Many users have observed that they are getting an error message while trying to activate the iMessage on their iPhones. The error message that they got is shown below.
iMessage Activation ,An error occurred during activation. Try again.
Most iPhone users who have shifted from Android to iPhone recently or the ones who upgraded their iPhone to the latest model are facing such an error on their iPhones. This issue must have occurred on the iPhones due to the following reasons.
- The issue with the SIM card
- Weak internet connection or no data
- The date and time are set incorrectly
- iPhone with outdated iOS
- A problem with the Apple ID
Don’t worry if you are also having the same issue with your iPhone. You can find the best possible solutions in the article below which will resolve this error and get the iMessage activated.
Fix 1 – Change the SIM Card
Most iPhone users have also reported that they were able to resolve this issue by changing and replacing the SIM card with a different cellular carrier.
This could be possible because some carriers cause problems while activating apps like iMessage, etc. So we recommend our users try changing their carrier by changing the SIM card and see if this helps.
Fix 2 – Make sure iPhone is connected to the Internet
To activate the iMessage on any iPhone, it needs to have a strong internet connection. So you need to check whether the Wi-Fi connection or mobile data is enabled. Follow the steps below on how to do it.
Step 1: Open the Settings page on your iPhone.
Step 2: Tap on the Wi-Fi option on the Settings page as shown in the below screenshot.
Step 3: Make sure your iPhone is connected to any of the Wi-Fi signals available.
Step 4: If it is not able to connect to a Wi-Fi signal, you can turn on the mobile data to access the internet.
Step 5: To do so, go back to the Settings page and choose the Mobile Data option by tapping on it.
Step 6: Tap on the Mobile Data toggle button to turn it on as shown below.
Step 7: After making sure the internet connection is established, try activating the iMessage on the iPhone without any error.
Fix 3 – Check if Airplane Mode is enabled
When Airplane Mode is enabled on iPhone, it disables all the network connections on the iPhone and this is causing the iMessage Activation error. So check if the Airplane Mode is enabled and if it is enabled, please disable it.
Step 1: Open the Settings page on the iPhone.
Step 2: You will see the Airplane Mode option on the Settings page.
Step 3: If Airplane Mode’s toggle button is enabled, please tap on it to disable it.
Step 4: After it is disabled, it will try to establish the Internet connection either Wi-Fi or Mobile Data.
Fix 4 – Disable the iMessage setting and Enable it
This issue can also be caused due to some minor glitch within the Messages settings on the iPhone. So this can be fixed by disabling the iMessage settings and then enabling it using the steps mentioned below.
Step 1: Open the Settings page on your iPhone.
Step 2: Then scroll down the Settings page and tap on the Messages option as shown in the below screenshot.
Step 3: Search for the iMessage toggle button and tap on it to disable it.
Step 4: After it gets disabled, wait for some time.
Step 5: Then enable it back again by tapping on its toggle button as shown in the below image.
Fix 5 – Sign Out and then Sign in with your Apple ID
The iMessage activation error occurred due to some issue with the Apple ID such as password change, etc. Therefore, signing out the Apple ID from the iPhone and then signing back again will definitely help resolve this issue if this is the case.
Here are the steps below on how you can sign out and then sign in back with your Apple ID.
Step 1: To do so, you need to go to the Settings page from the home screen on your iPhone.
Step 2: Choose the Profile Name at the top of the Settings page by tapping on it as shown in the below screenshot.
Step 3: Scroll down the Apple ID page and tap on the Sign Out option at the very bottom of the page as shown below.
Step 4: Now enter your Apple ID password and tap on the Turn Off option at the top right corner as shown.
Step 5: Finally, select the Health and Keychain toggle button if you want to keep a copy of it, and tap on the Sign Out option.
Step 6: After the data from iCloud is removed from your iPhone, wait for some time and then tap on the Sign in to your iPhone option at the top of the Settings page as shown below.
Step 7: Follow the on-screen instructions to sign in again by entering the Apple ID and its password.
Step 8: After signing in back, the problem must have got resolved.
Additional Fixes
Reset Network Settings on your iPhone
When problems like this occur on any iPhone, it is probably because of some changes being done to the network settings. So performing the reset network settings might help in resolving this issue.
Follow the steps below on how to reset network settings on the iPhone.
Step 1: Open the Settings page on your iPhone.
Step 2: Then tap on the General option.
Step 3: On the General page, select the Transfer or Reset iPhone option at the bottom.
Step 4: Tap on the Reset option.
Step 5: Next, select Reset Network Settings from the popped-up list by tapping on it once.
Step 6: This will prompt you to enter your passcode to proceed further.
Step 7: After entering the passcode, you need to confirm it by tapping on Reset Network Settings again as shown in the below screenshot.
Update your iPhone
The issues that are bound to occur on any device can be resolved by updating the device. So we recommend our users try updating their iPhones using the steps explained below.
Step 1: This method would be to check if there are any updates available for your iPhone.
Step 2: You have to go to the Settings page on your iPhone and tap on the General option.
Step 3: Then select the Software Update option by tapping on it once and wait for a few seconds until it loads the page.
Step 4: If there are any updates available, please tap on Download and Install to update your iPhone.
Step 5: After the update is completed, check if the issue still persists or not.