It’s not uncommon to get the error Waiting for activation when using iMessage or FaceTime, and users are often left frustrated by it. Fortunately, there’s an easy fix! Follow these steps to get back to sending texts and making video calls as usual.
Reset your Mac
While we often rely on our devices to work seamlessly with each other, when one is having issues it can be frustrating. One of the most common problems is iMessage and FaceTime not being able to activate, which usually occurs after installing an iOS update or a new device software update. It’s an annoyance that can easily be fixed in a matter of minutes if you know what to do. First, make sure your Mac and iPhone are running the latest version of iOS by downloading these updates in iTunes on your Mac (if necessary). Next, turn off and restart your device as well as go into Settings > Messages and toggle off iMessage before restarting your phone again.
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Force restart your iPhone
If you’re running into this error, try force restarting your iPhone before reinstalling iMessage and FaceTime. When it reboots, go to Settings -> General -> Reset -> Reset All Settings and then head back to iMessage and FaceTime to see if it works.
You can do a force restart by holding down your device’s power button until you see a red slider, then slide it to turn off your iPhone. When it’s completely off, hold down both the Home button and power button at once for about six seconds until you see your screen flash. From there, wait about 15 seconds before trying again to reinstall iMessage or FaceTime. Just bear in mind that doing so will wipe out any data stored on your device.
Reboot your router
The waiting for activation error in iMessage and FaceTime means that your router is taking a long time to configure. You can fix this by rebooting your router (i.e. unplugging it from the power source and plugging it back in again). This will reset your Wi-Fi password, so you’ll need to enter that information into your devices after powering them on again. And if rebooting your router doesn’t work, you may want to contact your Internet Service Provider or Apple Support right away to get more help.
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Reset network settings
- Open Settings 2. Scroll down and tap General 3. Tap Reset and then enter your passcode 4. In Safari settings, set Accept Cookies to Never 5. Enter Apple ID password and click Turn Off 6. After about 30 seconds, tap Settings again 7. Tap Mail, Contacts, Calendars 8. Toggle iMessage to Off 9. Double-tap on your carrier name 10. Toggle FaceTime to Off 11. Re-enter your Apple ID password 12 Your iMessage/FaceTime has been successfully reset and activated
If you’re still getting ‘Waiting for Activation’ errors, it may be time to fully reset your iPhone. If you have synced your iCloud account with another iPhone, iPad or Mac computer then make sure that device is also turned off before resetting your phone. Once your phone has been wiped of data, check if you can activate using cellular networks and try making a call to test network performance. Resetting network settings will wipe out all saved Wi-Fi information so before you start make sure to write down any passwords or login details. Re-enter these after resetting network settings on a fresh backup of your device (if possible).
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Restore from backup/Restore as new iPhone
Sometimes this error occurs when you update your device and choose a new Apple ID. A fix is to restore from a backup or set up a new iPhone.
For more information on iMessage and FaceTime errors, visit Apple Support.
If you are not on a backup or if your problem persists, try resetting your iPhone. Before resetting your iPhone, back up all your data on iTunes or iCloud. When you perform a factory reset, you will lose all of your data. Click here to read more about factory resets.