Why is facetime not activating? Problems activating iMessage: error, prolonged wait for activation

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iOS 11/12 lets you experience a more intuitive app drawer, custom bubble effects, and the Apple Pay app in the Message app. To satisfy their curiosity, many iPhone and iPad users cannot wait to update their version of the system and be able to enjoy new features. Unfortunately, many iPhone/iPad users have found that iMessage/messages are not working after updating the new iOS system. In this article, we list the most common iMessage problems and fixes on iPhone XS/XR/X/8 (Plus)/7 (Plus)/SE/6s (Plus)/6 (Plus)/5s and iPad.

Top 12 iMessage and Message crashes and general fixes

Errors and methods for iMessage and message on iOS 11 are listed. You can click the item of interest from the table of contents:

Top 1. iMessage Error “Waiting for Activation”

When you get an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch in your hand, switch phone number or carrier, or even update your mobile system to a new iOS system, iMessage activation error may occur. Since iMessage activation was unsuccessful, you cannot continue using the app at all. The prompt line contains:

1. Waiting for activation.

2.Activation failed. Turn on iMessage to try again.

3. Error during activation. Try again.

4. Your carrier may charge you for the SMS message you use to activate iMessage.

How to Fix: Try these methods and check whether iMessage is good or not.

Turn off iMessage and restart your Apple device.
Sign in and sign in with your Apple ID.
Turn off airplane mode and turn it back on after 30 seconds.
Make sure the date and time are set correctly.
Erase all content and settings on your iPhone and set it up as a new device.
Make sure you are connected to Wi-Fi or cellular data.
Check if there is a software update available.
Contact Apple Support after waiting 24 hours.

Top 2. Messages app closes/interrupts/won't open after update

Since updating to iOS 11/12 from a lower version, the Messages app launches every time you try to open or type a message. You will be annoyed when iMessage freezes on launch in iPhone X/8/7/6+, just like using Twitter as shown below.

How to fix: Here are measures that work for most users.

If you can't visit them, this post written on how to fix app freezing and crashing on iPhone shows more details.

Top 3. How to recover messages on iPhone

Sometimes you may delete messages carelessly, but they are of great importance to you, so you hope to recover deleted iMessage one day. Or you want to get rid of some cold messages to free up memory on your mobile phone, however you want them back for a specific reason. Such circumstances occur for many of us.

How to Fix: All the methods below are possible choices to make iMessage disappear. You can also try them until the problem is resolved

Recover deleted message/iMessage on device via no backup.
Retrieve lost SMS with iTunes backup after iOS 11/12 update.
Recover missing text message on iPhone, iPad or iPod touch via iCloud backup without computer.

You can even intuitively watch this video demonstration on how to recover deleted message from iPhone/iPad with one click:

Top 4. Message Keyboard Closes Last Message

Some iPhone/iPad users with one hand simply hide the entire screen and cannot see what they are typing by typing iMessage and switching to the emoji keyboard in the messaging app. The most recent messages are overlapped/hidden by the keyboard in chat.

How to fix: Get the possible methods in the following content.

Disable Apple Keyboard from device settings.
Enable the Split Keyboard option if you are using an iPad.
Press and hold the keyboard key in the lower right corner, select Docked Keyboard.
Convert to emoji keyboard and then return to normal keyboard.
Switch to another working third-party keyboard.
Wait for the official software update and install the iOS version.

Top 5. Emoji on Keyboard is Missing/Gone/Not Showing

Lately, a group of customers are facing the issue that the globe and emoji icon has disappeared from the keyboard next to the microphone icon or space bar on iPhone after updating iOS 11. Other users are reporting that the emoji is not showing up after sending.

How to fix: Follow the tricks to solve new emoji not appearing in predictive text.

Hard reboot your Apple device using hardware buttons.
Turn on the built-in emoji keyboard by going to Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards > Add a new keyboard > Emoji.
Please update to iOS 11.1+ because the new emulator has not been released yet.
Contact your keyboard developer for help.

Top 6. New Notifications/Alerts Notification Disappears from Lock Screen

Various users claim that they are having problems with SMS and iMessage messages on the screen. No sound/vibration detected after updating their Apple device. They seem to be able to see the text on the lock screen, but as soon as a new notification is received, it removes the text message from the screen.

How to Fix: Check out the below approaches to fix the lock screen style notification error.

