Why Your Text Messages Aren't Being Delivered

Learn why your messages were sent but not delivered

Co-authored by Darlene Antonelli, MA

Last Updated: August 8, 2023 Fact Checked

If you sent a text message and see that it was never delivered , there's usually a logical explanation. This wikiHow article will teach you simple ways to find out why your messages aren't being delivered, along with easy fixes.

Things You Should Know

If the recipient's phone is turned off, in airplane mode, or disconnected, messages will be sent but not delivered.
If you've been sending a lot of texts, your carrier (or the recipient's carrier) may be flagging your texts as spam.
If you see "Message sent, but not delivered," you'll know that the problem is on the recipient's end and unrelated to your carrier.

1

Cell phone carrier problems.

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If the recipient's mobile phone provider is having trouble, messages won't be delivered. The same can be true if your provider is having network trouble, which tells you there was a problem on the recipient carrier's end. They might be experiencing an outage and preventing text messages from delivering.
- Also make sure you have a data connection. If you don't see signal bars on your screen, you don't have any data connection and won't be able to send or receive messages. ^{[1]
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  Research source}

2

The recipient turned off texts.

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It's also possible the recipient disabled SMS in their phone's settings—especially if the recipient has an iPhone and is only accepting iMessages .

3

Their phone is off.

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You can try calling the recipient to see if their phone is powered on.

4

The recipient has turned on airplane mode.

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SMS texts won't be delivered if the person you're texting enabled airplane mode . In this case, you'll need to wait until they turn off airplane mode for the message to be delivered.

5

Your message was flagged as spam.

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Your message may have contained a suspicious link or characters. People don't like spam bothering them and interrupting their day, so carriers have filters to mark messages as potential spam. Your message can be marked as spam if you're sending:
- Suspicious links using link shorteners like bit.ly, tiny.url, which are often used in phishing scams.
- Duplicate content repeatedly.
- Very long text messages. Usually, you can send messages up to 160 characters, but longer messages raise red flags for carriers.
- Unnecessary capitalization, like "SIGN UP NOW FOR FREE."

6

You've been blocked.

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The recipient may have blocked your number. If the person blocked you, you won't see the "Delivered" stamp next to your message.
- If you're the one not getting texts from a specific number, delete their contact and re-add them. As you're entering the information again, check that the phone number is correct and if you need to add a country code (like a "1" for US numbers). Also, make sure that you haven't blocked that number.

7

There's a problem with your SIM card.

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If you are unable to send texts, the SIM card could be the culprit. A fall or rough vibration could have dislodged the SIM card, making it unreadable. If you are experiencing a wide array of "Message Not Delivered" errors, then this can be the problem and adjusting it may help. ^{[2]
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Research source}

8

You're trying to text too many people.

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A group message can reach up to 100 people. If you're sending a lot of texts, your carrier could mark your phone number as spam and filter your messages. Generally, P2P phones can only send one message per second, and there should be an even exchange of sending and receiving messages. If you're sending about 500 messages and only receiving 20 texts in return, that's a red flag to your carrier.
- If you're a business that markets using group texts, verify your phone number with your mobile provider.

9

Incorrect type of phone number.

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You don't have the correct type of phone number. You can have an A2P (application-to-person) number or a P2P (person-to-person) number through your mobile provider. If you have a P2P phone number, you're expected to send personal text messages, and carriers limit how many texts a P2P number can send.
- You need A2P messaging if you're a business expecting to have text conversations with your customers. There are different services and platforms that you can use to help your business by sending text messaging.
- To fix this, make sure your carrier supports SMS, MMS, or RCS messaging. If it doesn't support these types of messaging, you know why none of your messages are going through!
- If you're using Google Messages, open the app, tap the three-dot menu, and then go to Settings > RCS chats . Toggle that feature off if it's on. Although RCS is Android's answer to simplify texting in the future, it could be causing problems with carriers and text messaging platforms.

10

The message contains illegal content.

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The CTIA (Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association) regulates text messages and blocks text containing any adult content, drugs, or anything related to criminal activity. If you operate a business and text customers about illegal drugs, violence, or hate speech, your messages may not be delivered. If you operate an alcohol or cannabis business, you will need to comply with CTIA SHAFT guidelines, such as age-gating promotional materials for controlled substances. ^{[3]
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11

You could be texting a landline.

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Although most phones are text-enabled, there are some numbers out there that belong to screenless non-mobile phones. Such phones cannot receive text messages, so your messages will not be delivered.

12

The recipient's service was disconnected.

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They might be on a pre-paid plan and or not have enough data to allow for another text message to be delivered.

13

The message was reported.

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They may have also forwarded a message from you to 7726 (SPAM) to report it to the CTIA. ^{[4]
X
Research source} If they reported a similar text message of yours to the carrier, they may be preemptively filtering and blocking your number.

14

Wrong number.

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If you text the wrong phone number, the message may appear as though it's been sent but might not be delivered. You may have accidentally texted a landline or a number that doesn't accept text messages.

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Why Your Text Messages Aren't Being Delivered

Things You Should Know

Steps

Cell phone carrier problems.

The recipient turned off texts.

Their phone is off.

The recipient has turned on airplane mode.

Your message was flagged as spam.

You've been blocked.

There's a problem with your SIM card.

You're trying to text too many people.

Incorrect type of phone number.

The message contains illegal content.

You could be texting a landline.

The recipient's service was disconnected.

The message was reported.

Wrong number.

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