Are you having issues sending or receiving textual content messages utilizing your iPhone, iPad, or Mac? Have your normally blue speech bubbles turned inexperienced? Are messages not displaying up in the precise order? Is iMessage telling you that your textual content hasn’t been delivered? Are you questioning why iMessage isn’t working?
On this article, we take a look at the causes of iMessage failure and provide easy troubleshooting suggestions that will help you repair the messages app in your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Learn the way to inform if iMessage is down, what to do if iMessage stops working in your iPhone, and what to do if iMessage isn’t working in your Mac. We’ll provide help to repair all of your iMessage issues.
Replace 10/25/22: Apple says the iMessage difficulty is resolved as of 12:37pm ET.
Why is iMessage not working?
There are many the reason why iMessage can cease working: it could possibly be a difficulty with Apple’s iMessage server, an issue with the Messages app, or your settings may need adjusting. Earlier than we transfer on to particular difficulties, let’s work via 9 easy troubleshooting steps that can clear up the most typical points with iMessage.
1. Examine if iMessage is down
The primary risk is that the server that iMessage is run from is down – which might imply that iMessage isn’t working for anybody. That is uncommon, nevertheless it does occur sometimes.
You may examine if any of Apple’s on-line companies are experiencing outages by checking the
System Standing web page.
On this web page, Apple provides you a heads-up about any companies with deliberate upkeep work, together with a report of any lately resolved points in any of its companies. Nevertheless, in case your difficulty has solely simply appeared, keep in mind that the web site’s replace frequency tends to be measured in minutes, not seconds – maybe as many as 30 once in a while – so the issue might not have been noticed but.
Even when Apple’s System Standing web site suggests all is properly, there could possibly be an outage that’s native to you. As an alternative choice to Apple’s web page, you possibly can attempt Down Detector, which supplies a graph detailing outage stories from the previous 24 hours, and even an outage map to see whether or not you’re in an affected space.
You might additionally seek for the phrase iMessage and associated phrases on
Twitter; if a lot of individuals are speaking about the issue then it’s clearly not simply you.
The repair
The excellent news is that even when iMessage is down, it is best to nonetheless be capable of talk with your pals by way of regular texts.
If iMessage is failing, your message ought to routinely be pushed into green-bubble texts as a substitute of blue-bubble iMessages. Inexperienced signifies that the message is being despatched as a textual content, somewhat than an iMessage). (Right here’s
learn how to inform an iMessage from a regular SMS textual content.)
If this isn’t working for you, learn our information to sending texts when the recipient isn’t getting your iMessages. If an iMessage isn’t sending when you exhausting press on the message it is best to see an choice to “Ship as Textual content”.
2. Be sure you’ve acquired a connection (and sufficient knowledge)
iMessage wants an information connection to work, so you’ll want to be sure you’ve acquired 3G or 4G (or 5G) obtainable, or a very good WiFi sign. With out WiFi or a mobile knowledge connection, your iMessage gained’t ship.
Examine you’ll be able to entry the online by performing a fast search in Safari. If you happen to see no outcomes you’ve recognized the basis of your drawback.
If you happen to don’t have a very good mobile connection you possibly can attempt turning Airplane Mode on and off to see when you can enhance your reception. Relying in your iPhone both swipe in from the highest proper or swipe up from the underside of your iPhone or iPad display, and choose and deselect Airplane Mode – the aircraft icon.
Even when the mobile connection is nice, you won’t have sufficient knowledge. Is there an opportunity you’ve used up all of your knowledge for the month? Are you even certain that knowledge is included in your contract? Contact your community supplier to examine. (Examine
learn how to save knowledge in your iPhone right here.)
The repair
If you’re out of knowledge, or the 3G/4G connection is poor, attempt one of many following:
- Along with switching the aerials on and off utilizing Airplane Mode, turning your iPhone on and off once more may assist it discover a stronger sign.
- Log onto a close-by Wi-Fi community to ship your iMessage. To discover a close by community, go to Settings > Wi-Fi and take a look to see if there’s a free Wi-Fi community close by.
