Is iMessage not functioning? This is how to fix it for your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.

Do you have trouble sending or receiving SMS messages via your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Mac? Are your normally blue speech bubbles now green? Are your messages not appearing in the correct order? Is iMessage telling you that your text hasn’t been delivered? Are you curious as to why iMessage doesn’t seem to work?

We will be discussing the causes of iMessage problems and providing simple tips for troubleshooting. Learn how to detect if iMessage fails to work on your iPhone. Also, learn what to do if iMessage doesn’t work on your Mac. All your iMessage issues will be solved by us.

Updated 10/25/22 Apple claims that the iMessage issue has been resolved at 12:37 ET.

Why is iMessagen’t working?

There are lots of reasons why iMessage can stop working: it could be an issue with Apple’s iMessage server, a problem with the Messages app, or your settings could need adjusting. Before we move on to specific difficulties, let’s work through nine simple troubleshooting steps that will solve the most common issues with iMessage.

1. Check to see if iMessage has gone down

The first possibility is that the server that iMessage is run from is down – which could mean that iMessage isn’t working for anyone. Although rare, it can happen sometimes.

You can check if any of Apple’s online services are experiencing outages by checking the
System Status page.

Apple provides a quick overview of services that have upcoming maintenance work and a report detailing any recent issues. However, if your issue has only just appeared, bear in mind that the website’s update frequency tends to be measured in minutes, not seconds – perhaps as many as 30 on occasion – so the problem may not have been spotted yet.

Even if Apple’s System Status site suggests all is well, there could be an outage that’s local to you. As an alternative to Apple’s page, you could try Down Detector, which provides a graph detailing outage reports from the past 24 hours, and even an outage map to see whether you’re in an affected area.

You can also search for the term iMessage or related terms.
Twitter; if lots of people are talking about the problem then it’s clearly not just you.

The solution

Good news: Even if iMessage goes down, you can still communicate with friends using normal text messages.

Your message should be automatically pushed to green-bubble text instead of blue-bubble iMessages if iMessage fails. Green means that the message is being sent in text format, not as an iMessage. (Here’s
How to tell an iMessage using a standard SMS message.)

If this isn’t working for you, read our guide to sending texts when the recipient isn’t getting your iMessages. If an iMessage isn’t sending if you hard press on the message you should see an option to “Send as Text”.

2. Make sure you’ve got a connection (and enough data)

iMessage needs a data connection to work, so you need to make sure you’ve got 3G or 4G (or 5G) available, or a good WiFi signal. Without WiFi or a cellular data connection, your iMessage won’t send.

A quick search in Safari will show you if the browser can access the web. If you see no results you’ve identified the root of your problem.

If you don’t have a good cellular connection you could try turning Airplane Mode on and off to see if you can improve your reception. Depending on your iPhone either swipe in from the top right or swipe up from the bottom of your iPhone or iPad screen, and select and deselect Airplane Mode – the plane icon.

You might not have enough data, even if your cellular connection is fast. Is there a chance you’ve used up all your data for the month? Is it possible that your contract does not include the data you need? Check with your network provider. (Read more
How to save data on iPhone.)

The solution

You can try these solutions if your data is not available or the connection to 3G/4G is slow.

• You can also switch the aerials on/off using Airplane Mode. Also, you may be able to turn your iPhone off again to help it get a stronger signal.
• To send an iMessage, log onto a Wi-Fi network nearby. To find a nearby network, go to Settings > Wi-Fi and have a look to see if there is a free Wi-Fi network nearby.
• If Wi-Fi is causing problems, turn off Wi Fi and switch to 3G/4G.
• You may have to reset your network settings if none of these tips work. Tap Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings and see if this fixes the problem.
• If you still don’t get a data connection, and there is no WiFi available, you should be able to press and hold on the undelivered message and choose to ‘Send as text message’ from the options that come up. A text message should still be received even if the connection is GPRS.

3. Set up iMessage correctly and ensure that iMessage is turned on

Check you’re set to send and receive iMessages by going to Settings > Messages and checking that iMessage is turned on.

If when you get to this page you see a message suggesting that iMessage is “Waiting for activation” or “Activation unsuccessful”, then read this article:
What to do when iMessage won’t activate on your iPhone.

If iMessage is switched on and there is no message about activation, check that your phone is set up correctly to receive iMessages: Go to Settings > Messages and check the addresses and mobile numbers you have listed in Send & Receive.

