SMSs are no longer the sole way of communicating with your friends, colleagues, or family members these days. They have been replaced by other choices such as WhatsApp and other instant messengers. However, there are times when the poor, humble SMS is your sole means to get through. What if you find your text messages are failing to send? Well, it can happen on any device and can be quite annoying. How about checking why are your text messages failing to send? Let us check out the reasons and fixes thereof.
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There can be several reasons that may prevent you from sending a text message to anyone. It can be due to an invalid number, a blocked number, network issues, issues with your phone, or problems with the destination phone. It is also possible that the SMS service has been deactivated by the recipient.
Why Are My Text Messages Failing to Send?
As you have already observed, there can be multiple reasons for not being able to send any text messages from your phone. This can happen with both Android and iPhone. It can also be due to the specific telecom service provider you may be using. Whatever the reason, you would need to go through a trial and error method to find out why your SMS message is not going through.
1. You may be using an invalid phone number
It can simply be a data error. You might have entered a wrong or invalid number and tried to send a text message. Since the phone or the network does not recognize the number, you will get a notification to indicate that the text message failed to send.
An invalid number is not only limited to entering a wrong number, but it can also be the case when you are trying to send a text message to a landline number. Even if the mobile number may be correct, it might have been discontinued and is no longer in service..
Eventually, if the number is wrong, the text message will fail to send.
2. The number format is not proper
The number that you are trying to send a text message should be formatted correctly. If it is wrongly formatted, you are most likely to end up with the message failing to send. If you are sending a text message to a phone number located in another country, you need to make sure that the number contains the country code.
In most cases, dropping the leading zero can leave a phone unable to send a text message. It is always important to follow the formatting in your region and the one that you are sending the text message to.
3. Filter applied by the carriers
Some carriers opt for SMS filtering to save their subscribers from unwanted messages. Typically, you would find the carriers filtering the A2P and P2P messages.
P2P messages refer to the text messages sent between two individuals. These messages will be delivered without any hassles. A2P messages are those that are messages that are sent from mass texting messages to individuals. Some carriers decide to filter these messages in an attempt to prevent spam.
4. Roaming issues
Some mobile networks restrict some services when roaming. However most of the telecom services allow all the services when roaming, but there are some telecom service providers who do not allow certain services when you are roaming.
When you are roaming and connecting to a different network, you may be levied additional charges or roaming restrictions on your SMS messages. The restrictions would largely be based on the mobile network that you are on or the plan that you have subscribed to.
5. Blocked numbers
It is also possible that the subscriber that you are trying to communicate has blocked your number. The person on the other end might have blocked you intentionally or by error. But it can further strain the relationship.
This can quite commonly happen with people who may not be tech-savvy. They might have blocked your phone number by error. The only way in this circumstance is to ask the person concerned politely if they have blocked your number.
6. Incorrect encoding of messages
SMS or text messages come with a specific need for encoding. If you find your text message failed to send on Android, it is possible that the message does not have a proper encoding. Recheck your message and ensure that it complies with the technical requirements.
The format for sending your text messages can differ from device to device. A couple of examples include Unicode, which contains 70 characters, and GSM 3.38 – which allows for 160 characters.
7. Congestion in the network
Network congestion can be yet another common reason that can affect the proper delivery of your text messages. You would find the issues with any network or operating system during peak hours. If you are facing the problems of text messages failed to send on iPhone and Android in a location at the same time, it may indicate that your network is facing congestion issues.
If that is the case, you do not have any other option than simply waiting it out. This is quite common during the festive season such as Christmas, New Year, and many other peak seasons.
8. You may be sending too many messages
If you are sending too many messages, your number may end up being marked as spam. The service provider of the recipient’s phone number may choose to block any further messages being sent from your number. There are guidelines in place that decide how many messages can be sent from one number.
Sending too many messages may mark your number as indulging in SMS blasts. P2P numbers are typically allowed to send only one message per second. Exceeding the limit can make your number get added to the spam filter.
Why Would A Text Message Fail To Send To One Person?
If you are able to send your text messages to everyone else, but they fail to send only to one person, the highest probability is that the person has blocked you. It may also be possible that your number has been marked as spam.
It so happens that the receiver inadvertently confused your text message with a spam message and marked it so. Most modern smartphones today and the network service providers stop receiving messages from this number in the future. It may also happen that they are delivered but go to some other folder – largely remaining unseen. A good example here can be an email ending up in the spam folder even when it is genuine.
Conclusion
If you are annoyed with the issues of text messages failing to send, you need to understand that this can happen due to a multitude of reasons. A few of the reasons that we have outlined in the above discussion should ideally help you understand the issues and fix the problem right away.
Make sure that you are using the right messaging services to help you send messages without any hassles. If they continue to fail, getting in touch with your service provider or opting for a reliable third-party SMS service can be quite practical and helpful.
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