Whether you've got a new iPhone, or you’ve just joined 48 and already have an iPhone, you’ll want to set up iMessage and Facetime.
Below are some key points to help you get started, as well as some guides, just in case you happen to have any difficulty getting set up.
Getting Set Up:
- You’ll need to have an additional credit balance as a onetime per handset charge is required to activate iMessage. An activation SMS is sent to a UK +44 number and as this is an international SMS, it is not covered under your plan.
- The charge is 8c, and if you need to add additional credit to your account, just Login My48>>Settings>> Payment details>>Add Credit.
- Make sure you're connected to Wi-Fi when you're getting set up.
- Make sure to also check the following:
Settings -> Messages -> iMessage (Toggle switch to ON position)
Send & Receive (Set your mobile number here along with your email address)
These steps should be enough to get the iMessage setup on any iPhone.
Just a heads up: It can take up to 24 hours for iMessage & Facetime to activate.
If you're still facing difficulties or receiving an error message, then the below troubleshooting guide should be your next step (Source info courtesy of iDB 😊): https://www.idownloadblog.com/2017/09/19/how-to-fix-waiting-for-activation-issue-in-imessage-and-fac...
Potential Error messages
There are several possible error messages that indicate an activation issue with FaceTime or iMessage, but the most frequent one is the Waiting for activation error that appears in the iMessage or FaceTime panels in the Settings app.
Other error messages you could encounter might say:
- Activation unsuccessful, or
- An error occurred during activation, or
- Could not sign in, please check your network connection.
Although the wording can differ, these are all pretty much the same issues: you can’t get FaceTime and iMessage to work.
Trouble shooting steps to be performed in descending order:
- Make sure you’re connected to Wi-Fi or mobile data
If you don’t have mobile data or a Wi-Fi connection, iMessage and FaceTime won’t be able to check-in with Apple’s servers to start the activation process. If you don’t have a Wi-Fi connection, then it’s a good time to check your phone data settings. If your current settings are different, then either delete the existing APN or edit and input, the correct settings. Once saved, check your data connection to ensure its working. To view your correct 48 APN settings, click here.
- Check your phone number
Go to Settings >Phone > My number. If your number isn’t displaying here, then enter your number. This can often happen when porting your number to a new network. Go back to Facetime or iMessage and check send and receive, and you should now see your phone number displayed along with your email IDs, etc. If it doesn’t work immediately, then restart your phone and check again.
- Turn airplane mode on and off
Activation issuse can sometimes be a hiccup in the system. Before going any further in the troubleshooting of your problem, turn off iMessage and Facetime and then turn Airplane Mode on, wait a few seconds, and then turn it off and re-enable both Facetime and iMessage again.
- Check the time
When Apple tries to authenticate you for iMessage or FaceTime, the activation server will expect the time between them and your device to match. To avoid any issues, go to Settings > General > Date & Time, and set the time and date to Set Automatically. Additionally, make sure the time zone is correct.
- Turn off iMessage and FaceTime, then restart your device
According to iDM, this is a trick that helps many people. In Settings, go to Messages and turn off iMessage. Then, in Settings, go to FaceTime and turn off FaceTime. Finally, reboot your device and enable the two options again. It's the same as the airplane mode option.
- Make sure your cell plan lets you receive SMS
This is not obvious at all, but if you are trying to activate FaceTime and iMessage on an iPhone, Apple might try to send you an SMS as part of the activation process. This SMS is typically invisible to the user as all happens in the background, but it's basically the equivalent of Apple sending an SMS to the phone to verify its status. If you can’t receive or send an SMS, then Apple might not be able to authorize the device to activate FaceTime and iMessage. In this case, double check that you can receive and send standard SMS text messages and if you’re can't, get in touch with 48 Customer Care so they can help you.
- Add credit to your account
This is directly related to the previous possible solution. As you’re on a prepay plan, you’ll need to have enough credit to send a text message. Again, you might not actually receive a text message that you’ll be able to read, but the SMS protocol might be used to activate iMessage or FaceTime on your device.
- Reset network settings
If you’re having either Wi-Fi or a cellular network issue, Apple won’t be able to activate your device over these two services. To rule out issues related to your connectivity, go to Settings > General > Reset Network Settings. Once the reset is performed, you will have to enter your Wi-Fi password again, but at least you will be operating on a clean slate, as far as networking goes.
- Put your SIM card in a different phone, then reset that phone
This is to rule out a specific handset issue with your main iPhone. If you happen to have a spare iPhone then try your SIM in this one, and if iMessage happens to work in the other phone, then it’s an issue with the main iPhone handset, and you may need to contact Apple or alternatively see step 11.
- Wait 24 hours
Apple have also suggested that it might take up to 24 hours to activate iMessage and FaceTime.
- Update to the latest version of iOS
It’s also a good idea to update your software and ensure that you’re on the latest version of iOS if you are having issues. That’s especially true if you are still using a version of the operating system that is any more than one year old. To update to the latest iOS version, go to Settings > General > Software Update.
- Reset all content and settings
The activation issue may actually be a device-specific issue, and unfortunately, you might have to reset the device and set it all up again, this is a last resort as it will wipe all info from the handset. To do so, go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset All Content and Settings. Again, this will wipe your device and will let you either set it up as new or set it up from a previous iCloud backup.
If you make any of the above changes, it's always worth rebooting your device and remembering that it may take up to 24 hours for any of the above changes to take effect.
