When activating iMessage or FaceTime, you might see one of these messages:
- Waiting for activation
- Activation unsuccessful
- An error occurred during activation
- Could not sign in, please check your network connection
- Unable to contact the iMessage server. Try again.
Disable the “Messages” option here to stop storing your iMessage history in iCloud. You can also do this on a Mac. On a Mac, open the Messages app. Click Messages Preferences, click “iMessage,” and uncheck the “Enable Messages in iCloud” checkbox. Option 2: Disable iCloud Backups. Since the error itself says that iMessage needs to be enabled, therefore this troubleshooting step can make you out of the trouble. You can disable your iMessage in 'Settings' and then enable it again. To perform this method, the steps are given below. Open 'Settings' in your iPhone and scroll for the 'Messages' option.
Check your device settings
- Make sure that you’re connected to a cellular data or Wi-Fi network. If you're using an iPhone, you need SMS messaging to activate your phone number with iMessage and FaceTime. Depending on your carrier, you might be charged for this SMS.
- Go to Settings > General > Date & Time and make sure that your time zone is set correctly.
Turn off and restart iMessage and FaceTime
If iMessage is working on your iPhone, but the messages you receive are in the wrong order, check out our article on how to fix the problem. How To Fix iMessage On Your iPhone or iPad 1. Turn iMessage Off, Reboot, And Then Back On. Head to Settings - Messages and tap the button next to iMessage to turn iMessage off on your iPhone or iPad. Aug 08, 2020 How to disable SMS within iMessage. Google’s Messages is more a front-end to SMS than a separate messenger, adding richer functionality but with a tightly integrated approach. How to enable iMessage. IPhone 8 Plus, iOS 11.4.1 Posted on Jul 28, 2018 9:24 PM Reply I have this question too (58) I have this question.
- Go to Settings > Messages and turn off iMessage.
- Go to Settings > FaceTime and turn off FaceTime.
- Restart your device:
- Turn iMessage and FaceTime back on.
Still not activated after a day?
It might take up to 24 hours to activate iMessage and FaceTime. If the issue continues after 24 hours, follow these steps:
- Make sure that your device has the latest version of iOS or iPadOS.
- If you're using an iPhone, contact your carrier to make sure that you can send and receive SMS messages.
- If your iPhone is used with a carrier not found in the wireless carrier articles make sure you can send and receive international SMS.
- Contact Apple Support.
Get more help
You can also use your email address with iMessage and FaceTime. Sign in to your Apple ID account page and review all the email addresses you have on file, including the one that you're trying to verify. If the email address is incorrect, you can update it. Then click Resend next to the email address that you want to verify.
If you can't sign in to iMessage or FaceTime on your Mac, see If you can't sign in to your iMessage account or FaceTime on your Mac.
FaceTime is not available in all countries or regions.
By Vernon Roderick, Last updated: January 22, 2021
If you own multiple iOS devices or a Mac, it’s natural that you’d use iMessage. After all, it has the ability to synchronize messages across your devices, as long as you use the same account. It’s quite convenient for multiple device users such as yourself.
Enabling Imessage On Watch
Unfortunately, some people noticed iMessage not syncing when it’s supposed to. With this problem, quite frankly, there’s really no reason to use iMessage.
So in this guide, we will talk about how you can fix iMessage not syncing on your devices, be it iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Let’s start with the easiest solution.
iMessage Not Syncing Solution #1. Check if it is Enabled
Before you complain about iMessage not syncing, you should first see if it is enabled in the first place. This is the most common mistake of users, they haven’t enabled iMessage but expect it to work.
Below are the steps to enable iMessage syncing for iOS devices and Mac:
- iOS Devices. Open the Settings Now go to Message and turn the slider beside the iMessage option so it becomes green.
- Open the Messages app. Now click on Messages from the menu bar and go to Preferences > Accounts. Now select iMessage from the list of Accounts and make sure that your Apple ID is entered and the box is checked.
How To Fix IMessage Not Syncing On IPhone/iPad/Mac
Once you have done this, iMessage should work properly. If it didn’t, then we really are dealing with an issue here. So you will need to do some troubleshooting.
iMessage Not Syncing Solution #2. Enable iMessages Again
Enabling iMessage on your device is good and all, but iMessage not syncing can happen even with a properly set up device. That’s why some users tried turning it off and on again, and somehow it worked.
Although the reason is unclear, it may have something to do with the device not being able to recognize that the feature is enabled, so you have to do it again.
Since you already know how to turn it on, you should know how to turn it off. Simply turn it off, wait for a bit, and then turn it on again. Afterward, check if the error still persists.
If so, then you may also try another method that follows the same concept.
iMessage Not Syncing Solution #3. Sign Out and Back In
As you already know, in order to enable iMessages, you have to have an Apple account, and you have to use that account to sign in to iMessage. This applies to both Mac and iOS devices.
Usually, you are automatically signed in to your Apple ID once you enable iMessage, that’s why you might not know how to log in, which is not good this may be the reason for iMessage not syncing.