The solution

Assuming it’s not an activation issue, run through the following: 

1. Turn off your mobile number or email address in the list of places where you can Send & Receive from. To determine if iMessage will work with your email address or mobile number, we suggest a process called elimination.
2. Check there is a tick beside your phone number in the Start New Conversations From section if you’re using an iPhone.

4. Turn it on and off again to restart Messages

Like all good troubleshooting articles, one important piece of advice is to turn the device off and then on again. Double-pressing the Home button will launch the Messages app. Next, swipe up on it to relaunch the app. This could be the solution to a hanged app.

The solution

If things still aren’t working you could try the following:

1. Reboot iMessage by going to Settings > Messages and turning off iMessage, then turn off your iPhone by pressing and holding the on/off switch, slide to power off, and then wait for your iPhone to start up again.
2. Once you’ve rebooted, return to Settings > Messages and turn iMessage back on.
3. Sign out from your Apple ID then sign back in. You can do this from Settings > Messages then tap on Send & Receive and at the top of the page tap on your Apple ID and choose Sign Out.
4. Sign in again to see if the problem has been fixed.

You may also be interested in similar advice.
How to send and get text messages on Mac
How to use iPhone Messages.

5. Some messages can be deleted

It is possible for your Messages app to slow down if it has a lot more photos and videos. Deleting some of your iMessages – especially the ones with lots of photos might solve the problem (but note that images sent via iMessage won’t automatically appear in your Photos app).

The solution

There are a few options to reduce your iMessage collection’s size.

• You can delete messages by swiping from right to left on a message within the Messages List and choosing Delete.
• Or, you can tap on the Edit button in top left-hand corner to delete messages.
• There is also a “Keep Messages” option in Settings > Messages. Look for Message History and tap Keep Messages – you can select Forever, 1 year or 30 days. Before you decide to delete messages after 30 days, be sure you aren’t about to lose some important messages! (We also offer advice on similar topics. How to recover deleted text messages.)
• While you’re here, you can also change your settings so that you send low-res images, which take up less space. Go to Settings > Messages and toggle Low-Quality Image Mode on. (It’s the last option, right at the bottom of the page.)

6. Make sure iOS is always up-to-date

If your software isn’t up to date there may be a bug stopping it from working properly.

The solution

To check if an updated version of iOS is available (and download and install it if so), go to Settings > General > Software Update.

You can find more details about the update process and the potential issues involved here.
How to update iOS.

7. Verify network settings

Make sure it’s not a problem with your Network settings.

The solution

Here’s how to reset your Network settings if Messages aren’t sending.

1. Go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings. You’ll have to enter your passwords again after you do this.
2. Also, you could try disabling Wi-Fi Assist. Wi-Fi Assist switches to a cellular signal whenever it is stronger that your local WiFi network. It has been reported that it works for some users. Go to Settings > Mobile Data and scroll down to WiFi Assist and switch it off if it’s on.

8. Check the Time Zone settings

Some users have found that they had problems sending Messages when the time zone wasn’t set to update automatically. It’s not clear what was causing the problem, perhaps it’s to do with the carrier settings.

The solution

Here’s how to change your time zone settings:

1. Go to Settings > General > Date & Time and make sure your time zone is set automatically.
2. To automatically turn ON

9. All settings can be reset

As a last resort, you could do a full Reset…

In Settings go to General > Reset.

10. Ask Apple

If you are still having problems then it’s probably time to get an appointment with a genius at the Apple Store, here’s how.

iMessage may have some issues

Below we look at some specific problems with iMessages – let us know if you experience any issues with the service, or if you discover a fix of your own.

iMessage activation failed

Although setting up iMessage for an iPhone or iPad should not be difficult, it can sometimes prove to be challenging. Some people receive an error message when activating FaceTime or iMessage on their iPhone.

One of these error messages could be displayed:

• Activation unsuccessful.
• Activation error: An error occurred
• Waiting for activation
• You are unable to sign in. Please check your network connection.
• Unable to contact iMessage server

Here’s how to fix it:

Here are some tips to help you solve this issue.
What to do when iMessage won’t activate on your iPhone.

Summary:

• Check if iMessage has been deactivated in Settings > Messages.
• Turn Messages off and on again in Settings > Messages. FaceTime is the same. Turn your iPhone on and off again. When your iPhone is turned off, you can go to Messages to turn it back on.
• Talk to your mobile network about the issue.
• You may just have to wait – it can take 24 hours to be activated.

Why isn’t my friend receiving iMessages?

