How to Fix It When iPhone Text Messages Are Not Sending (2024)

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As long as you're in the range of a network, getting text messaging working again is usually pretty easy. Here's what we've found works.

How to Fix It When iPhone Text Messages Are Not Sending

Follow these instructions to get your iPhone to send text messages again.

1. Connect to a network. Messages go through your cell phone provider's connection. If you are instead connected to a Wi-Fi network, your iPhone will use the Wi-Fi connection. If you are connected via Wi-Fi, turn off Wi-Fi, wait until the iPhone connects to your carrier's network, and try sending a message again.

2. Turn Airplane Mode on and off. By toggling Airplane Mode on and off, you'll force the iPhone to request a new connection to the network, and texting should start working again.

3. Quit and restart the Messages app. Sometimes apps encounter conflicts and need a helping hand (er, finger swipe). Force-quit the messaging app, then try again.

4. Restart the iPhone. Restarting your device can remove any software conflicts that have stopped messages from coming or going.

5. Check the iMessage system status. It may be that the problem has nothing to do with your iPhone; maybe the Apple servers are down. Check the Apple System Status page to see if there's a problem with iMessage. If there is, you'll have to wait for Apple to resolve it.

6. Confirm the recipient's phone number and email. If your texts still don't send, make sure you have the correct contact information. Check the recipient's phone number or, if you use the Messages app, their email address.

   If you confirmed that you sent messages to the right person, but you're not getting replies, the recipient may have blocked your number. If they don't see your texts, they don't know to respond, thus giving you the impression that they're not going through.

7. Confirm that your message type is supported. Not every phone company supports every kind of text message. There's broad support for SMS (Short Message Service), the standard text-messaging protocol. However, not every company supports Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), which sends photos, videos, and songs.

8. Turn on Group Messaging. If the text message that won't send has a photo or video, or you're trying to text a group of people, confirm that the settings to support these features are enabled. Select Settings > Messages. Under SMS/MMS, toggle MMS Messaging and Group Messaging to the On (green) position.

9. Check the phone's date and time settings. Your iPhone must register the correct date and time settings for network-based services to work correctly. Select Settings > General > Date & Time, then move the Set Automatically switch to On (green). If it is already on, turn it off and on again.

10. Reactivate iMessage. If you use iMessage to send texts, verify that iMessage is turned on. The problem may be that the setting was accidentally turned off. To turn it on, select Settings > Messages, then toggle the iMessage switch to On (green).

11. Reset network settings. The iPhone Network Settings are a group of preferences that control how the phone accesses cellular networks. Errors in those settings could interfere with sending texts. To solve these problems, reset your Network Settings.

12. Update carrier settings. Your iPhone has hidden carrier settings that help your phone communicate with the cellular network to place calls, transmit data, and send texts. Wireless carriers periodically update these settings. Make sure you have the latest version by updating your carrier settings.

13. Update iOS. The latest version of iOS always contains the most up-to-date feature enhancements and bug fixes. Updating iOS when you run into problems is always a good idea.

    How to Update iOS Wirelessly on the iPhone

14. If you tried all of the above steps and your iPhone still will not send text messages, it's time to talk to the experts. Set up an Apple Store appointment for tech support.

Causes of Your iPhone Not Sending or Recieving Text Messages

Texting feels like the most basic function of a phone, even more so than calling. Some reasons it's not working could be:

• You are out of range of a network
• The Messages app isn't responding
• Apple's system isn't working

If there are fixes in your control, you should be back up and texting in no time.