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iMessage/FaceTime Activation Failed

jjk454ss

jjk454ss

macrumors 601
Original poster
Jul 10, 2008
4,506
516
im sure this is posted, but my search words are too genaric to find anything. I can't get iMessage to activate on a new iPad Mini or my iPhone since I logged out trying to resolve the issue. It keeps saying Activation Failed or an Error Occured.

Time is set automatically, tried a restore, tried logging out all devices, tried waiting 24 hours, tried Wifi, tried Cellular.

Any help would be greatly appreciated:)
 
There is no email address now, it won't let me add it. I've tried @mac.com, @me.com, and @icloud.com just in case. Same error with all 3
 
mikzn said:
just a shot in the dark - have you tried to login to iCloud via web browser / safari to make sure the apple ID and password are good?
https://www.icloud.com

If that worked ok - did you try to reset the phone or ipad?
Click to expand...

Yeah, good suggestion though. I can get on the website, check my email, photos and reminders and everything syncs ok. It's just iMessage and FaceTime
 
Easy fix. Turn both off in the settings. Restart your phone and turn them back on.
 
mikzn said:
you have probably done this - but just in case - in the face time settings - did you check off all the accounts that you want connected? emails, phone etc.
Click to expand...

Yeah. Thanks for the idea. I never use FaceTime, it's been disabled anyway. But I just turned it on on my phone to see and just my phone number appears. If I try to add my email same error comes up.

 
jjk454ss said:
im sure this is posted, but my search words are too genaric to find anything. I can't get iMessage to activate on a new iPad Mini or my iPhone since I logged out trying to resolve the issue. It keeps saying Activation Failed or an Error Occured.

Time is set automatically, tried a restore, tried logging out all devices, tried waiting 24 hours, tried Wifi, tried Cellular.

Any help would be greatly appreciated:)
Click to expand...

It is possible that your Apple ID or iCloud ID is secretly asking you to agree to new terms of service?
This is supposed to happen automatically but sometimes it does not.
Do you have two–factor authentication enabled?
 
Solver said:
It is possible that your Apple ID or iCloud ID is secretly asking you to agree to new terms of service?
This is supposed to happen automatically but sometimes it does not.
Do you have two–factor authentication enabled?
Click to expand...

That's certainly possible, although I use my iPhone and ipad daily, and no issues until I tried using this new ipad. I did not have two-factor authentication enabled, but during all this I did turn it on. However it's making me wait 3 days to set it up:(.

Now I found something maybe. I decided to reset my password. I first changed it on my MacBook through the website. Then my ipad and my iPhone still would only accept my old pwd. I tried a couple times on different devices and same thing, it was like it wasn't updating accross devices, like they weren't communicating with the main server. I decided to go to Manage My Apple ID website and change it to something completely different, I was leaving it similar. Now on my iPhone and my ipad when I go to add the new pwd in Settings it just been the spinning indicator like it's trying, but it's been a long time and still nothing.
 
Im having the same issue on my iPhone 6. When I try to turn it on it tries to verify until it says can't connect. It also makes the battery very hot.
 
I fixed this by turning iMessage off, logging out of iCloud, then doing a "erase network settings" when the phone comes back on don't log onto your wifi, go into FaceTime not iMessage activate FaceTime then go and activate iMessage. And it should now work, worked for my iPhone 5s and iPad
 
blassley said:
I fixed this by turning iMessage off, logging out of iCloud, then doing a "erase network settings" when the phone comes back on don't log onto your wifi, go into FaceTime not iMessage activate FaceTime then go and activate iMessage. And it should now work, worked for my iPhone 5s and iPad
Click to expand...

Darn it, I was hoping this would work. But still the same stupid error.

Now this still might not fix this, but I've been wanting to combine my iCloud account with the gmail is use for iTunes/App Store. I've saved my iWork docs and exported my Contacts and Calendars. People don't use my iCloud email for anything, so that's not a problem to use a different one. My issue I can think of is my iCloud Photo Library. My computer was stolen, so that's all my photos. How can I transfer my entire photo library to my other Apple ID, the gmail one? I don't have a super fast Internet connection to just download them, but I'm thinking that's my only way?
 
jjk454ss said:
That's certainly possible, although I use my iPhone and ipad daily, and no issues until I tried using this new ipad. I did not have two-factor authentication enabled, but during all this I did turn it on. However it's making me wait 3 days to set it up:(.

