In general, Apple’s iMessage service is reliable and allows Apple device users to send free text Messages to other Apple device users. However, in case your iPhone is having problems sending iMessages, you can make use of the following solutions to fix iPhone Not Sending iMessage problem on iPhone.
iPhone Not Sending iMessages
The problem of iPhone Not Sending iMessages could be due to a variety of reasons, ranging from Incorrect iMessage Settings to poor network connectivity and other issues preventing your iPhone from sending iMessages.
When your iPhone is not sending iMessages, you should be able to observe one of the following indications on your iPhone.
- You will see an Error Message saying “Cannot Send Message” with an explanation.
- You will see a RED exclamation mark, along with “Not Delivered” Message.
- You will see Green Text Bubbles, instead of the usual Blue iMessage Text bubbles
Since it is difficult to pin point a single reason for the problem of iPhone not sending iMessages, you may have to try out multiple methods as provided below to fix the iMessage problem on your iPhone.
If you See “Cannot Send Message” Error
In case you are trying to send iMessage to an Email Address, you need to enable the MMS Messaging option on your iPhone. As you can see in the image below, iPhone has come up with an Error Message, due to MMS Messaging option not being enabled in iMessage Settings screen.
This problem can be easily fixed by following the steps below to enable MMS Messaging option on your iPhone.
1. Open Setting on your iPhone
2. On the Settings screen, scroll down and tap on Messages.
3. On the Messages screen, make sure that the option for MMS Messaging is enabled (See image below)
In case you are trying to send a message to someone who is not using an Apple device, make sure that option for Send as SMS is enabled. This will setup your iPhone to use both Apple supported iMessaging system and carrier supported SMS/MMS messaging system.
In case the recipient that you are trying to send the Message is not using an Apple device, the message will be delivered using Carrier supported SMS messaging system.
If you See RED Exclamation Mark
Follow the steps below, in case you are trying to send an iMessage and it ends up with a Red Exclamation mark and an error message, saying that the Message was not delivered (See image below)
1. Open Settings on your iPhone.
2. On the Settings screen, tap on the WiFi option
3. On the WiFi Screen, make sure that the option for WiFi is enabled and you can clearly see the name of your WiFi Network (See image below)
iMessages can be sent using both WiFi and Cellular Network. In case you are not in the range of WiFi Network, make sure that Cellular Network is enabled on your iPhone (Settings > Cellular > toggle ON the option for Cellular).
4. After this, tap on the Red Exclamation Mark near the Message and then tap on Try Again option in the pop-up menu (See image below)
Note: In case the message that you are trying to send is urgent and important, you may want to tap on Send As Text Message or Send to Email Address option. In such a case, your iPhone will try to send the Message using your Carriers paid SMS Messaging service.
If You See Green Message Bubble
In case you see a green message bubble, instead of the usual blue iMessage bubble, it means that the message was delivered using the paid SMS messaging plan of your Carrier and not sent as an iMessage (which is free)
In general, the following reasons can be attributed to Messages being sent using the Carrier supported SMS Messaging system and not using Apple supported Free iMessaging System.
1. The Person that you sent the Message to is not using an Apple Device
2. iMessage service might be turned OFF, temporarily unavailable or going thru problems on your device or on the device of your recipient.
In case your iPhone is sending green SMS Messages, but not Free iMessages (blue), you can follow the methods as listed below to fix this problem.
Make Sure iMessage is Enabled On iPhone
The first solution to the problem of iPhone not sending iMessages is to make sure that iMessage is enabled in the Settings Menu on your iPhone and there are no errors reported on the settings screen.
1. Open Settings on your iPhone.
2. On the Settings screen, scroll down and tap on Messages.
3. On the Messages screen, make sure that the option for iMessages has been enabled and there are no Error Messages on this screen (See image below).
As you can see in the image above, iPhone is Not sending iMessages due to iMessage “Waiting for activation…” error Message on this screen.
If this is the case on your iPhone, you will need to fix this error on your iPhone by using steps provided in this article: How to Fix iMessage Waiting For Activation Error on iPhone.
Check Send/Receive Options
Perhaps the most common reason for iPhone Not sending iMessages is due to incorrect Send/Receive settings for the Messages App on iPhone.
1. Open Settings on your iPhone
2. On the Settings screen, scroll down and tap on Messages.
3. On the Messages screen, scroll down and tap on Send & Receive option.
4. On the next screen, make sure that both your Apple ID email address is listed under “You Can Be Reached By iMessage At” section of the iMessage screen (See image below).
iMessage makes use of Apple ID to send and Receive iMessages. Hence, it is necessary that your Apple ID is listed under “You Can be Reached By iMessage At” section in addition to your Phone Number and other Email Addresses (if any).
Check If Apple’s iMessage Service is Down
Although it is quite rare, Apple’s iMessage service might be down temporarily or going through problems. Hence, it is a good idea to rule out this possibility by going to Apple’s System Status page.
On this page, Apple provides a list of all its services and provides their Available or Unavailable Status.
Even if iMessage Service is down, you will be able to send Messages from your iPhone using your Carriers SMS/MMS messaging plan. In this case, you will see Green bubbles, instead of seeing the regular iMessage Blue bubbles.
Set Date & Time Automatically
It is quite possible that your iPhone is Not sending iMessages due to Date and Time settings being incorrect on your iPhone.
1. Tap on Settings > General.
2. On the General screen, tap on Date & Time option (See image below)
3. On Date and Time screen, Enable the option for Set Automatically to ON.
Now, try sending a Message and see if your iPhone is able to send iMessages.
Delete Old Messages
Sometimes the problem of iMessages not working on your iPhone could be due to a minor glitch caused by an older iMessage that somehow ended up getting stuck in the iMessage process.
In order to fix this issue, you can try deleting the last iMessage that you had sent or received prior to the start of this problem.
Sign-in/Sign-out of Apple ID
Apple’s iMessage service works on your Apple ID and in some cases it is possible that iMessage is having problems with your Apple ID.
1. Open Settings on your iPhone and tap on your Apple ID (See image below)
2. On the Apple ID screen, scroll down to the bottom and tap on Sign Out.
3. On the next screen, tap on the Sign out link located at the top right corner of your screen.
4. On the pop-up that appears, tap on the Sign out option to sign out of Apple ID on this iPhone.
5. Next, Sign back into your Apple ID by tapping on the Sign-in to your iPhone link on Settings screen.
6. On the next screen, enter your Apple ID Email Address and Passcode to sign-in to Apple ID on your iPhone
Signing out of Apple ID and Signing back again is known to fix iMessage problems due to Apple ID not being recognized.