An easy way to find out about the recipient’s device is to actually send them a message. If it’s an Apple device the message bubble will be blue and if it’s not, then the message will be green. The text field will also have the text whether it is an iMessage or if it is a Text message.
1. Force Restart your Apple Device and the Router
iMessages will not get delivered if the network modules of your devices are in an error state or the router’s temporary data is invalid. Here, restarting your devices and the router will solve the problem.
Cold Restart
Force Restart
If normal restarting did not work, force restarting the Apple device will do the trick. If that did not work but the issue is occurring on the messages with attachments (like a picture), check if moving that attachment to the internal drive of your Mac solves the problem.
2. Change the Time Settings of your Apple Device
If the date, time, or time-zone settings of your Apple device are incorrect, iMessage will fail to deliver. The servers will reject data packets as they will have incorrect timestamps. To resolve this issue, adjust these settings on your device to the correct time according to your location. Here are the steps to do so on a Mac:
3. Toggle “Text Forwarding” in the iMessage Settings
Text Message Forwarding allows you to send and receive messages from other devices that are signed in with the same iMessage account. However, if the modules responsible for Text Message Forwarding are encountering errors, the synchronization of messages between devices will fail, resulting in the issue. To address this, disable and enable the Text Message Forwarding option. This will refresh the relevant modules. Here are the steps to do so on an iPhone:
4. Boot the Apple Device in Safe Mode
When an Apple device is booted in its safe mode, the device cache is reset and disks are repaired. Also, third-party apps are not allowed to operate which help diagnose if the problem is due to a third-party application. Here, booting the Apple device in its Safe Mode can help point us to a potential third-party culprit. For illustration, we will discuss the process of booting an Intel-based Mac into Safe Mode.
5. Reset Mac’s NVRAM or PRAM to the Defaults (Mac Only)
The PRAM or NVRAM of a Mac contains important OS settings such as the startup disk selection, sound volume, and time zone. If this component becomes corrupted, a module essential for iMessage might fail to execute and cause the issue. This can be fixed by resetting the Mac’s NVRAM or PRAM to its default settings.
6. Re-Enable iMessage in the Apple Device Settings
If the syncing mechanism iMessages is not functioning correctly, it can cause issues. We can remedy this by disabling and enabling iMessage on the Apple device. This will reinitialize all modules in the storage. Please wait around 10 minutes after signing out to enable the successful cleaning of old records.
7. Re-Enable iCloud Sync in the iMessage Settings
iCloud sync in iMessage is used to sync messages between your devices and Apple servers. If the iCloud sync isn’t functioning properly, it will affect the delivery of messages. To address this, disable and enable the iCloud sync in the iMessage settings. This will refresh the relevant iCloud modules responsible for iMessage communications.
8. Resetting Network Settings to Defaults
To perform its operations, iMessage relies on an Internet connection, which can be established through mobile data or Wi-Fi. However, if the network settings on your Apple device are invalid or contain outdated configurations, iMessage will be unable to access the Internet, leading to delivery issues. In such a scenario, resetting the network settings of your device will solve the problem. Make sure to note down any network info (like credentials of your Wi-Fi network) that may be required later. If that did not work and you have an E-SIM, check if swapping the E-SIM with a physical SIM solves the problem.
9. Try Another Network
iMessage relies on Internet access to complete its operations. If your Internet Service Provider (ISP), such as a corporate or school Wi-Fi, is preventing iMessage from accessing the Internet, delivery issues will arise. This can be confirmed by trying another network.
10. Edit the Contact’s Country Code
If your contacts are not in the correct international format, iMessage will fail to deliver your message to the intended number. To address this, edit the contact and add the country code associated with the contact. This problem is typically resolved automatically by the device but there may be situations where manual intervention is required. If that resolves the issue with a contact but occurs with other contacts as well, you may have to edit all the contacts to be in the international format. You may try an app for that purpose.
11. Reset the Device’s Settings to the Defaults
Delivery issues in iMessage will result from device settings that are misconfigured. This is a common occurrence after an OS update as settings are changed to incorporate newer OS modules. This can be fixed by resetting the device settings to their defaults. Before doing so, be sure to back up any important data or information that you may need later.
12. Create a New User Account (Mac Only)
iMessage on a Mac will not work if the messaging modules of the OS in your profile are corrupt. As a result, the execution of essential iMessage modules will fail. Here, creating a new user profile on the Mac will do the trick. Before doing so, be sure to back up any essential data in the current user account, such as conversations or the Home folder. Failure to do so may result in data loss.
13. Reset the Apple Device to the Factory Defaults
When the messaging modules on your device are unable to function properly due to corruption in the operating system, iMessage will encounter delivery problems. Here, resetting your Apple device to the factory defaults will solve the problem. If none of the above resolves your issue, then you can contact Apple support to help with your problem. Till then, you may use iMessage on another device.
