cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Green Text Messages Not Sending - iPhone 7

alocke
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

Green text messages aren't sending to some of my contacts... Why would that be? In my settings I have enabled SMS, restarted phone etc. iMessages are sending no problem.

Thanks - Adam 

21 REPLIES 21

alocke
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

Thanks @CalgaryBen ! It actually worked - I'm stoked!!!

 

So ya like you mentioned I dissociated the phone # with the contact, deleted the message thread, and by starting a new message I didn't get any errors.

 

 

CalgaryBen
Deputy Mayor / Adjoint au Maire

@alocke wrote:

Update 2.  Still not working.

Like I mentioned before I'm having issues sending only to people in my contacts with Android phones - I can call people with Android phones but cannot text them.  I really don't why, it's frustrating...I wish it was as easy as, 'resend as text message' - I still get the exclamation mark stating, ' not delivered' even when I have sent as text message.


Not sure if you saw my previous post, but did you try installing a VOIP/SMS app like TextNow or TextFree, and message yourself through that for troubleshooting (or even as a workaround)?  That would shed some light.

 

Please provide feedback on the following questions:

  • Did SMS work with these users/contacts previously, and then stop?  Did they all abruptly stop, or gradually?
  • Can these contacts successfully SMS you?
  • Is it all Android contacts, or just some?
  • Does this only apply to recipients in your contacts list, or also with new recipients (not in your contacts list)?

I would try this:

  1. Go to your Contacts list, and dissociate the phone number from the contact (i.e. Edit the contact, then Delete their number).
  2. Go to your messages, and delete the conversation thread with this contact (sorry!)
  3. Create a new message, entering the contact's phone number as the recipient. If it replaces the number with the contact's name, then double-tap the Home button and flick away (close) the message app (to clear the memory of your contacts).  Re-launch the message app again, and enter the contact's phone number as the recipient (it should not replace the numbers with a name).
  4. Type your test message and send, and see if it is sent.  If so, then add the number back to your original contact, and re-test.

I suspect something wonky happens with the Contacts database, and perhaps the number you see isn't the number that it has behind the UI.  But, that's just a theory, based on limited information.

 

Good luck!


e@geopublic wrote:

@alocke  What happens if you turn iMessage off, restart your phone and then try sending the message to your Android friends? Check you Public Mobile usage history to determine if the text went out.

 

To turn off iMessage:

  • Tap Settings, then scroll down and tap Messages.
  • At the very top of the next screen, you’ll see an “iMessage” setting with the switched turned on. Go ahead and flick the switch off.

 

Since an iPhone with iMessage turned on, cannot iMessage to an android the text would go in a green bubble. Problem is iPhone to iPhone using a phone number with one iPhone with data/internet on and the other is not. 


 

@alocke  What happens if you turn iMessage off, restart your phone and then try sending the message to your Android friends? Check you Public Mobile usage history to determine if the text went out.

 

To turn off iMessage:

  • Tap Settings, then scroll down and tap Messages.
  • At the very top of the next screen, you’ll see an “iMessage” setting with the switched turned on. Go ahead and flick the switch off.

 

alocke
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

Update 2.  Still not working.  I appreciate all the support.  I understand the option to send with a green-blue bubble that everyone is stating to do but that does not work for me.  Like I mentioned before I'm having issues sending only to people in my contacts with Android phones - I can call people with Android phones but cannot text them.  I really don't why, it's frustrating...I wish it was as easy as, 'resend as text message' - I still get the exclamation mark stating, ' not delivered' even when I have sent as text message.

 

Any other leads community... 

Thanks again, Adam 

alocke
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

 I have tried all the methods other than last few that require you to do a reinstall, i'd rather avoid that.  Thanks for the forum though.  I'm still stuck on this issue.


@RossN wrote:

@LurganIeUk wrote:

@RossN wrote:

@alocke hi you just press on the text until send as a text appears then press it 


I set up a text. All blue and held down the arrow button and got a bunch of bubble options etc. 


@LurganIeUk hi if you set up a text/message and are sending it to an iphone what you are describing is what will happen but if you try to send that text to an android device with the settings the op is describing then you must press on the message to get the "send as a text" option to appear 😁


NOPE!!! I do nothing special to send to an android. 


@LurganIeUk wrote:

@RossN wrote:

@alocke hi you just press on the text until send as a text appears then press it 


I set up a text. All blue and held down the arrow button and got a bunch of bubble options etc. 


@LurganIeUk hi if you set up a text/message and are sending it to an iphone what you are describing is what will happen but if you try to send that text to an android device with the settings the op is describing then you must press on the message to get the "send as a text" option to appear 😁


@alocke wrote:

I understand the green/blue bubble difference but the problem still persists.  