Top 7. iMessage and Screen Effects Not Working/Playing

The iMessage effects feature is invented since the release of iOS 11, however, some users complained that the iMessage/message effects are not working after updating them from iOS 11 to iOS 12. With the help of this funny and special animated bubble and full screen effects, iMessage becomes more expressive. Now users will be frustrated and frustrated whenever this problem persists.

How to fix: Here is a brief description of the methods. You can try any of them.

Don't miss this helpful article on how to fix iOS 11/12 iMessage effects not working with screenshots.

Top 8. Message Icon Back/Arrow Button Not Responding

Several customers have reported that they hit the back button during messaging but don't respond properly unless they hit it three or four times. Other users are unable to see the message icon and hope to lose the icon on their phones again. They reach to get back to messaging messages by restarting the Message app. This particular and unusual error has occurred on their iPhone since updating to the latest iOS 12.

How to Fix: Follow these workarounds to resolve your issue.

Double-click the Home button and close all apps, then open Message again to force the app.
Restart your mobile phone, iPad or iPod Touch.
Reboot, update or remove iOS 12 on your device.
Check out the effects of auto-playing messages in the Settings app.

Top 9. iMessage/SMS Message/Group Texts Not Sent (Talking), Sent or Received

iMessage doesn't say "delivered" and sends a message saying the message was not delivered or sent to the recipient and sender's device. This failure to send a message can be caused by: the mobile phone is not available with Wi-Fi or cellular data network, the phone is in Do Not Disturb mode, etc. The situation can be divided into several specific cases:

1.iPhone does not send/receive iMessage or message after installing iOS 11.

2.SMS text message “Access Access Denied” from “Unknown”.

3.iMessage sends the same message multiple times.

4.Photos are not accepted with iPhone group text messages.

5.iPhone does not send/receive texts to Android phone.

6. The message is delayed.

How to fix: Choose one of the following scenarios to resolve the issue.

Wait a while and resend the message again.
Check your wireless connection and cellular network.
Disable and enable the iMessage app on your computer.
Send iMessage as a text message if you choose.
Enable SMS messaging and disable MMS by tapping Settings > Messages.
Turn off Voice & Data in iPhone settings as follows: Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data, then turn on LTE, uncheck Voice & Data, and select Off. Or "Data only".
Enable text messaging for a device: Settings > Messages > Text Message Forwarding, then switch to device.
Check your Apple iMessage system status if it shows an incorrect delivery report or a status with a red exclamation point.

Reset your iPhone/iPad's network settings and try again.

Top 10. iMessage Contact Name Missing/Blank

Some people have reported that the iMessage contact name has disappeared after updating to iOS 11 and only phone numbers are shown there. This type of name issue is not annoying because if the name doesn't show up, you don't know who you're sending the message to. Is it your friend or strangers? It's rare that any of us can read a phone number without checking our contact list.

How to fix: Select the tips below until the iMessage appears showing the phone number rather than the contact names issue.

Top 11. Message keyboard autocorrection error

A lot of users have encountered an annoying autocorrect issue in the Message app with iOS 11, which also messes up the last part of the message. They expressed their disappointment over these incredible errors on forums and on Twitter online. Such annoying errors include:

Enter the letter "A" showing the strange symbol "A?"

How to fix: Follow the practical tips to fix the predicted text error automatically.

Set up manual text replacement for lowercase letters "A".
Turn off the auto-correct keyboard feature.
Change another keyboard instead of Apple keyboard.
Update your iDevice to iOS 11.1.1 or later.

Top 12. iMessage Not Syncing on Mac

With iMessage on Apple devices that have the same Apple ID, you can access the same iMessage threads on your mobile device and Mac. However, iMessage failed to sync iPhone, iPad and Mac after iOS 11 update in some situations. You may be wondering how to fix message delay bug in High Sierra/Sierra or other macOS.

How to Fix: Follow the below tactics to sync iMessage sessions between iPhone and Mac.

Make sure iMessage is enabled on both iPhone and Mac platforms.
Make sure you sign up for the same Apple ID on both your mobile phone and your Mac.
Confirm your correct mobile number and address
email using Apple ID.
Turn off iMessage on iPhone and Mac and turn it back on.
Check your network settings and Wi-Fi connection.
Delete previous iMessage chat history.

