topic Re: RCS Messaging - Waiting for Activation in Apple Devices

RCS Messaging - Waiting for Activation

petenice — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 10:03:28 GMT

My daughter's iphone has just started having an issue with RCS messaging. I have an Android and we've been sending messaging over RCS until it stopped receiving them since Saturday and now the RCS setting on her phone says 'Waiting for activation'. No system updates have happened on either phone. EE support have been beyond useless. I've had the same phone conversations 4 times and eventually got through to level 2 support who was equally useless. His 'support' was to upgrade the phone 11 to iOS26 or factory reset the phone. Wasn't interested in exploring anything else.

Anyone else had this issue with RCS messaging?

Re: RCS Messaging - Waiting for Activation

Schockwave — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 12:46:20 GMT

Hello @petenice , is your daughter able to update the phone to iOS26? Not sure whether that would make the difference though.

Your daughter will need to go to settings and then Apps and scroll down to Messages, click on that and then scroll down to .Text Messaging and where it says RCS messaging click on that and make sure that it is enabled. That should sort it out.

Re: RCS Messaging - Waiting for Activation

petenice — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 12:52:37 GMT

TBH I'm not sure I want to update to iOS26. iPhone 11 is the oldest device it supports so it's likely to be laggy and might not resolve the issue. The frustration I have it that tier 2 support couldn't really offer anything other than update or factory reset. The RCS service just stopped working a few days ago without any changes made to the device which suggests it's a carrier issue. Maybe a carrier update would have been worth pursuing rather the binary options given.

Re: RCS Messaging - Waiting for Activation

Schockwave — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 12:59:57 GMT

@petenice , if you do as I suggested and go to settings and apps and messenger, you should scroll down and find text messaging, and then just click on RCS and make sure that they are enabled, you do not need to update to IOS26 if you do not want to, that is your choice..

You can always update to the new version and if you do not like it, so long as you backed up your system, go back to the previous version if you so please.

Re: RCS Messaging - Waiting for Activation

petenice — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 13:00:36 GMT

I've been through all of the suggestions - RCS messaging is on. The issue is the status of RCS messaging under the toggle says 'Waiting for activation...' Like I said this seems to be a carrier issue not a device issue

Re: RCS Messaging - Waiting for Activation

Leanne_T — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 15:17:17 GMT

Hi there @petenice

Thanks for coming to the community.

Are you able to try the SIM card if this a physical SIM in a different phone to see if the RCS messaging works or shows the same message? This would help us to see if this follows the SIM card.

Speak soon.

Leanne 🙂

Re: RCS Messaging - Waiting for Activation

petenice — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 15:20:47 GMT

I don't have another iPhone to test the sim in I'm afraid.

Re: RCS Messaging - Waiting for Activation

Leanne_T — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 17:04:42 GMT

Thanks @petenice

If you have no other device to try and would like to check if anything else can be done before trying the software update and factory reset, please get back in touch with our tech guides and the team can check everything at our end and let you know.

Thanks.

Leanne.

Re: RCS Messaging - Waiting for Activation

petenice — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 17:11:42 GMT

I'm not happy with the insistence that it's a device issue when it's down to the RCS messaging waiting for activation that isn't being triggered- this would suggest it's a carrier issue. It's not ideal that your only proposed solution is to upgrade to an OS that's likely to be laggy on this age of phone or a factory reset.

Re: RCS Messaging - Waiting for Activation

Leanne_T — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 07:12:05 GMT

Hi @petenice

I understand and appreciate this is not something you would like to try on the device, our tech guides run troubleshooting to see what could be causing this and offer advice for you to try.

If you would like to get the RCS messaging looked into in more detail and see if anything else could be causing the issue, please get back in touch and the team will continue the troubleshooting with you.

Leanne.

Re: RCS Messaging - Waiting for Activation

petenice — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 07:18:14 GMT

As I've already said multiple times your tier 2 tech team only offered upgrade to ios26 or factory reset as the options. They were not prepared to look at any other solutions.

It even says on the Apple website that RCS messaging is a protocol controlled by the network:

"RCS is a service provided by network providers. When your device connects to your mobile network, it communicates with your network provider and their partners to set up RCS. User identifiers are exchanged for your network provider and their partners to authenticate your device and provide a connection."

Obviously the handshake isn't working - maybe you should look at that reason rather than getting me to factory reset the phone

Re: RCS Messaging - Waiting for Activation

bristolian — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 07:23:36 GMT

I do wonder in cases like this, what RCS offers that standard text messaging doesn't.

I'm genuinely curious - for full video, photo, multimedia etc - then a messaging app such as WhatsApp or Messenger is the ideal solution. For cross-platform texting, then I'm curious what RCS offers "in the real world" that SMS doesn't.

Re: RCS Messaging - Waiting for Activation

petenice — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 07:28:32 GMT

SMS isn't being delivered from my Android to that iPhone since RCS stopped working- receipt says 'unsuccessful' which is further suggestions of a network issue.

RCS was the protocol that was working until a few days ago

My daughter is also 12 - I don't want her to have access to WhatsApp

Re: RCS Messaging - Waiting for Activation

Schockwave — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 09:24:04 GMT

@petenice , we cannot do anything in the public forum, not sure why you are unable to use RCS, as it works for me, and I believe it worked when I had IOS 18, so no idea, other than switching RCS off, rebooting and then switching it on again.

@bristolian , it means customers can now send messages with photos etc, without incurring a charge, same as sending an IMessage, which Android have RCS now Apple do as well. Yes there are apps like WhatsApp, but not everyone wants to use them or have them.

Re: RCS Messaging - Waiting for Activation

petenice — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 09:32:22 GMT

I mean...I'm here to establish if anyone else has experienced the same issue or whether this is an isolated issue. As for 'have you tried turning it off and on again' - yes I have. I've also removed the SIM, switched network operator, reset network setting and updated the OS to a newer version - nothing has helped.

Re: RCS Messaging - Waiting for Activation

Leanne_T — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 14:49:37 GMT

Hi @petenice

Thanks for coming back to us.

Just to check, can your daughter make and receive calls? If your text messages are not being delivered, can she receive messages from other numbers?

It would be worth trying the SIM in any other device not just an iPhone to see if RCS messaging works OK and she can receive your messages.

Leanne.