how to turn on imessage

To turn on iMessage on an iPhone, follow these steps:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Scroll down and tap on "Apps."
3. In the Apps menu, scroll down and select "Messages."
4. Find the option labeled "iMessage" and toggle it on (the slider will turn green).
5. The iPhone will show "Waiting for Activation," and after a moment, it should activate.
6. Then tap on "Send & Receive" to choose the phone number(s) or email(s) you want to use with iMessage.
7. Once iMessage is activated, when you send a message to another Apple device with iMessage enabled, the message bubbles will appear blue (instead of green SMS bubbles).

You need to be signed into your Apple ID in Settings for iMessage activation to work. Also, an internet connection is required to use iMessage. This process works on iOS 18 and newer versions. The iMessage feature allows sending messages over data or Wi-Fi exclusively between Apple devices with enhanced features like read receipts and message effects.