If you know your friend has an iPhone, iPad or Mac, they should be able to receive iMessages – but they may not have the iMessage feature activated, or not be registered for it.

It’s also possible that they have recently changed networks and need to activate iMessage.

Alternatively, it’s possible that your friend has switched to using an Android or Windows device? They may still be able to receive iMessages on their iPad and Mac, but they won’t receive them on their new handset. They can deregister from iMessage if they do not wish to receive iMessages.

The Fix

It may be that your friend has an iPhone and needs to turn it on. Tell them:

• Go to Settings > Messages.
• Turn on iMessage.

But it might not be as simple as that. So we have a separate
How to make sure iMessages are received. 

If your friend no longer has an iPhone it’s still possible that you can send iMessages – but they won’t be delivered to their new handset. To avoid missing any text messages, your friend can turn off iMessage by following these steps:

1. If they still have the old iPhone they can go to Settings > Messages.
2. Switch off iMessage
3. It’s also possible to deactivate iMessage using a web tool
   Here.

If you turn off iMessage, your text messages on an iPhone will now be green instead of blue.

iMessage visual effects aren’t working

Apple introduced some animated effects back in iOS 10 to enhance your iMessages.

To add a thumbs up to a speech bubble, or to add a heart to it, you can press and keep the arrow to send a message. You will also be able to access fun effects such as Send with Echo, Spotlight and Balloons.

The solution

If the problem is that some of these visual effects aren’t being received by your recipient, try the following:

1. Make sure your recipient has iOS 10 or iOS 11 installed.
2. Some effects also won’t work if your friend has Reduced Motion activated on their iPhone (they may have changed the setting to
   As per this feature’s advice, you can save battery power.). In that case, they need to Go to General > Accessibility > Reduce Motion > Off.

Note, your effects won’t work if they’re not sent as an iMessage; if your friend doesn’t have an iPhone iPad or Mac they won’t see them.

Can’t send a group iMessage

If you’re having trouble sending messages to groups of people, one reason could be that one of your contacts no longer has an iPhone.

When you send a group message in iMessage all your contacts will show up as blue, until you add someone who doesn’t have iMessage, then they will all turn green as the iMessage group will not be supported.

If one of your contacts quit using their iPhone, it would cause the group iMessage to be broken. You can check if it is by creating a new group message instead of continuing the one you have.

It’s also possible that you can’t send a group message to an existing thread because you left the conversation.

The solution

If you think you’ve shut yourself out of a group message, as we described above, you will need to do the following: 

1. Open the Messages app and tap the group message you’re trying to reply to.
2. If you’ve left the conversation a message will tell you so.
3. You can’t unilaterally rejoin a conversation: you’ll need to have one of the remaining participants add you again.
4. You could also start a new conversation and continue with the same people.

What if all your friends don’t have an iPhone? If that is the case, Whatsapp is your best choice. This is what we have
Here’s a tutorial on how to use Whatsapp.

Inadvertently deleted or lost messages

If you’ve accidentally deleted important messages, or if you’ve updated your iPhone and realised that some messages have disappeared, don’t worry: you may be able to get them back.

The solution

There are five main methods to retrieve deleted or lost iMessages.

• Retrieve an iCloud backup.
• Retrieve from the iCloud site.
• Get in touch with your phone company.
• Retrieve from an iTunes backup
• You can retrieve the data using an app from a third party.

These are all covered in separate articles:
How to recover deleted text messages.

Messages on iPhone are not showing (or out-of-order) on Mac/iPad

The matching Messages apps for iOS and Mac will allow you to seamlessly and conveniently continue iMessage conversations across both platforms. Sometimes, however, the sync fails and iMessages from or received on the iPhone do not appear on the Mac.

The solution

Don’t worry. This is such a common complaint that Apple has made it possible to store all your in iCloud – which means that they will always be in sync on all your devices. We have this tutorial for more information.
Using iMessages in iCloud

If you aren’t keen on turning on iMessages in iCloud (it may impact your available storage) you could try the following:

1. Go to Settings > Messages > Send & Receive. You must tick all the email addresses (not just numbers) you wish to associate with your iMessage account. (You may need to tap ‘Use your Apple ID for iMessage’ at the top to make the addresses appear.)
2. Open the Messages app for Mac. Click Messages on the top menu, then Preferences. Click Accounts, and then tick the appropriate emails addresses. For some, you may need to provide additional details.
3. Finally, restart Messages on each device and (hopefully) you’ll find that the issue is solved.

For more detail, see
How to sync iMessage conversations between iPhone, iPad, and Mac.