iPhone iMessage fails to activate after iOS 26 update

Question

Level 1

5 points

iPhone iMessage fails to activate after iOS 26 update

Hello,

After updating my iPhone to iOS 26, I haven’t been able to activate iMessage. It either stays on “Verifying…” or shows this error:

“iMessage Activation

An error occurred during activation. Try again.”

I have already tried:

Reset Network Settings
Turning iMessage off/on
Restarting the device
Trying a different SIM card

But the activation still doesn’t complete on any line.

Does anyone know what I should do to fix this?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you!

iPhone 15 Pro Max, iOS 26

Posted on Nov 28, 2025 1:46 PM

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Answer 1

LD150

Level 10

100,035 points

Nov 28, 2025 2:22 PM in response to Ftmhayd

1. Settings, Apps, Messages, turn off iMessage,

2. Settings, Apps, Facetime, turn off Facetime,

3. Power down the phone.

4. Turn it on again.

5. Settings, Apps, Messages, turn on iMessage,

6. Settings, Apps, Facetime, turn on Facetime

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Answer 2

LD150

Level 10

100,035 points

Nov 29, 2025 3:20 AM in response to Ftmhayd

Ftmhayd wrote:

“I’ve already tried all of these steps, but iMessage still won’t activate. It either keeps spinning on my number or stays stuck on ‘verifying’ and then shows an error. It’s been almost 7 days like this.”

You didn't list that exact sequence of six steps.

You cannot do it piecemeal, and you mustn't swap SIMs without doing all six steps each time

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Answer 3

Ftmhayd Author

Level 1

5 points

Nov 29, 2025 12:27 AM in response to LD150

“I’ve already tried all of these steps, but iMessage still won’t activate. It either keeps spinning on my number or stays stuck on ‘verifying’ and then shows an error. It’s been almost 7 days like this.”

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Answer 4

Dec 10, 2025 7:05 AM in response to Ftmhayd

For some contacts on my iPhone 16 ProMax, iMessage works fine; for others, I get a message saying I need to have iMessage on (it is). I also noticed that one text from an iPhone user appeared only on my iPad. I have tried every single step recommended short of a complete phone reset.

This started occurring after the 26.1 update (at least that when I noticed it). Is there any way to roll back an update?

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Answer 5

Ftmhayd Author

Level 1

5 points

Nov 29, 2025 1:21 AM in response to Ftmhayd

I think this is a really bad bug in the iOS 26 update. A lot of people are experiencing issues with iMessage and calling. Hopefully they fix it soon and release an update.

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