Now I found something maybe. I decided to reset my password. I first changed it on my MacBook through the website. Then my ipad and my iPhone still would only accept my old pwd. I tried a couple times on different devices and same thing, it was like it wasn't updating accross devices, like they weren't communicating with the main server. I decided to go to Manage My Apple ID website and change it to something completely different, I was leaving it similar. Now on my iPhone and my ipad when I go to add the new pwd in Settings it just been the spinning indicator like it's trying, but it's been a long time and still nothing.
Click to expand...

You could try buying some random free software to check out your Apple ID and any possible new terms of service. It seems like you are currently in limbo with two-factor authentication. I once had your problem way earlier and it was related to that.
 
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jjk454ss said:
Darn it, I was hoping this would work. But still the same stupid error.

Now this still might not fix this, but I've been wanting to combine my iCloud account with the gmail is use for iTunes/App Store. I've saved my iWork docs and exported my Contacts and Calendars. People don't use my iCloud email for anything, so that's not a problem to use a different one. My issue I can think of is my iCloud Photo Library. My computer was stolen, so that's all my photos. How can I transfer my entire photo library to my other Apple ID, the gmail one? I don't have a super fast Internet connection to just download them, but I'm thinking that's my only way?
Click to expand...
Afraid so. Idk this worked for me, I can't see but it did mention to remove any numbers, or emails under iMessage before logging out? Sorry was cooking dinner and trying to type this also you may try to throw a hard reset in and as before make sure you don't enable wifi just strictly use your data til it'd activated
 
Solver said:
You could try buying some random free software to check out your Apple ID and any possible new terms of service. It seems like you are currently in limbo with two-factor authentication. I once had your problem way earlier and it was related to that.
Click to expand...

I thought you had figured it out, I tried this and it did tell me I had to agree to the new t&c, but even after agreeing it's still not working.
 
blassley said:
Afraid so. Idk this worked for me, I can't see but it did mention to remove any numbers, or emails under iMessage before logging out? Sorry was cooking dinner and trying to type this also you may try to throw a hard reset in and as before make sure you don't enable wifi just strictly use your data til it'd activated
Click to expand...

It didn't ask to remove anything. I never use FaceTime so I don't think any email addresses were in there anyway. Maybe I'll try this again and do the hard reset just in case.
 
jjk454ss said:
It didn't ask to remove anything. I never use FaceTime so I don't think any email addresses were in there anyway. Maybe I'll try this again and do the hard reset just in case.
Click to expand...
FaceTime is usually enabled if iMessage is, to "trick" it I unchecked all emails under iMessage and FaceTime I then turned iMessage and FaceTime off, also logged out of iCloud, i went into wifi and forgot my network, then did a hard reset, then I did a reset network settings, then I went and enabled iMessage and it activated.
 
blassley said:
FaceTime is usually enabled if iMessage is, to "trick" it I unchecked all emails under iMessage and FaceTime I then turned iMessage and FaceTime off, also logged out of iCloud, i went into wifi and forgot my network, then did a hard reset, then I did a reset network settings, then I went and enabled iMessage and it activated.
Click to expand...

I'm trying these exact steps right now. We will see;)
 
Still not working. Hopefully we are on the same page here, I think I might not have been real clear. iMessage is working on my iPhone, but only with my phone number. This all started because I want it working on my new ipad. I can't add my phone number or email to my ipad, and I can't add my email on iPhone(only iMessage for my phone number).
 
jjk454ss said:
Still not working. Hopefully we are on the same page here, I think I might not have been real clear. iMessage is working on my iPhone, but only with my phone number. This all started because I want it working on my new ipad. I can't add my phone number or email to my ipad, and I can't add my email on iPhone(only iMessage for my phone number).
Click to expand...
Hmm, pm me and I'll give u access to a old account see if it lets u do it if so then you know it's something to do with your Apple ID, have you updated the terms and conditions? I don't use my Apple ID for iMessage sorry..
 
I don't even care about the email addresses, I just want iMessage to work on my ipad with my phone number. But I think I need my iCloud ID to work to make that work.
 
jjk454ss said:
I don't even care about the email addresses, I just want iMessage to work on my ipad with my phone number. But I think I need my iCloud ID to work to make that work.
Click to expand...
Dumb question but your iPad is wifi+cellular data?
 
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