iMessage is Apple’s eccentric messaging system that makes it easy to share images, songs, and contact friends, family, and relatives. Occasionally, however, you may encounter an error message informing you that “iMessage needs to be enabled to send this message.”
So if you are facing such kind of problem, don’t worry, we got your back. In this article, we will share some tested methods that will help you solve this common problem.
1. Make sure iMessage is Enabled
1. Tap on the Settings icon.
2. Scroll down the menu and search for the iMessage option.
3. Make sure the iMessage option is enabled.
If the iMessage is already enabled, let’s browse through other fixes.
2. Force Close the iMessage App
This solution is pretty straightforward. Swipe from the bottom and hold your screen until all the running applications appear. In case your phone has a home button, double-click the button to view apps running in real-time. Swipe up the iMessage card to close the app, Wait for about 15-30 seconds and reopen the app. Try resending a message and checking whether the problem got resolved or not.
3. Enable and Disable Airplane Mode
Just like the previous solution, this method is also pretty easy. Swipe down the top left of your screen. It’ll open the Control center of your device. Now tap on the Airplane icon to enable it. Once enabled, wait for 15-30 seconds before enabling it.
If these simple methods didn’t work out for you, let’s move on to some complex methods for solving this issue.
4. Checking the Status of Apple Servers
Sporadically, the reason behind this issue might not be your device, but there might be a fault in the Apple iMessage servers. To check the status of Apple servers, visit the System Status Page. If you see a green dot beside the iMessage server, then the server is up and running. If you see a yellow or red button, there is a fault in the server, and it can take up to a few hours for the servers to become functional again. The only thing you can do in such situations is wait for the servers to run again.
5. Restart your iPhone or iPad
Another quick solution is to restart your device. Restarting your device helps you to refresh your entire device and the applications. This method is familiar to many problems faced by users. Hold the home button and swipe to turn off your device to restart your device. Wait for a couple of seconds before turning it on by holding the home button again.
6. Enable and Disable the iMessage Option
This method is similar to the first method discussed in the article.
1. Tap the Setting icon.
2. Search for the iMessage option in the menu.
3. Disable the iMessage option, and wait for 20-30 seconds before enabling iMessage again.
7. Clear Stuck or Failed Messages
Sometimes clearing stuck messages helps you pave the path for new messages. For this, you will have to open the iMessage app. Tap and hold the failed message and press delete message. If this method doesn’t work, you can try solving the issue by clearing the entire conversation with the contact.
In some peculiar cases, you might not be able to send a message to a particular contact. Try sending messages to other contacts to check whether the problem persists for all contacts or just one contact. If the issue occurs for only one contact, ask the recipient to check if their iMessage is enabled.
8. Sign out and Sign in to your Apple ID
The title of the method itself explains the solution. Follow the steps below to sign out and sign in to your Apple ID :
1. Tap on the Settings App.
2. In the top-left corner, click on your name.
3. Tap Sign out.
4. Restart your Apple Device.
5. Go to Settings again and tap on Sign In.
6. Once you’ve signed in, open the iMessage app and check whether the issue persists.
9. Restart your Network Settings
Resetting your network settings won’t erase your personal information, data, photos, and other essentials. But this would cause a factory reset to all network-related Settings. Follow these steps to reset your Network Setting:
1. Tap on the Settings App.
2. Tap on General from the Menu.
3. Click Transfer or Reset iPhone.
4. Click Reset Network Settings.
Contact Apple Support if these Solutions Don’t work out
These were all the tested solutions for solving the standard iMessage error. If the problem persists, you can reach out to Apple Support, and their support team will help you further solve this issue. If you want to send messages, you can use the regular SMS services instead of iMessage.
If you require further assistance related to the above solutions, you can always use the comments section below.
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