Strange issue with iMessage on iPhone
Starting today, my Fizz phone number is no longer registered as able to send & receive iMessages on my iPhone. If I look in Settings > Apps > Messages > Send & Receive, my phone number has a spinning gear icon next to it which according to Apple support means that iMessage is attempting to activate the number with the carrier (i.e. Fizz). I'm still able to send & receive iMessages using my email address as the identifier.
My number works fine for calls and SMS. It's only iMessage that's suddenly having an issue. It always worked fine before; this only started today. Has there been a change on Fizz' network that would explain this?
Thanks.
Best Answer
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Hello @cinergi,
Thank you for lettings us know about this.
We are sorry to hear about the situation encountered.
Please try logging out from your Apple ID account and then log back it. By doing this, the iMessage service should reinitialize and go back to normal.
If the issue persists after doing that, please contact us from the support page again and we will assist you further.
We appreciate your understanding in this situation.
Have a good one!
-Vlad, Community Moderator2
Answers
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I'm sorry to hear you're experiencing issues with iMessage on your iPhone. This problem can sometimes occur due to network or device settings. Here are some steps you can follow to troubleshoot and potentially resolve the issue:
- Verify iMessage Activation:
- Go to Settings > Messages.
- Ensure that iMessage is enabled.
- If it's already enabled, try toggling it off, waiting a few seconds, and then toggling it back on.
- Check Send & Receive Settings:
- In Settings > Messages > Send & Receive, confirm that your phone number is listed and selected under "You can receive iMessages to and reply from".
- If your number is present but not selected, tap to select it.
- If your number isn't listed, it indicates that iMessage hasn't activated correctly with your number.
- Reset Network Settings:
- Navigate to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network Settings.
- This will reset your network settings, including Wi-Fi passwords, so ensure you have those details handy.
- Ensure Date and Time Are Correct:
- Go to Settings > General > Date & Time.
- Enable Set Automatically to ensure your device has the correct time zone.
- Check for Carrier Settings Update:
- In Settings > General > About, if there's a carrier settings update available, you'll be prompted to install it.
- Contact Fizz Support:
- If the above steps don't resolve the issue, there might be a problem on the carrier's end.
- You can reach out to Fizz support through their contact page: https://fizz.ca/en/contact-us.
Additionally, some users have reported similar issues in the past, which were resolved after network updates or fixes from the carrier. For instance, a previous discussion on the Fizz Community Hub addressed iMessage activation problems, and a fix was deployed by Fizz to resolve the issue.
I hope these steps help you resolve the issue with iMessage on your iPhone.
0 - Verify iMessage Activation:
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Hi, check too if your iphone is up to date with OS.
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Good morning @cinergi
I recall having this problem a while back. From Apple support
Turn off and restart iMessage and FaceTime
- Go to Settings > Apps > Messages and turn off iMessage.
- Go to Settings > Apps > FaceTime and turn off FaceTime.
- Restart your iPhone.
- Turn iMessage and FaceTime back
I also signed out of my Apple ID and then signed back into my Apple ID.
I have found that it is more convenient to use an email address (the one you use to log into your Apple ID for iMessages) instead of a phone number.
I hope this helps - please let us know the solution.
Cheers,
Brad
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Hi @cinergi
Here are a few steps you can try to resolve the issue:
- Restart your iPhone: Sometimes a simple restart can fix network-related issues.
- Toggle iMessage off and on: Go to Settings > Messages, turn off iMessage, wait a few seconds, and then turn it back on.
- Check for carrier settings updates: Go to Settings > General > About and see if there's an update available for your carrier settings.
- Contact Fizz support: Since this issue started today, it might be best to reach out to Fizz customer support to see if they're aware of any network changes or issues.
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Try to activate airplane mode. Turn it off after a few seconds.
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Thanks all. Unfortunately none of these suggestions helped. I contacted Fizz support via chat (the only available method) and have currently been waiting for 30 minutes for someone to respond (following the initial automated response from their chatbot).
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did you also try to sign out from iMessage? When you sign back disable the wifi before doing it
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Hi again @cinergi
Sorry to hear you are still having troubles. Kindly note from the Apple support site that:
“If your phone number still doesn’t have a check next to it in Settings after 24 hours
It might take up to 24 hours for your carrier to verify your phone number with Apple. Contact your carrier to make sure that you can send and receive SMS messages and wait up to 24 hours after you try the troubleshooting steps above.
If iMessage is on and a spinning gear appears next to your phone number, your device automatically attempts to verify your phone number. There is no need to repeatedly turn iMessage off and on.”
As far as chat support goes, the long waits are not uncommon. I find Fizz to be extremely reliable and have never had to use their support, however I can imagine it would be frustrating to wait that long.
Cheers,
Brad
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@cinergi mind posting back the outcome of your chat w/support?
I've had this exact same problem since a couple of days ago. In my case I switched phones and I thought that might have been the problem, but I see for you it happened out of nowhere so I'm interested in see if the carrier has something to say about it.0 -
@cinergi if you don't mind posting back here with the outcome of your support call?
I've had this issue but in my case I switched to a new phone two days ago and iMessage activation fails since then.
I've also tried every solution posted in this universe (and its surrounding universes) as you did including: - signing out of my apple account and back in,
- turning it on and off,
- reset network settings,
- erase the phone completely and set it up as new one,
- etc. etc. etc. etc. etc.0 -
> @cinergi said:
> Starting today, my Fizz phone number is no longer registered as able to send & receive iMessages on my iPhone. If I look in Settings > Apps > Messages > Send & Receive, my phone number has a spinning gear icon next to it which according to Apple support means that iMessage is attempting to activate the number with the carrier (i.e. Fizz). I'm still able to send & receive iMessages using my email address as the identifier.
> My number works fine for calls and SMS. It's only iMessage that's suddenly having an issue. It always worked fine before; this only started today. Has there been a change on Fizz' network that would explain this?
> Thanks.
I have the exact same problem, since yesterday ... have you been able to fix?1 -
No fix yet. I've contacted both Apple and Fizz support. After asking me to try the standard steps (enable/disable, restart, reset network settings, etc.), they both said to wait 24 hours in case it's a temporary issue, which feels like a generic answer that doesn't identify the actual source of the problem. I guess I'll see what happens tomorrow. I have 4 numbers on Fizz for my family, and only 1 is experiencing this issue. At least I see that I'm not the only one - @precise_pangolin and @DoubleP also seem to have it.
The only other potentially relevant thing to mention is that I upgraded my phone to the latest iOS 18.2 yesterday, which is around the same time that I noticed the issue. I don't know if this is related and I can't confirm whether it was in fact exactly at the same time.
My last resort if this doesn't get resolved in the next few days will be to port out all 4 of my lines to another carrier.
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WAIT! While posting that I thought about going through her device's settings and there I noticed in Settings -> General -> About -> Physical SIM -> Carrier -> "Fizz 60.0"
while mine reads "Fizz 61.0"
so, it means that the operator could have actually messed this up with a new carrier firmware version!
@cinergi / @DoubleP could you go and check what's on yours?1 -
I too have many other fizz numbers (5 total) and only mine (the first line I transfered to Fizz back in 2019) seem to be having this issue... Apple told me the same thing you did, and I am still wating for Fizz's customer support to answer... but it looks like they will not be able to help me either, by the sound of it0
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yup, mine and my spouse's are on Fizz. And, while I was the only one switching phones, she is still able to send iMessages from her number.0