- In case your Wi-Fi connection is the issue then flip off Wi-Fi and use 3G/4G.
- If none of these suggestions works you might must reset your community settings. Faucet Settings > Normal > Reset > Reset Community Settings and see if this fixes the issue.
- If you happen to nonetheless don’t get an information connection, and there’s no WiFi obtainable, it is best to be capable of press and maintain on the undelivered message and select to ‘Ship as textual content message’ from the choices that come up. A textual content message ought to get via even over a GPRS connection.
3. Ensure that iMessage is on and arrange accurately
Examine you’re set to ship and obtain iMessages by going to Settings > Messages and checking that iMessage is turned on.
If while you get to this web page you see a message suggesting that iMessage is “Ready for activation” or “Activation unsuccessful”, then learn this text:
What to do when iMessage gained’t activate in your iPhone.
If iMessage is switched on and there’s no message about activation, examine that your telephone is ready up accurately to obtain iMessages: Go to Settings > Messages and examine the addresses and cellular numbers you’ve got listed in Ship & Obtain.
The repair
Assuming it’s not an activation difficulty, run via the next:
- Flip off your cellular quantity or electronic mail deal with within the listing of locations the place you’ll be able to Ship & Obtain from. We propose making an attempt a means of elimination to see if iMessage works with simply your cellular quantity or simply an electronic mail deal with.
- Examine there’s a tick beside your telephone quantity within the Begin New Conversations From part when you’re utilizing an iPhone.
4. Flip it on and off once more and restart Messages
As in all good troubleshooting articles one important piece of recommendation is to show it on and off once more. You might begin off by double-pressing the Dwelling button and swiping up on the Messages app, earlier than relaunching it. If the app was hanging this may increasingly properly repair the issue.
The repair
If issues nonetheless aren’t working you possibly can attempt the next:
- Reboot iMessage by going to Settings > Messages and turning off iMessage, then flip off your iPhone by urgent and holding the on/off swap, slide to energy off, after which wait in your iPhone to begin up once more.
- When you’ve rebooted, return to Settings > Messages and switch iMessage again on.
- Signal out of your Apple ID after which check in once more. You are able to do this from Settings > Messages then faucet on Ship & Obtain and on the high of the web page faucet in your Apple ID and select Signal Out.
- Then check in once more and see if this has fastened the issue.
For associated recommendation you may additionally prefer to learn
How one can ship and obtain textual content messages on Mac and
How one can use Messages on the iPhone.
5. Delete some messages
In case your Messages app has lots of pictures and movies it’d decelerate a bit. Deleting a few of your iMessages – particularly those with a lot of pictures may clear up the issue (however word that photos despatched by way of iMessage gained’t routinely seem in your Pictures app).
The repair
There are a number of methods to cut back the scale of your iMessage library.
- To delete messages you’ll be able to swipe from proper to left on a message within the Messages listing and select Delete.
- Or you’ll be able to faucet the Edit button within the high left-hand nook of Messages and delete messages that manner.
- There may be additionally a “Preserve Messages” possibility in Settings > Messages. Search for Message Historical past and faucet Preserve Messages – you’ll be able to choose Perpetually, 1 12 months or 30 days. Earlier than you resolve to delete messages after 30 days, ensure you aren’t about to lose some essential messages! (For associated recommendation, we’ve got a characteristic about learn how to retrieve deleted textual content messages.)
- Whilst you’re right here, you may also change your settings so that you just ship low-res photos, which take up much less area. Go to Settings > Messages and toggle Low-High quality Picture Mode on. (It’s the final possibility, proper on the backside of the web page.)
6. Examine iOS is updated
In case your software program isn’t updated there could also be a bug stopping it from working correctly.
The repair
To examine if an up to date model of iOS is accessible (and obtain and set up it in that case), go to Settings > Normal > Software program Replace.
For extra element on the updating course of and the problems it could entail, see
How one can replace iOS.