All I can say is Apple iPhones Text/iMessage wise is a bit hokey. I never had data until I came to PM about 9 months ago. I have MMS, SMS, and iMessage all turned ON and that is the way it is going to stay. It appears to me Apple is promoting the use of Wi-Fi or Data to use iMessage, which I imagine all the carriers are quite happy about that. And there is NO WAY I am going to have "in the house settings" and "out of the house settings" to fumble with. So leaving the settings as is I have no problems with to/from texts to a NON Apple product and with when I am not on Wi-Fi or Data while I am out, my outbound text to an Apple product works...but I never see a reply on my iPhone (but my iPad sitting on the coffee table does) unless I am on Wi-Fi or Data. This is something that Apple needs to fix for the consumer. 

My temporary resolution is to know where free Wi-Fi is and to occasionally turn my Data on and then back off. 

@alocke 

Maybe turn off iMessage to see whether that solves your issue.  

 

CalgaryBen is PM's resident apple expert, so you could follow up with his earlier post. 

fujiyama
Deputy Mayor / Adjoint au Maire

@alocke have you tried following the guide in this link from my previous post?

 

Also read this thread, quite a few possible solutions posted there. Scroll to the bottom and click on "Read all replies >"

alocke
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

I understand the green/blue bubble difference but the problem still persists.  

alocke
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

Update on this issue...

 

Messages sent to iPhone recipients either green or blue work no problem.  The issue I've came to realize are messages sent to recipients without iPhones.  Any experience on this one? Thanks! Adam 


@alocke wrote:

Messages sent to iPhone recipients either green or blue work no problem.  The issue I've came to realize are messages sent to recipients without iPhones.  Any experience on this one? Thanks! Adam 


No, and keep in mind all text messages to NON iPhones should be green bubble and phone number only. 

alocke
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

Messages sent to iPhone recipients either green or blue work no problem.  The issue I've came to realize are messages sent to recipients without iPhones.  Any experience on this one? Thanks! Adam 

CalgaryBen
Deputy Mayor / Adjoint au Maire

@alocke wrote:

Green text messages aren't sending to some of my contacts... Why would that be? In my settings I have enabled SMS, restarted phone etc. iMessages are sending no problem. 


Unfortunately your question raises more questions to properly resolve this, but consider these:

  • What is your evidence that they aren't sending -- is it the red (!) with "Not Delivered", or do recipients inform you they didn't receive (while things look fine on your end)?  If you see the red (!), tap on it and see if "Try Again" works.
  • Are you seeing issues with SMS-only messages, or do these include MMS (picture/video) messages?
  • In your Self-Serve portal, under "Plan and Add-Ons" --> "Usage History", do you see a record of your outgoing message to the intended recipient?  If so, then I'd say everything on your phone and PM's side is good, and the problem is with the receipient.
  • Is this intermittent, or consistent with specific receipients?  Have you had success texting these people in the past?  Is it possible that the recipient's carrier isn't delivering message to them, or they've got some setting on their phone that's blocking?
  • There are a lot of free VOIP/SMS apps out there that are good for testing -- for example TextNow or TextFree.  Get one or two of those, and use them for testing SMS to/from your iPhone for troubleshooting.  That might provide some insight into what's working and what's not.

Hope that helps or gets you on the right track.  If you provide responses to some of the above, we can narrow down the issue further.


@RossN wrote:

@alocke hi you just press on the text until send as a text appears then press it 


I set up a text. All blue and held down the arrow button and got a bunch of bubble options etc. 

fujiyama
Deputy Mayor / Adjoint au Maire

Follow this guide and see if any of the steps work for you.


@AE_Collector wrote:

Ahh yes, my daughters always said “but Apple is SO user friendly”! I battle with Apple stuff start to finish. Are the iMessages that DO send all going to people who use an apple product? 

 

AE_Collector


OP is talking about green bubble messages. iMessage are blue bubble.  I too admit to send/receive a text to/from another Apple device requires my phone to be on Data or Internet to allow iMessage to work. That sucks to have to remember to turn on Data when out. My daughter says her phone will switch automatically and works fine....but I doubt if she knows the difference between Data and Internet and quite likely she has her Data on all the time. Of which I think an iPhone (with Data on) with a strong internet signal will "switch" from Data to internet automatically. Texting for me only seems to work in the green bubble if the other user is NON Apple. 

RossN
Mayor / Maire

@alocke hi you just press on the text until send as a text appears then press it 

AE_Collector
Mayor / Maire

Ahh yes, my daughters always said “but Apple is SO user friendly”! I battle with Apple stuff start to finish. Are the iMessages that DO send all going to people who use an apple product? 

 

AE_Collector

Need Help? Let's chat.