iMessage Awaiting Activation

[Snorbitz]

Hi,..help need here please.

Yesterday, I replaced my original O2 SIM card for a Vodaphone PAYG (with new Tel number) SIM into my iPhone 6. My O2 phone has recently been unlocked and the Vodaphone logo shows in the top left corner of the screen so everything is good there.

Problem is, I cannot use iMessage. Well I can but it will only send the text from my iCloud account and not my new mobile number associated with the new SIM. This is because iMessage is still awaiting activation for nearly 24 hours now.

Here's another strange thing. My old O2 Sim number still shows in the 'Send & Recieve' section of messages but is greyed out and unchecked. Should this dissapear and be replaced with the new number once activation gets sorted?

I can also see my two activated email accounts here one of which is the iCloud account where iMessage texts are being sent from. They are both highlighted and checked so all good on that bit.

I've tried just about every troubleshooting tip out there on the Internet. Activation just will not activate allowing me to send text messages from my number instead of iCloud.

I've got a £600 phone that doesn't seem quite so Smart after all. Why are many of us having these problems?

Thanks.

[Snorbitz]

Problem Solved.

Managed to speak to someone on the phone on 191.

It seems that even though I purchased what is called a £10 bundle pay as you go SIM card, I assumed that was basically ten pounds credit with a few freebie extras. Oh no,..it still leaves you with zero credit! Whaaaaat!!! 

Because of this zero credit, despite having paid for a ten pound card, I was not able to activate my telephone number with imessage. It kept saying 'Awaiting Activation'. I could still use iMessage but texts were only being sent from my iCloud address, my number simply wasn,t available in the 'Send & Recieve' part of iMessage. Only two email addresses.

So it seems then, that my ten pound bundle card only allowed me to make phone calls and use the Internet but not allowed to send texts via iMessage. Oh no,..you have to pay up more wonga for that privaledge. 

I refused to pay anymore money because I'm a light user and that's the whole point of pay-as-you-go right? So the advisor split the £10.00 I already paid so that I now have £5 worth of data and £5 actual credit which has now activated my telephone number with iMessage. 

[BandOfBrothers]

Hi

That seems a little weird that a person needs credit to assist with iMessage activation !

Having a data connection should have been sufficient.

[Snorbitz]

Yea I know,..it certainly does seem weired. But iMessage was awaiting activation for almost 24 hours and as soon as Vodaphone did what they did (as explained above), the activation went through straight away so that was proof that my £10 PAYG bundle card only showed in my account as ten pounds worth of data data but doesn't show as as any credit. 

[jeffkinn]

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@bandofbrothers1 wrote:
Hi

That seems a little weird that a person needs credit to assist with iMessage activation !

Having a data connection should have been sufficient.

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Not right - iMessage sends a text message as part of its activation process.

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT201422

[kids]

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@bandofbrothers1 wrote:
Hi

That seems a little weird that a person needs credit to assist with iMessage activation !

Having a data connection should have been sufficient.

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When you first try to activate iMessage it needs to send a sms message to activvate the service, so some credit in needed.

[BandOfBrothers]

That's why I'm confused then as I've never had a text for iMessage activation and mine works fine.

I don't remember ever getting one. 😐

Every day's a school day.

[kids]

You do not physically send or receive a sms.

When you try to activate iMessage the system automatically tries to send a sms to the servers without any need for the user to do anything.

That is why if there is no credit the sms will not be sent.

[jeffkinn]

Yes quite right - the SMS is not visible but it's there. That caused a lot of consternation as I recall when iMessage was first launced, especially in the US where texting was much less commonplace at the time and users were picking up unexpected charges.