iMessage Needs to be Enabled to Send This Message

If you are an iPhone user and recently updated your phone, you might be facing an issue where you cannot send iMessage, and a notification saying iMessage needs to be enabled to send this message pops up. Well, the iPhone still needs to address this issue. So in this article, we will tell you about some simple ways to resolve this problem immediately. Let’s get started.

Table of Contents

Top 7 Ways to Fix iMessage Needs to be Enabled to Send This Message

In this section, we are going to introduce you to 7 easy peasy ways to resolve the issue of messages not working on iPhone.

1. Reboot Your iPhone

First of all, you should try to reboot your iPhone. Restarting your device solves half of the problem. In order to reboot your device, follow the step-by-step procedure given below.

Hold the Power button for some 4 to 5 seconds.
A slider will open, asking you if you want to shut down your device. Shut down your phone through that slider.
Wait for around 1 to 2 minutes.
Now press the Power button again for 4 to 5 seconds and your phone will restart.

2. Check the Server of the iPhone

If restarting your phone did not work then there might be some issue with the iMessage server. Check the iMessage server if it is working or not, and to do so, you will have to follow the procedure given below.

Go to Google and type Apple System Status.
A System Status page will open, find the iMessage dot, and see if it is green or not.
If that dot is green, then there is no issue with the server.

3. Reset Your Network Settings

Resetting your network settings work with many issues like Guided Access not working, iMessage problems & more. Follow the steps below for guidance.

Click on the Settings icon and then look for Messages.
See if the Messages toggle is off or on.
If it is on then turn the Messages toggle off.
No again click on the Settings icon and then click on the General tab.
Scroll down a bit and you will find a Reset option, click on it.
Now click on Reset Network Settings, if it asks for the passcode, enter the passcode.
Now again go to Settings and now turn on the Messages toggle.

4. Try to Disable and Enable iMessage

If there is some technical issue with your phone then you can also try to disable and then again enable iMessage on iPhone. This technique has worked for many iPhone users.

First of all, click on the Settings icon and now tap on Messages.
Look for the iMessage toggle, and see if it is on or off.
If it is on, then turn it off once and then turn it on again.
Now try to send the message again.

5. Turn on the Factory Settings

Are you still facing the issue of messages not working on iPhone? If yes, then you might need to set your phone to factory settings. This will turn off your iMessages and you will be sending all the messages as SMS and not iMessage.

But this will delete all your phone’s data, be it photos, videos, messages, contacts, and basically everything that your phone has. So keep this as a last option and make sure that you take a backup of your device before turning your phone to factory mode. To turn on the factory settings, you will need to follow the procedures given below.

Click on the Settings icon and then tap on General.
Now scroll a bit and you will find the Reset option.
Click on the Reset tab and then click on Erase All Content and Settings.
Now it will ask for your passcode, enter your passcode for confirming the action.

6. Try Using SMS Instead of iMessage

In case all the other functions of your phone are working correctly then there might be some issue with the iMessage only. To fix this, you can use SMS instead of iMessage until iPhone resolves this issue. In order to turn off iMessages and use SMS instead, you can follow the steps given below.

Click on the Settings icon on your phone.
Now go on Messages and turn on Send as SMS as well as iMessages.
After this, you will again need to go to Settings and now look for Cellular.
Click on Cellular and then turn off Cellular Data.
Now go to Settings again and Turn off the Wi-Fi.
Go to the Messages application and try to send the text again.
If the message box is blue then it is going as an iMessage. Click on the message and hold it for 2 to 3 seconds until a notification saying “Send as Text Message” shows up.
Click on the pop-up and as soon as you do this, the message box will turn green. You can send 2 to 3 messages repeatedly to check if all the messages are going as SMS only.

The only issue with this resolution is that you will have to repeat these steps for every contact, which can be a bit lengthy.

7. Delete the Unsent Conversation or Message

If none of the above things worked for iMessage needs to be enabled to send this message, then you can try to delete the unsent messages and then send a new text. Follow the steps given below to do the same.

Click on the Settings icon on your phone.
Now go to the Messages option and turn iMessage off.
Now delete the unsent messages and then send new messages.
If this did not work for you then you can also delete the whole conversation and then start a new conversation with the same contact. This will definitely resolve the issue.

Final Say: iMessage Needs to be Enabled to Send This Message

We are sure that one of the above solutions will definitely resolve the issue of iMessage needs to be enabled to send this message. But make sure that you keep the Factory Mode option as the last resort. Because this will delete all your phone’s data. If you need to set your phone to factory mode then take a backup of your device first and then turn on the factory settings.

FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Why is my iPhone not sending text messages?

There can be many reasons why messages not working on iPhones. The issue can be with the iMessage server as well as your mobile network. Go to Apple System Status and check if the iMessage server is working or not.

If the iMessage server is working then the issue can be with your phone or network. You can try all the fixes that we have discussed above to solve this issue. One or the other will definitely work for your phone.

Q2. How to Enable iMessage?

In order to enable iMessage on iPhone, first of all, you will need to go to the Settings option. Click on Settings and then go to Messages. Now turn the iMessage toggle on and this will enable iMessage on your iPhone.