Part 2. Methods: iMessage/Message not working on iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch

Freezes or doesn't work on iPhone. This workable and reliable software allows us to fix all iPhones stuck (message problem) without data loss. Let's focus on the user manual as below:

Step 1: Download and install the free one on Windows/Mac, launch it and connect your device to that computer using a USB cable.

Step 2: Click "Fix All iOS" and then "Fix Now" on the next screen, follow the instructions to repair your system.

Step 3: Tenorshare ReiBoot will download the latest firmware package for you. If you decide to downgrade this version to a lower version, click Select to import it.

Step 4: In the end, most of the above message and stuck iMessage error will be fixed successfully.

Despite the high degree of friendliness of the iOS system, sometimes users still encounter various problems, one of which may be the inability to activate iMessage. When you try to use the service, the device reports 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 problem

There are several options to resolve the problem of activating the messaging service.

1. Restart iMessage.
First, you can try simply restarting iMessage. You can do this in Settings > Messages. Turn off iMessage, restart your device, and start the messaging service again.
Did not help? Go ahead.

2. Reset network settings.
You can save yourself from the tedious, endless wait for activation by resetting your 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. The device probably did not recognize you, so we are trying to provide 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 to select ourselves in the contact list that opens. Didn't find your name? Launch the Contacts application and add information about yourself. After entering the details, the “waiting for activation” in iMessage should stop.

4. Sign out/sign in to iMessage account.
Go to the “Settings” application, find the “Messages” section, where we are interested in the “Send/Receive” line. In the “Send/Receive” subsection, you can log out of your account by tapping on AppleID, and then log in again.

5. Flashing iPhone or iPad.
In case of total reluctance of the service to activate on your device, it is recommended to flash the device. Instructions for flashing iPhone or iPad

If you haven’t found an answer to your question or something didn’t work out for you, and there is no suitable solution in the comments below, ask a question through ours. It's fast, simple, convenient and doesn't require registration. You will find answers to your and other questions in the section.

I installed the latest update to Mac OS 10.13.4 and two applications fell off at once: Facetime and iMessage, and the Handsoff function. I discovered this a day or two later when I needed to call my colleagues. Having launched the program, I saw a form for entering an Apple ID and password. I enter it and get “An error occurred during activation. Try later".

"Ok Google!"

There are several recommendations on the Apple support site that did not help. Among them:

check that the date and time settings are correct;
check if I am connected to the Internet;
check that your Apple ID is correct;
reset NVRAM memory and others.

I tried everything, but no result. Logging out and logging back into your iCloud account didn't help either.

On the forums I saw, among other things, recommendations to “reinstall”, “restore”, etc. Resetting the system to its original form was not my option, since it would take a lot of time to re-install all the programs and configure the computer itself for itself.

What helped me get my job back?

Call Apple Support. Later I thought: “Why didn’t you call right away?” The problem was solved in 10 minutes.

First, I chatted, described the problem and the steps I had already taken. They asked me to wait a bit and called.

It turned out that FaceTime and iMessage on my Macbook were blocked on Apple servers for some kind of spam. Here I had such eyes o_O, because I use these programs to communicate with three or four colleagues and that’s it.

A support specialist answered my modest question “how is that possible?!” replied that there may have been an error during the update and unlocked the applications.

After restarting the computer, the Handsoff function also worked.

What conclusion did I draw? If a problem arises with an Apple computer, then you shouldn’t spend too much time “smoking forums” and trying to find a solution on the Internet. It’s enough to first do the steps that the company itself recommends on its support website, and if that doesn’t help, then call/write to them. It will be faster.

About mobile operators. However, now there is an occasion that directly relates to the theme of the site. This article, again, is not an advertisement or anti-advertising for any mobile operator. This is a personal and not only personal experience.

When you insert a new SIM card into your iPhone, the iMessage service is activated. It happens strangely from the user's point of view. A special SMS is automatically sent to some obscure foreign phone number. The user does not actually see this SMS. iOS only tells you that your carrier may charge you for it.

This method has 3 disadvantages varying degrees of lousiness:

SMS is always paid. The cost depends on the operator's tariffs. The maximum I saw was from Beeline several years ago - 17 rubles (perhaps they wrote off several SMS messages to me then in one payment). The minimum is about 4-5 rubles.

