How To Fix iMessage’s “Waiting For Activation” Error On iPhone (2023 Guide)

iMessages are one of the best reasons for using an iPhone. But one of the most dreaded error messages on the iPhone is the iMessage “Waiting For Activation” error. But don’t worry about that anymore. Because this article is going to walk you through the steps you need to fix the error.

Apple’s messaging service is end-to-end encrypted, easy to use, and packed with cool features like Memojis. Plus, Apple’s Messages (also known as iMessage) let you send and receive texts not just on your iPhone, but on all Apple devices, including iPads, Macs, and even the Apple Watch. But for some reason, people occasionally get the dreaded iMessage activation error when trying to set iMessages up.

The good news is a fix is possible, the bad news is the fix isn’t always the same for everyone. That being said, I’ve compiled a list of methods below that people on various forums said worked for them. If you’re having iMessage activation problems on either your iPhone or iPad go through the list below. You’re sure to find one method that works for you.

A few things to keep in mind before beginning troubleshooting:

If you are trying to activate iMessage on your iPhone check to make sure your carrier supports the feature (a rare few still do not). Other things to check:

Types of Common iMessage Errors

The “Waiting For Activation” error isn’t the only error you may get with iMessage. Other errors include the ones listed below:

The good news is, the steps below can also fix many of those errors as well.

Now, if you’ve made sure of the above and are still seeing “Waiting for Activation”, “Activation unsuccessful”, “An error occurred during activation”, or other like errors, try these methods to fix them:

“Waiting For Activation” Error Fix Method #1: Turn Messages Off & On

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Sometimes toggling iMessage and FaceTime off and on can get iMessage around any bottleneck that is preventing it from activating. Here’s what to do (iOS 16 instructions):

Most of the time, this is enough to resolve the “Waiting for Activation” error.

“Waiting For Activation” Error Fix Method #2: Sign In And Out Of Your Apple ID…Repeatedly.

If the above doesn’t work, sometimes that suggests the issue is with a login problem with your Apple ID. So try this next:

“Waiting For Activation” Error Fix Method #3: Reset or Restore

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This is what people call the “nuclear option”. If you aren’t having any luck with enabling iMessage on your iPhone or iPad many people have found success resetting their iPhone’s settings. Yes, this is annoying, but if you want iMessages, this is sometimes the only option you have left.

You can read out guide about how to reset your iPhone here.

Be Aware: iMessage Can Take 24 Hours To Activate

There is one final thing you need to be aware of if iMessage still isn’t activating: there actually may not be a problem. Yep, you read that right.

That’s because iMessage can actually take up to 24 hours to activate. Yeah, that’s a long time–but for some users, it just takes that long. Apple even explicitly states the fact that it can take a full day: “It can take up to 24 hours for iMessage and FaceTime to be activated,” the company notes.

So, if you’ve tried all of the above and nothing works. try activating iMessage again, but be patient and give it 24 hours. But if nothing works after that, then you’ll need to contact Apple support or your carrier’s helpline to resolve the issue.