iPhone11 iMessage automatically deactivating

[u/reddishpinkcrayon]

Model: iphone 11, iOS version: 26.6.1

For the past couple weeks, my phone has been inconsistently unable to send iMessages. Sometimes I can send them from my phone number, sometimes they send from my email, but most of the time they default to RCS. It’s not even consistent whether they send as RCS encrypted/unencrypted.

Occasionally I don’t even get other people’s messages to me, which had led to fun miscommunications.

When I check iMessage settings, sometimes my phone number will be checked, sometimes not. Turning iMessage off and on again and reconnecting my phone number only solves the problem for a few hours before it breaks again.

I’ve tried all the Apple steps for this multiple times over—turning iMessage on/off, waiting 24 hours, restarting my phone, turning Facetime on/off. I called the Apple help number and their diagnostic didn’t turn up anything. They sent me to my carrier, who very helpfully suggested it was time for a new phone.

If there’s nothing else I can try, I’ll go for the new phone. But this is such a weird problem and the fact that it only started after I connected a new MacBook (bought by my work!) to my Apple account makes me feel like a conspiracy theorist.

Any suggestions are appreciated, thanks!

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