How to Fix iMessage and Facetime Activation Issues

by Alexa Is McAfee Cloud

Apple is known for gadgets that work right, but sometimes things can go wrong too. When any of the features or apps stop working or deal with an error, there are no apparent notifications given out by Apple.

We are specifically going to talk about the ‘Authentication Error’ that appears when logging in to your iMessage or Facetime account. Further, we’ll talk more about dealing with these issues on Mac and iPhone/iPad.

How to fix iMessage and Facetime issues on Mac?

Before getting to the fix of the error occurring, you must know about the problem. The error that is most likely to appear when you’re trying to log in to your iMessage and Facetime account is ‘Authentication Error.’

Note: The problem may arise even when you’re logged in to your iCloud account.

Thus, the potential fix to the error is rebooting your iCloud services, and the steps are:

Open ‘System Preferences’ on your Mac.
Tap on the ‘Apple ID’ option on the top of the window.
From the left toolbar, click on the ‘Overview’ tab.
Next, click on the ‘Sign Out’ option on the bottom.
You can choose to create a backup or delete the iCloud data. Follow the on-screen instructions for the same.
Once done, restart your Mac.

The steps to log in to your iCloud account using the web are:

Go to ‘Safari’ and search for ‘iCloud.com.’
Enter your ID and Password to log in to your iCloud account.
Click on the ‘Account Settings’ button highlighted in blue, below your profile.
Select the name of your Mac device under the ‘My Devices’ tab.
Hit the ‘X’ button next to your Mac name and click on the ‘Remove’ option to confirm.
Click the ‘Done’ button to finish the process.

The steps to log in to your iCloud account on your Mac are:

Open ‘System Preferences’ on your Mac.
Tap on the ‘Sign in’ button on the top right corner of the window.
Enter the iCloud ID and Password.
Hit the ‘Ok’ button.

Following the steps above should solve the iMessage and Facetime activation error.

How to fix iMessage and Facetime issues on iPhone/iPad?

Whenever there is an activation issue with iMessage and facetime on your iPhone/iPad, ‘Waiting for activation’ error appears. Other error messages that are likely to appear are ‘Activation Unsuccessful,’ ‘Could not sign in,’ ‘Please check your internet connection,’ etc.

The following listed are the ways to fix the activation error on your iPhone/iPad, let us get started.

Make sure you have a good Internet connection

For using iMessage and Facetime on your device, you must have an active Internet connection. This is the first go-to step if activation error is occurring on your device.

Put your device on Airplane mode

Sometimes, Airplane mode helps refresh the apps and fix the bugs. All you need to do is put your phone on Airplane mode for a few seconds, and then turn it off.

Check the time

It is important for your device and the server’s time to match. To set the time on your device, follow the steps below:

Go to the ‘Settings’ app on your iPhone/iPad.
Click on the ‘General’ tab.
Tap on the ‘Date & Time’ option.
Turn the slider on for ‘Set Automatically’ option and also make sure to select the right time zone.
Turn off your iMessage and Facetime, and restart your device

Turn off the iMessage and Facetime in your Settings app and switch off your device for a few seconds. Next, turn your device on and try using the two apps. Following this method will reboot your device and help fix the issue.

Update your device

Updating your device to its latest version is a good idea to fix the errors occurring on your device. To update your phone, the steps are:

Go to the ‘Settings’ app on your iPhone/iPad.
Click on the ‘General’ tab.
Check for the updates in the ‘Software Update’ option.
Make sure you’re receiving SMS on your device

Apple sends you a verification SMS as a part of the process. Surely, you wouldn’t want to miss that one. Make sure that you’re receiving SMS on your phone, or else Apple won’t be able to authorize the gadget to activate the two apps.