There are several common reasons why your text messages may fail to send properly on your smartphone. In the opening sections, we’ll provide a quick overview of the most likely culprits behind text messages not sending.
Quick Reasons Texts May Not Send
Here are some quick potential reasons your text messages are not sending:
- Poor cellular signal or no data connection
- Issues with your messaging app
- Problems with your SIM card
- Text messaging is disabled on your phone
- Your phone’s storage is full
- Your phone needs a reboot/restart
- Issues with your phone carrier
- Text message blocking enabled
- problems with the recipient’s phone
Now let’s explore these common texting issues in more detail.
Cellular and Data Connection Issues
One of the most common reasons text messages won’t send is poor cellular signal strength or an unstable data connection. SMS and MMS messages rely on mobile data or a cellular signal. So if you’re in an area with weak coverage, or if your phone can’t get a stable data connection, your texts simply won’t have a route to reach their destination. This is a particularly common issue if you are indoors in a building with thick walls or underground, as signals can struggle to penetrate inside.
Try moving your phone closer to a window or outside to get better signal strength. Turning Airplane Mode on and off can also force your phone to re-establish a connection. Or try disabling WiFi so your phone relies on mobile data instead. If the issue persists in known good coverage areas, you may need to restart your device.
Ways to Check and Improve Cellular Signal
- Move near windows or outdoors
- Toggle Airplane Mode on/off
- Disable WiFi so phone uses mobile data
- Try restarting your phone
- Check carrier coverage map for your location
- Contact carrier about poor signal issues
Messaging App Malfunctions
Problems with your preferred texting app itself can also prevent successful text transmission. Buggy app behavior, glitches when sending, or app crashes can all interfere with messages going through correctly. If you recently updated the app and then started having issues, the new version could be buggy. Or the app may have installed improperly or be affected by os-level issues.
Try reinstalling your messaging app and see if that rectifies any odd behavior. For iOS users, you may need to hard reset your iPhone to clear any glitches. Switching to a different texting app can isolate whether the issues lie with that particular application. Popular alternative messaging apps include WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Signal, Telegram, and more.
Troubleshooting Steps for Messaging App Issues
- Reinstall messaging app
- Try resetting your iPhone (iOS only)
- Switch to a different messaging app
- Update to latest version of messaging app
- Check for OS or firmware updates
- Delete messaging app data/cache
SIM Card Problems
SIM card issues can also prevent your texts from sending. The SIM card is what gives your smartphone cellular service and allows it to send SMS messages over the mobile network. If the SIM card becomes damaged, has connectivity problems, or becomes dislodged from its tray, texting can fail.
Power your phone off and check that your SIM card is correctly inserted in the tray. Look for damage like chips or cracks on the gold contacts. Wipe it gently with a clean cloth. If no visible damage, try removing and reseating the SIM card to make sure it is making consistent contact. You can also try testing with a different known good SIM card if available.
SIM Card Troubleshooting Tips
- Check SIM card is inserted correctly
- Inspect for any physical SIM damage
- Clean SIM contacts gently with cloth
- Remove and reseat SIM card
- Test with different SIM card if possible
- Contact carrier for replacement SIM
Text Messaging Disabled
It may sound obvious, but check that text messaging has not been disabled on your phone. On both iOS and Android devices, you can disable text messaging at the system level via the phone Settings. Accidental toggling of this SMS setting can easily prevent texts from being sent or received.
On an iPhone, go to Settings > Messages and make sure Text Messaging is toggled on. For Android, open Settings > More Networks > Mobile Networks > Uncheck SMS Disabled. Re-enabling texting capabilities with a simple settings change will get SMS working again if accidentally disabled.
Re-enabling Text Messaging
- iPhone: Settings > Messages > Text Messaging ON
- Android: Settings > More Networks > Mobile Networks > Uncheck SMS Disabled
Phone Storage Full
If your phone storage is completely full, it can affect the sending of text messages. Outgoing texts require space for temporary storage before they are transmitted. Phones also require open storage space to function optimally in general.
