone except wifi passwords. Upon entering wifi network You will need to re-enter lost passwords.
Insert the SIM card into another phone, then restart your smartphone
This solution is not described on the Internet, but it can also help activate iMessage. To do this, you need to remove the SIM card and insert it into a spare iPhone that is nearby or borrowed from a friend:
1. Go to Settings → Messages and turn off iMessage.
2. Press and hold the Power button.
3. Drag the slider to turn off iPhone.
4. Remove the SIM card and insert it into another iPhone. 
5. Press and hold the Power button until the Apple logo appears.
6. Then go to "Settings" → "General" → "Reset" → "Reset network settings". As explained above, this will reset WiFi settings, so you will have to enter passwords for Wi-Fi networks.
7. After the reset, turn on Wi-Fi. 
8. Go to Settings → Messages and turn iMessage back on.
If on the second smartphone, the iMessage activation error is gone, the problem is not with the SIM card, but with the firmware or damage to the main iPhone.
Reset warning settings geolocation
There is another simple method by which you can get rid of the problem - this is to reset the location and privacy settings. Here's how to do it:
1. Go to "Settings".
2. Click General.
3. Then click Reset.
4. You will see Reset Alert. location", click on it.
5. Enter your password.
6. Click Reset Alert. geolocation" to confirm your actions. 
