iMessage Send Failure on deactivated iPhone after upgrade

[iphone5att64]

I got a new iPhone and it was activated on AT&T, but now iMessage on my previous iPhone is not delivering iMessages. For some reason, it started delivering to only one person, but not to anyone else I had messages with. Maybe it's because I messaged to that one person on the new iPhone.

I tried disabling iMessage and FaceTime, signing out of the Apple ID, and power cycling the phone. iMessage settings is stuck at Waiting for activation...

 

[CaptMarvel]

unless you had email addresses saved for the contacts, on your previous device you are only able to use iMessage through the use of wifi (pending you haven't restored service to it), so you are sending them from your email to the recipient's email address. just add email addresses for the contacts you wish to send iMessages to...pending they have their phone set up to receive iMessages at the email address they give you.