iMessage isn't working after my switch

iMessage acting up right after a switch is a common post-switch complaint. When your number moves to a new carrier, iMessage has to re-register it with Apple's servers, and sometimes it needs a nudge.

The fix, in order

1. Toggle iMessage off and on. Go to Settings, then Apps, then Messages, and flip the iMessage switch off, wait a few seconds, and flip it back on.
2. Check Send & Receive. On that same screen, tap Send & Receive and make sure your phone number is checked — not just your email address.
3. Restart your phone.
4. Confirm Date & Time is automatic. Settings, then General, then Date & Time. A wrong clock quietly breaks iMessage activation.

Then give it time: after a carrier change, iMessage activation can take up to 24 hours, though it's usually much faster. "Waiting for activation" for a few hours is normal, not broken.

If messages send from your email instead of your number

A classic post-switch quirk: your texts arrive to friends from your Apple ID email, and nothing sent to your number lands. Restart the phone, then go to Settings, then Apps, then Messages, then Send & Receive, and check your phone number. If the number isn't selectable yet, your transfer may still be settling — that's what this looks like — and it will appear once things finish. Still missing after a day? Message us and we can refresh things from the network side.

Related quirks

• One message with a red "Not Delivered"? Tap it and choose Try Again, or Send as Text Message.
• Everything sending green? That has its own explanation.
• FaceTime down too? They re-register together — same family of fixes.