If you use an iPhone to communicate, you may have noticed that some recipients’ responses appear in blue bubbles while others appear in green. The green ones are regular SMS or MMS messages, while the blue ones use Apple’s proprietary iMessage technology. If you disable iMessage, your text messages will be delivered as regular text messages and will appear in a green color scheme.
Even if you didn’t disable iMessage, your messages may still appear in green. Unfortunately, Apple doesn’t make it simple to diagnose why iMessage isn’t functioning properly. Instead, you can take our suggestions into account.
1. Test iMessage by Sending Texts to Multiple People
Examining the situation before jumping to conclusions is always a good idea. Do you know for sure that iMessage isn’t connecting with anyone, or is it failing only when trying to reach a specific person? Send an iMessage to several people you know who use iMessage to see whether you get any responses.
It’s probably not your device if you’re experiencing problems sending messages via iMessage to a single contact. However, if you know that your contacts are all using iMessage but you still can’t communicate with them, the issue is likely on your end.
If the majority of your pals use an Android phone, you might not have a large pool of people you can contact at once. If you have access to many iOS devices, you can test out the iMessage app on each one. If you discover that iMessage works on your iPad but not your iPhone, you’ll know where to put your efforts.
The issue at hand is unrelated to whether or not iMessage functions properly on your iPhone. Read our tutorial on how to solve the “iMessage Not Delivered” error on your iPhone if that’s the case.
2. Make Sure iMessage Is Configured Correctly
You may have iMessage set up, but it may not be active for all numbers. You can easily verify this. To access Messages on an iOS device, go to Settings > General > Messages. The iMessage toggle should be turned on at this point. Then select Send & Receive from the menu.
You can add contacts to iMessage from your phonebook or email inbox here. Verify that your desired phone numbers and email addresses are active.
Launch the Mac Messages application. The iMessage settings can be adjusted by selecting Messages > Preferences from the main menu. Verify that your phone number and/or email address are set up for iMessage communication.
If iMessage isn’t working on more than one device, follow these instructions for each one.
3. Try Different Send and Receive Options
Changing the Send & Receive settings may fix iMessage issues on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Navigate to Settings > Messages > Send & Receive on your iPhone or iPad. Launch Messages on your Mac and navigate to Messages > Preferences > iMessage to configure your iMessage settings.
You may view all the contact information associated with your Apple ID, including phone numbers and email addresses, on this page. Check to see if re-enabling iMessage is possible by toggling on and off certain settings.
For the most part, when using an iPhone, it’s also preferable to select Start New Conversations From your cell number.
4. Reset iMessage and Reboot Your Device
A weekly restart is probably necessary on your Mac, but with your iPhone or iPad, you won’t need to do that very often. If you’re having trouble using iMessage, restarting your device may help, but there’s another step you should do as well. You need to disable iMessage, restart your device, and then enable it again.
To access Messages on your iPhone or iPad, go to the Settings menu. The iMessage on/off switch is up there, in the upper-right corner. Stop using it, reset it, and then turn it back on in the same way.
Open Messages from your Mac’s application dock, then go to Messages > Preferences. To disable iCloud messaging, select the iMessage tab and then uncheck the box labeled “Enable Messages in iCloud” next to your Apple ID. Turn this option back on after you’ve restarted your Mac.
If you want to be really sure, you may perform this for each and every iMessage-capable gadget you own.
Read More: How to Turn on Incognito Mode on I Phone
5. Sign In to iMessage Again
Similarly, logging out of iMessage and then back in is so easy that it’s worth a shot.
To access Messages on an iOS device, launch the Settings app. Choose Send and Receive from the menu. To access your Apple ID, select it from this menu’s drop-down. Select Sign Out from the pop-up menu.
Then, after logging out, select the option to use your Apple ID with iMessage. The prompt that appears will display your Apple ID and ask if you wish to sign in using it. Select Sign In to enter that ID and log in.
Launch the Mac Messages application. To access the iMessage preferences, select Messages > Preferences from the menu bar. To log out, select Sign Out, then the corresponding button. Your Apple ID email address will be pre-populated on the login screen. Put in the code you were given and hit the Next button.
Read More: How to Reset Your Apple Id Password
6. Test Your Internet Connection
iMessages go through the internet instead of a phone network like conventional messages. To utilize iMessages, you must have access to either Wi-Fi or a mobile network with sufficient signal strength and sufficient cellular data. To check your internet connection, open a web browser and load a new page.
If you are unable to connect to the internet, then you will not be able to use iMessage on your iPhone or Mac. It’s possible that your data plan has expired, or that you need to switch to a different Wi-Fi network.
It’s strange that iMessage won’t always let you turn on the service when you’re connected to Wi-Fi. Try briefly turning off Wi-Fi and activating iMessage on your iPhone using cellular data if you’re having trouble getting it to operate the first time.
7. Reset the Network Settings
If iMessage is still not working after you’ve tried the aforementioned solutions, this iOS-only option is worth exploring. Many difficulties with iPhones and iPads can be resolved by resetting the network settings, including troubles with iMessage.
To access General, open the Settings menu. Here, scroll down to the bottom of the page and tap Transfer or Reset iPhone. Select Reset > Reset Network Settings from the menu.
Don’t panic; this will merely clear your network preferences. Your iPhone or iPad content will stay unaltered. The downside is that your phone will forget the passwords to the Wi-Fi networks you’ve previously saved.
Other Possible iMessage Fixes Worth Trying
When iMessage stops functioning, there are a few more things you can attempt to fix it. If you’re having trouble getting iMessages on one of your devices, try sending one from that gadget. Many iOS and Mac users have reported that this has resolved their problems.
If you’re worried that iMessage isn’t working for you, check Apple’s System Status page. Verify that the iMessage button is green. If there’s more, it likely implies Apple is having technical difficulties, and you’ll have to wait for them to be resolved.
A second solution is to see whether there is a new version of macOS or iOS. This is especially important if you have just switched to a new operating system. When Apple publishes updates, it’s to enhance your device and repair flaws, but updates can often cause new issues. If that’s the case, maybe Apple has already released an update to address the issue.
Having Trouble With Regular Text Messages Too?
We hope that one of the solutions above helped you get iMessages back up and running on your Mac, iPad, or iPhone. If more than one device is affected, you’ll need to do the solution on each of them. Hopefully, the next stage will be successful.
Are you also having trouble sending regular SMS or MMS messages? Thankfully, we also have solutions for that.