At If you change the SIM card, activation occurs again. This greatly saddens everyone who travels and is forced to change SIM cards. For example, I have come to terms with this fact... Recently, circumstances forced my wife and I to change SIM cards while traveling. In fact, we made 4 optional paid iMessage activations, simply because we needed to change SIM cards.

I'll blame these two problems on Apple. At a minimum they could do an alternative activation through a trusted device. I don’t quite understand how everything works for them and why exactly SMS abroad. As much as possible, local activation numbers could be made.

Well, the main drawback of activation via SMS is iMessage multiple activation. How does it happen?

The operator sends a paid SMS abroad for activation.
Something went wrong….
The operator automatically sends a repeat SMS for activation. The user does not see any message about this.
Something went wrong….
The operator sends SMS again...
and so on.

And for all SMS, the operator debits money from your account.

This problem also occurred with other operators. MTS, when it got into such a situation, officially refused to return money to subscribers. I personally encountered such nonsense with Beeline several times. Naturally, the money was never returned to me.

And now it’s 2016, and the same nonsense is happening at Megafon. I have SMS sent 4 times at 30 minute intervals to activate iMessage.

It is suspicious that during these two hours I did not receive any SMS to activate MegafonTV. iMessage itself did not show anything and worked great - I even sent photos between the 1st and 4th SMS.

The money is funny in principle, but the sad fact is that the error occurred on the side of either the operator (most likely!) or Apple, and the subscriber must pay. The operator, by the way, says that these are Apple problems and you need to contact the iMessage developers. I tried to find a similar problem on the English-speaking Internet, but only problems with activating iMessage were described there... And this is a little different.

I have some rhetorical questions.

What if there were 60 such unsuccessful activations? And such cases have already happened, judging by the reviews on the Internet...

And how many such activations are there across the country at those moments when something goes wrong for the operator?

Starting with the 5th version of the iOS mobile operating system, Apple offers users the opportunity to exchange messages for free (due to Internet traffic) using the built-in messenger iMessage. However, not all iDevice owners still know about its existence - by default the service is disabled and requires activation. How to enable, configure and use iMessage on iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, we will tell you in this material.

So, to work with the native messenger, you need to configure it, and a number of options may differ depending on the system version, so we will consider only the main ones.

What is iMessage?

iMessage- a free Apple branded messenger that works only on company devices (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Mac, Apple Watch). The service allows you to exchange messages between users of Apple devices without the need to install third-party applications. iMessage runs in the Messages app.

An Internet connection is required for the service to work.

How to enable, set up and use iMessage on iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch

If you are setting up iMessage on iPhone, then first of all, insert a working SIM card into the smartphone.

Go to menu item Settings -> Messages and move the checkbox iMessage to the active position.

A warning will appear that "Some network operators may charge you for SMS messages used to activate iMessage"- click " OK«.

Don't be alarmed, service iMessage is completely free(works over the Internet), however, Apple warns that when activating the service, sometimes it is necessary to send an ordinary SMS, for which the mobile operator may debit funds from the account (in the amount of the cost of one SMS).

Forwarding- the function activates the ability to send SMS and iMessage from other devices associated with the same Apple ID. In other words, thanks to this function, you will be able to send regular SMS even from a Macbook, as long as it is logged into iMessage using a single Apple ID.

Translating the checkbox "Reading Report" in the active position means that the interlocutors will see whether you have read the message or not;

Function "Send as SMS" allows the system to send a message as a regular SMS or MMS when there is no access to the Internet (it is not possible to send an iMessage).

Sending/receiving(detailed description at the end of the article) - a settings section designed to manage e-mail addresses and phone numbers for correspondence in iMessage

Showing the theme- allows you to enable the display of the message subject.

Character counting- the function works when the option “ Showing the theme"and only when sending regular SMS.

Blocked- this section of iMesaage settings is intended for creating users.

The switch allows you to disable notifications from users who are not in your contacts list. In addition, such messages will be displayed in a separate tab.

Using the option Leave messages You can set the length of time messages are stored on your device - 30 days, 1 year, or indefinitely.

In addition, it is possible to configure automatic deletion of audio and video messages. By default the parameter is set to 2 minutes. After this time, the audio or video message will be deleted from the conversation history. Naturally, there is also the option Never.

Raise to listen- the option allows you to listen to and respond to iMessage audio messages simply by holding your iPhone to your ear.

Low Quality Mode compresses images before sending, thereby saving mobile traffic.