Fix iMessage error not working on Mac, iPhone or iPad

When you send a message from the iPhone, some messages appear in blue, while others are green. Blue messages use iMessage, Apple's proprietary messaging service, and green messages are standard SMS / MMS messages. If you turn off iMessage, all messages will be sent as standard messages and displayed in green.

What if you don't turn off iMessage, but all messages display green? This is a problem and not easy to find out what problems iMessage is having.

iMessage does not work? Make sure you are really having problems!

You should check carefully to determine that you are really having problems. Are you sure iMessage doesn't work with everyone or just has a problem with a single contact?

If you have trouble with iMessage when sending a message to a single contact, the problem may be on that person. On the other hand, if iMessage does not work with any contact and you know that they are still using iMessage, the problem may occur with your device.

Send one (or two) test messages

Try sending a message to a friend or family member who is using iMessage. If iMessage doesn't work with them, try contacting someone else you know who also uses iMessage. This will help you determine whether the problem has occurred on your device.

In case you don't have many contacts to check (for example, most of your friends use Android), but there are many devices that have iMessage available, try sending messages with each of them. In this way, you can determine whether iMessage works normally on a Mac or iPhone.

If iMessage is active but your message is not sent, this is a completely different issue. Refer to the article: iMessage does not receive, send messages, this is a fix for more details.

How to fix an inactive iMessage error

Make sure iMessage is configured correctly

Although iMessage is enabled, you may not activate it for a specific contact. It's easy to check this out. On the iPhone or iPad, open Settings and scroll down to the Messages section . Make sure the iMessage slider is turned on here. Then, find and click Send & Receive .

Here, you will see phone numbers and email addresses that can be linked to iMessage. Make sure all the numbers and email addresses you want to use are activated.

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On a Mac, open the Messages application . In the Messages menu in the upper left corner of the screen, select Preferences, then go to the iMessage tab . Ensure that any number or email address you want to use with iMessage is enabled here.

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If you have problems on multiple devices, repeat these steps on any device that is having problems.

Try restarting iMessage!

On a Mac, you may reboot at least once a week, but not on the iPhone or iPad. However, restarting the device with another step can solve problems with iMessage. You should turn off iMessage, reboot the device, then re-enable this feature.

On the iPhone or iPad, launch Settings, then scroll down to the Messages section . Turn off the iMessage status switch on the top of the screen. Restart the device, then activate iMessage with the same steps as above.

On your Mac, launch the Messages application and select Preferences in the apps menu in the upper left corner of the screen. Go to the iMessage tab and under Apple ID, uncheck Enable this account . Reboot the Mac, then turn on iMessage again.

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For greater certainty, you can do this for any device that uses iMessage.

Log out and log back in iMessage

This is a very simple method: Log out, then log in to iMessage again.

On the iPhone or iPad, open the Settings app and scroll down to the Messages section . Here, scroll down and click Send & Receive . In this menu, touch Apple ID at the top of the screen. In the pop-up dialog box, click Sign Out.

After logging out, click Use your Apple ID for iMessage . In the pop-up dialog box, Apple ID will display and ask if you want to log in with it. Click Sign In to log in with that ID.

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On a Mac, open the Messages application . Select the application menu in the upper left part of the screen and open Preferences, then select the iMessage tab .

In the upper right corner of this screen, click Sign Out, then click the button also labeled Sign Out. You immediately see the login screen, with the Apple ID email address entered. Please enter the password, then select Next.

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Reset the network settings

This is an iOS-only option and worth a try if iMessage still doesn't work after trying these fixes. Resetting your network settings is 'salvage' for some problems on your iPhone or iPad and can often fix problems related to iMessage.

Start Settings, then scroll down and select General. Here, scroll and select Reset at the bottom of the screen. Finally, click Reset Network Settings .

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Don't worry about losing any data! This will only reset the network settings. All applications and files on iPhone or iPad will not be affected. However, the phone will 'forget' saved WiFi networks, so you need to re-enter the password for them.

Other iMessage fixes are worth a try

There are a few other remedies you can try when iMessage is not working. If you don't get iMessages on a certain device, a simple tip is to try sending a message from that device. This is what some Mac and iOS users have tried and succeeded. It sounds strange, but it's worth a try.

Another fix is ​​to check for any macOS or iOS updates. Apple released updates to improve the device and fix bugs, but sometimes also caused new bugs. If this is the case you encounter, Apple may have released a new update with a fix.

Finally, if none of the above methods work, you can try contacting Apple support. Technicians can give you useful advice.

Hopefully, one of the above remedies will help your iMessages work again. If you have problems on multiple devices, you will need to repeat the troubleshooting step on each device.

Refer to more articles: Common iMessage errors and how to fix them to learn more about some other issues with iMessages.

Hope you are succesful.