Below are the steps to sign out and sign in to iMessage with your Apple ID:
- iOS Device. Open the Settings Go to Messages > Send and Receive. Tap on the Apple ID that you’re currently using and select Sign Out. Now tap on Use Your Apple ID and enter the credentials for your Apple ID to sign in again.
- Open the iMessages app. Now click the Messages tab and go to Preferences > Accounts. There, select the Apple ID that you want to use and click on Sign Out. Once that’s done, sign in with the same Apple ID that you logged out of.
By signing out of the account, you are resetting the settings that were set on iMessage to default. So by signing in again, you are technically turning everything back to normal and hopefully, this will be the end of iMessage not syncing.
iMessage Not Syncing Solution #4. Verify Phone Number
Enabling Imessage On Iphone 8
Have you ever visited the official Apple website to check if everything is in its proper place?
If not, then perhaps you didn’t know that you have to verify that the phone number you use on your device is associated with your Apple ID. If you didn’t know, then it’s time you did, since it might be the key to stop the iMessage not syncing issue.
Below are the steps to verify your phone number:
- Open a browser on your device.
- Go to the Apple
- Log in to your Apple ID.
- There will be lots of things here, but what you want to look at would be the Phone Numbers Here, you will see the phone numbers that you’ve verified before.
- If you can’t see your phone number, enter the phone number on the Mobile Phone
- Click on Save Changes once you are done.
7. Click The Account You Want To Use With IMessage. Click The Account Listed In The Left Column To Select It.
Once you’ve done this, try disabling and enabling the iMessage again. This will make sure that any change that you’ve done is really saved into the system. Now check if you’ll no longer see iMessage not syncing.
iMessage Not Syncing Solution #5. Check Email Address
In addition to a phone number, you should also ensure that the email address associated with the Apple ID is correct. So how can you check the email address?
- iOS Device. Open the Settings app and go to Messages > Send & Receive. You should be able to see the list of emails somewhere on the screen. If you can’t find what you want to use, tap on Add Another Email… Make sure that there is a check on its left.
- Open the Messages app. Click Messages from the menu bar and select Preferences. Go to the Accounts tab and make sure that the email address is listed here. Click on the Add Email button if you can’t find the correct email.
Remember that one email address and phone number can be used at a time, though you can enter others so it is already set up in case one doesn’t work.
iMessage Not Syncing Solution #6. Enable FaceTime
While you may think that enabling iMessage is already enough, think again. You should also make sure that it is properly set up, and that can be done with these steps:
- Open Settings.
- Go to FaceTime.
- Turn off FaceTime so it doesn’t appear as a green slider.
- Restart your device.
Since FaceTime is sometimes required by some devices, this may be what will help you see the end of iMessage not syncing. You may also try turning it off if it is already turned on the first time you went to this setting.
iMessage Not Syncing Solution #7. Enable Handoff
In addition to FaceTime, there’s also Handoff, a feature of Apple that allows you to leave what you’re currently doing on one device and continue it on another. Basically, it’s another feature that has something to do with syncing.
Although it was not meant to be, some users have reported that enabling this will help solve iMessage not syncing.
Below are the steps to enable Handoff:
- iOS Devices. Open your Settings. Go to General > Handoff. Turn the toggle On for Handoff so it becomes green. Restart your device.
- Go to the Apple Menu. Select System Preferences and on the General tab, turn on the slider for Handoff.
Although it is a free feature, you have to enable WiFi or at least have a stable internet connection to use this. This shouldn’t be a problem though, since using iMessage must mean you have internet.
iMessage Not Syncing Solution #8. Clear Up Some Space
Your last resort is to delete some threads on the iMessage app, mostly those that are old enough that you no longer remember them. So why would you need to do that, you may ask.
Experts have found out that iMessage not syncing might have something to do with storage space. Since iMessage is without a doubt an app, it may have some limits on how many threads it can store. As such, you should try deleting threads.
Unfortunately, this is a bit risky, hence why I saved this for last, but it shouldn’t matter much for the price of seeing the end of iMessage not syncing. After all, you’re only deleting threads that are no longer necessary.
Avoid Data Loss by Backing Up Your Messages
Although we’ve already discussed the last resort, the actual last resort is actually resetting your device so that iMessage can work properly again. However, that may lead to data loss, and that’s when FoneDog iOS Data Backup & Restore comes in.
FoneDog iOS Data Backup & Restore is a tool that allows users to create backups of their files in case they want to do some drastic measures such as resetting their device. If you ever decide to do just that, this software should be able to help.
iOS Data Backup and RestoreOne click to backup the whole iOS device to your computer.Allow to preview and restore any item from the backup to a device.Export what you want from the backup to your computer.No data loss on devices during the restore.iPhone Restore Won't Overwrite Your Data
Conclusion
There is no reason for you to tolerate iMessage not syncing. It hinders your communication with other people, which might be urgent. It can also delay things that should’ve been done already. Simply put, it’s very inconvenient.
With this guide, you should be able to escape from this tragic loop and hopefully, you can contact your acquaintances once you fix this issue.