Why Can’t I Activate iMessage? Quick & Easy Troubleshooting Guide

iMessage is a built-in application for iOS devices that enables users to exchange messages free of charge. By using iMessage, users can send text messages, images, high-quality audio and video messages, and locations to other iOS devices while connected to the internet. However, many people have encountered the problem of being unable to activate iMessage recently. What are the causes of this error? How can this problem be resolved? Join FPT Shop to learn more about this in this article.

Causes of iMessage activation failure

Many different factors lead to iMessage activation failure. Some common causes include:

• Errors in the network provider’s service.
• Insufficient balance in the phone account.
• Incorrect region or time and date settings.
• iOS update version errors.
• Restrictions enabled on the iPhone.

Troubleshooting iMessage activation failure

Incorrect date, time, or region settings

If the date, time, or region is set incorrectly, you won’t be able to access links through your browser. Similarly, you won’t be able to activate Apple services.

The quickest solution is to reset your automatic time zone. To do this, click Settings > General Settings > Date & Time > Select “Set Automatically”.

Disable iPhone restrictions

Another reason for not being able to activate iMessage is the use of restrictions. Accordingly, to optimize user experience on iPhones, Apple has released a feature for setting restrictions to meet some of the personal needs of its users.

To activate iMessage, you need to disable the restrictions feature. To do this on an iPhone:

• Step 1: Click on Settings.
• Step 2: Click on General Settings.
• Step 3: Click on the “Restrictions” option and disable the feature.

Insufficient account balance to activate

To use iMessage or FaceTime, your device needs to be activated via silent messages. This activation usually costs between 2000VND and 7000VND. Each time you power off your phone, these features will be reactivated. However, some network providers have waived this activation fee. Even so, you should check your account to make sure there’s enough balance to complete the transaction; otherwise, you won’t be able to activate iMessage.

Errors from the network provider

Although errors from the side of the network provider are relatively rare, they can still occur. Double-check the network provider’s number on the device. This error can have a significant impact on the user’s experience with the device. If the network provider’s number is wrong, you won’t be able to activate iMessage or Facetime and you won’t be able to send SMS messages either.

To check the network provider’s number, dial *#5005*7672# and press Call. Then compare the results displayed with the information below:

• Message center number for Viettel network: +84980200030.
• Message center number for Vinaphone network: +84980200030.
• Message center number for Mobifone network: +84900000023.
• Message center number for Vietnammobile network: +84920210015.

If the results do not match the message center number above, an error has occurred. Continue by dialing *#5005*7672*message_center# and press Call.

Update the new iOS version

The current update version of your device is also one of the common causes of your inability to activate iMessage. If the iOS version is faulty, the device will create a poor user experience. If the solutions above haven’t fixed your inability to activate iMessage, try updating to the latest iOS version.

Now, Apple usually resolves any errors from the previous version when updating iOS versions. Therefore, you should update your device to the latest iOS version.

Restore factory settings

Restoring factory settings is the final solution that you can try. After restoring the original settings, the iPhone will be reset to its initial state. All images, applications, data, etc. will be deleted. Therefore, back up your data via iCloud or iTunes before restoring the factory settings.

To restore the factory settings, perform the following actions: Open Settings > General Settings > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings.

Conclusion

These are some of the causes and simple, quick fixes for iMessage activation failure that you can refer to. If you’ve tried all of the above methods and still can’t fix the error, contact Apple support to have the iMessage activation error fixed. Good luck!