7. Examine Community settings
Ensure that it’s not an issue along with your Community settings.
The repair
Right here’s learn how to reset your Community settings if Messages aren’t sending.
- Go to Settings > Normal > Reset > Reset Community Settings. You’ll need to enter your passwords once more after you do that.
- You might additionally attempt turning off Wi-Fi Help. Wi-Fi Help will swap to a mobile sign when it’s stronger than your native WiFi community. Turning it off has labored for some folks. Go to Settings > Cell Information and scroll right down to WiFi Help and swap it off if it’s on.
8. Examine Time Zone settings
Some customers have discovered that that they had issues sending Messages when the time zone wasn’t set to replace routinely. It’s not clear what should be blamed for the issue, maybe it’s to do with the provider settings.
The repair
Right here’s learn how to change your time zone settings:
- Go to Settings > Normal > Date & Time and ensure your time zone is ready routinely.
- Set Robotically to ON.
9. Reset All Settings
As a final resort, you possibly can do a full Reset…
In Settings go to Normal > Reset.
10. Ask Apple
If you’re nonetheless having issues then it’s most likely time to get an appointment with a genius on the Apple Retailer, right here’s how.
Particular issues with iMessage
Beneath we take a look at some particular issues with iMessages – tell us when you expertise any points with the service, or when you uncover a repair of your personal.
iMessage activation unsuccessful
Establishing iMessage on an iPhone or iPad must be a easy course of, however it could actually generally be problematic. In some case individuals are seeing an error message once they attempt to activate iMessage (or FaceTime) on their iPhone.
You may even see one of many following error messages:
- Activation unsuccessful.
- An error occurred throughout activation.
- Ready for activation.
- Couldn’t check in, please examine your community connection.
- Unable to contact the iMessage server.
The repair:
We provide a lot of recommendation about learn how to repair this difficulty right here:
What to do when iMessage gained’t activate in your iPhone.
In abstract:
- Examine if iMessage has been deactivated in Settings > Messages.
- Flip Messages on and off once more in Settings > Messages. Do the identical with FaceTime. Then flip your iPhone on and off once more. As soon as your iPhone is on once more return to Messages and switch it again on.
- Contact your cellular community about the issue.
- Chances are you’ll simply have to attend – it could actually take 24 hours to be activated.
Why isn’t my good friend receiving iMessages?
If you already know your good friend has an iPhone, iPad or Mac, they need to be capable of obtain iMessages – however they might not have the iMessage characteristic activated, or not be registered for it.
It’s additionally attainable that they’ve lately modified networks and must activate iMessage.
Alternatively, it’s attainable that your good friend has switched to utilizing an Android or Home windows machine? They could nonetheless be capable of obtain iMessages on their iPad and Mac, however they gained’t obtain them on their new handset. In the event that they not need to obtain iMessages they should deregister from iMessage.
The Repair
If you already know your good friend has an iPhone, it could merely be that they should activate the service. By which case, inform them:
- Go to Settings > Messages.
- Activate iMessage.
Nevertheless, it will not be that straightforward, so we’ve got a separate
tutorial in regards to the steps they should take to ensure iMessages will get via.
In case your good friend not has an iPhone it’s nonetheless attainable which you can ship iMessages – however they gained’t be delivered to their new handset. In the event that they would favor to show off iMessage to keep away from lacking out on texts, they’ll do the next:
- In the event that they nonetheless have the outdated iPhone they’ll go to Settings > Messages.
- Swap off iMessage.
- It’s additionally attainable to deactivate iMessage utilizing an internet instrument
right here.
After turning off iMessage, the textual content messages you ship on an iPhone will likely be inexperienced somewhat than blue.
iMessage visible results aren’t working
Again in iOS 10 Apple launched some enjoyable animated results that you need to use to boost your iMessages.