Check how much free space is available on your smartphone. iOS users can go to Settings > General > Storage to view space used. On Android, open Settings > Storage to see available space. Any social media caches, unused apps, photos, or videos can be deleted to free up capacity.
Fixing Full Phone Storage
- Check available storage in Settings
- Delete unused apps and media
- Offload apps if available
- Upgrade to higher capacity phone
- Enable cloud storage for photos/videos
Phone Needs Restart
An easy fix that can resolve multiple issues is simply restarting your smartphone. Powering your device off and back on refreshes the operating system, closes any glitchy programs, and resets cellular radios. If your phone has been having issues for a while, a reboot can clear out any built up malfunctions.
On an iPhone, hold down the side or volume button and Power button until you see the Slide to Power Off prompt. On Android devices, hold the Power button down for about 30 seconds until the phone options appear, then select Restart. Allow your phone to fully power down before turning back on.
Restarting Your Smartphone
- iPhone – Hold Power + Side/Volume buttons to slide Power Off
- Android – Hold Power button, select Restart in menu
- Allow phone to fully power down before turning back on
Carrier or Network Issues
Problems at your mobile carrier can also interfere with reliable texting services. Network outages, tower issues, data disruptions, or cellular maintenance can all affect messaging reliability. If multiple users all report text problems in a region, that points to wider carrier malfunctions.
Check your carrier’s social media pages and official website for any reported service issues in your location. Switching your phone to airplane mode briefly or toggling cellular data off/on may help if there are network problems. You can also try contacting your provider’s customer service for assistance if issues persist.
Working Around Carrier Issues
- Check carrier website/social for service issues
- Briefly toggle on Airplane Mode
- Switch Cellular Data OFF and back ON
- Contact carrier support for help
- Switch cellular providers if necessary
Text Message Blocking Enabled
Accidental blocking of contacts can also explain why your outgoing texts aren’t going through. Most messaging apps give you the option to block specific phone numbers from contacting you. But this will also prevent any texts you send those blocked numbers from being delivered.
Open your messaging app’s settings to view the blocked contacts list. Look for the recipient’s phone number here and unblock them. On an iPhone open Settings > Messages > Blocked Contacts. On Android open the Messaging app > Menu > Settings > Blocked numbers. Resolving any erroneous blocking should allow normal texting to resume.
Fixing Accidental Text Blocking
- Check blocked numbers list in messaging app
- iPhone: Settings > Messages > Blocked Contacts
- Android: Messaging > Menu > Settings > Blocked numbers
- Unblock recipient’s number
Issues with Recipient’s Phone
On the other end, problems with the recipient’s smartphone can also lead to one-way texting issues. If your messages are getting stuck on “Sent” or not being received, the intended phone may be experiencing technical issues.
Have the recipient power off their phone completely and restart it, to reset any glitches with the messaging app or os. They can try toggling Airplane mode as well to re-establish cellular connection. Make sure their text messaging is enabled and storage isn’t full. Lastly, verify your number hasn’t been blocked on their end by accident.
Troubleshooting the Recipient’s Phone
- Ask recipient to restart their smartphone
- Have them toggle Airplane Mode OFF and ON
- Make sure texting is enabled on their device
- Check that your number hasn’t been blocked
- Verify they have free storage space
Conclusion
Text messaging problems can originate from a range of causes. With smartphones, issues with the network, operating system, storage, apps, and settings can all contribute to messages not properly sending. Methodically checking the most common culprits can help identify why your texting has stopped working properly. Toggling airplane mode, reinstalling the messaging app, restarting your phone, checking for carrier issues, or unblocking contacts are good starting points.
If none of those basic troubleshooting tips get your text messaging back up and running, it’s a good idea to contact your cellular provider or smartphone manufacturer for additional support. Technical issues are usually resolvable with one of the remedies here, but more persistent problems may require professional assistance. With some diligent detective work, you should be able to get your texting troubles fixed.