Why imessages wont send

Make sure each contact has a check next to it; if not, tap to toggle on. Now, open up Messages on your Mac, go to Preferences in the top toolbar and click on the iMessage icon. You should see the same phone number and email address listed here. Wait a few moments, then turn it back on again and wait for it to activate. That should get everything syncing again. The fix for long-term message limbo is to either delete the messages you attempted to send without service or delete the thread entirely.

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Michael Potuck. When you see an iMessage that says Not Delivered, tap the red exclamation mark next to your message then select Try Again. Keep reading for what to do next…. If you happen to see a Waiting on activation message underneath iMessage you can follow our guide for that process.

In fact, this subsection of Settings will prove essential if you have any issues with iMessage. Sometimes, a message will say it's Delivered, but the recipient will insist they never got it. You shouldn't automatically think they're lying: there are numerous reasons this might happen.

It could be a quirk of iMessage, but it could also be that the message was delivered to another device. If your contact has an iPhone, iPad, and Mac all signed in with the same Apple ID, your message could've appeared on one of these other devices, not their smartphone. In theory, this shouldn't cause a problem—your message should show across all devices. However, iMessage is far from perfect in this regard.

Not everyone keeps their phone turned on all the time, especially around bedtime. So, what does it mean when iMessage doesn't say Delivered? If an iMessage doesn't say Delivered, the recipient might have simply turned their phone off. Your message will arrive when they turn on their device again. Be patient. Even if you think the person is unlikely to turn off their phone, they might have activated Airplane Mode.

This cuts off all connections, so they won't receive iMessages, SMS, or calls. If you normally receive read receipts from your contact, or it shows Delivered but you don't have a reply, there's another possibility.

Their device might be set to Do Not Disturb, which silences alerts. If it's an emergency, call them instead. At first, you won't get a response. But call again within three minutes and, if your contact hasn't changed the default settings, your repeated call will bypass Do Not Disturb mode. It's tough to narrow down why iMessages won't deliver without some trial and error.

One of the following solutions should work. You may have to try them all to get to the bottom of the problem. The obvious reason your message won't deliver is because the recipient has no service. This is a particular concern in rural or underground areas without free online access, or if the recipient is abroad on vacation. If your iPhone says Not Delivered, you're probably the one without an internet connection. You can turn Wi-Fi off and on again then rejoin networks to clear potential issues.

If you do have service, you'll simply have to wait until the recipient connects too. This could be a quick fix to your problem that's easy to overlook. Even if iMessage is already on, it's worth toggling off then back on again. You'll need to wait a few moments while it reactivates.