For instance, you’ll be able to press and maintain on a speech bubble so as to add a thumbs up or a coronary heart, you’ll be able to ship sketches, and when you press and maintain the arrow that you just normally faucet to ship a message you’re going to get entry to enjoyable results like Ship with Echo, Highlight, Balloons, Confetti, Love, Lasers, Fireworks, Taking pictures Stars, and Celebration.
The repair
If the issue is that a few of these visible results aren’t being obtained by your recipient, attempt the next:
- Examine that your recipient has put in iOS 10 or iOS 11.
- Some results additionally gained’t work in case your good friend has Diminished Movement activated on their iPhone (they might have modified the setting to
save battery energy as per the recommendation on this characteristic). In that case, they should Go to Normal > Accessibility > Scale back Movement > Off.
Word, your results gained’t work in the event that they’re not despatched as an iMessage; in case your good friend doesn’t have an iPhone iPad or Mac they gained’t see them.
Can’t ship a gaggle iMessage
If you happen to’re having bother sending messages to teams of individuals, one cause could possibly be that certainly one of your contacts not has an iPhone.
Once you ship a gaggle message in iMessage all of your contacts will present up as blue, till you add somebody who doesn’t have iMessage, then they’ll all flip inexperienced because the iMessage group won’t be supported.
If you happen to had a gaggle iMessage and certainly one of your contacts stopped utilizing their iPhone this is able to break the group iMessage. To seek out out if that is so, begin a brand new group message somewhat than persevering with with the outdated one.
It’s additionally attainable which you can’t ship a gaggle message to an present thread since you left the dialog.
The repair
If you happen to assume you’ve shut your self out of a gaggle message, as we described above, you’ll need to do the next:
- Open the Messages app and faucet the group message you’re making an attempt to answer to.
- If you happen to’ve left the dialog a message will inform you so.
- You may’t unilaterally rejoin a dialog: you’ll must have one of many remaining individuals add you once more.
- Alternatively, you possibly can simply begin a brand new dialog with all the identical individuals and go from there.
What in case you are intent on group messaging your pals and never all of them have iPhones? In that case, the best choice is to make use of Whatsapp. We’ve got this
tutorial about utilizing Whatsapp right here.
Misplaced or by chance deleted Messages
If you happen to’ve by chance deleted essential messages, or when you’ve up to date your iPhone and realised that some messages have disappeared, don’t fear: you could possibly get them again.
The repair
There are 5 predominant methods of getting again misplaced or deleted iMessages:
- Retrieve from an iCloud backup.
- Retrieve from the iCloud web site.
- Contact your telephone supplier.
- Retrieve from an iTunes backup.
- Retrieve utilizing a third-party app.
We cowl all of those in a separate article:
How one can retrieve deleted textual content messages.
Messages on iPhone not showing (or out of order) on Mac/iPad
The matching Messages apps on iOS and Mac ought to let you simply and conveniently keep it up iMessage conversations throughout the 2 platforms. However generally the 2 apps fail to sync correctly, and iMessages despatched from (or obtained on) the iPhone fail to look on the Mac, or vice versa.
The repair
Don’t worry. That is such a typical criticism that Apple has made it attainable to retailer all of your in iCloud – which signifies that they’ll all the time be in sync on all of your units. For extra info, we’ve got this tutorial about
utilizing iMessages in iCloud.
If you happen to aren’t eager on turning on iMessages in iCloud (it could influence your obtainable storage) you possibly can attempt the next:
- Go to Settings > Messages > Ship & Obtain. Ensure that all the e-mail addresses (not simply telephone numbers) that you just need to affiliate with that iMessage account have been ticked. (Chances are you’ll must faucet ‘Use your Apple ID for iMessage’ on the high to make the addresses seem.)
- Now open the Messages app in your Mac. Click on Messages within the high menu bar, then Preferences. Click on Accounts, then tick the suitable electronic mail addresses as soon as once more. Chances are you’ll must enter extra particulars for a few of them.
- Lastly, restart Messages on every machine and (hopefully) you’ll discover that the difficulty is solved.
For extra element, see
How one can sync iMessage conversations on iPhone, iPad and Mac.
