Quickly Fix “iMessage Needs to be Enabled to Send this Message” Error

In many ways, iMessage is a gift from Apple that helps us connect with our loved ones from thousands of miles away. It is a convenient texting platform that lets you connect with your friends, family, colleagues, and other acquaintances effortlessly.

But sometimes, you might encounter an unknown glitch. Has it ever happened that when you are about to send a text on iMessage, you receive a pop-up error saying, “Cannot send message, iMessage needs to be enabled to send this message”?

If yes, then do stick with us until the end of the article to find a solution for this problem.

Read Also: How to Change iMessage Text Bubble Color on iPhone & iPad?

Steps to Fix the Error: iMessage Needs to be Enabled to Send this Message

Tired of receiving a message like, “iMessage needs to be enabled to send this message” when you are trying to have a nice conversation with someone?

Don’t worry, we’ve come up with some tested solutions that will get rid of this problem once and for all.

1. Check if iMessage is Enabled

This problem could arise as a result of one basic reason –iMessage needs to be enabled before you send a text.

Here’s a guide on how to enable iMessage –

1. On iMessage, go to Settings, scroll for a while, and then tap on Messages.
2. Ensure that the toggle for the iMessage icon is green. Check that there is no message.

If you’re sure that iMessage is enabled, you’ll need to follow the other steps. If not, try enabling it and then sending your messages.

2. Enable and Disable the Airplane Mode

This is a pretty simple fix that works for many telecommunication problems.

To turn on the Airplane mode, simply swipe down from the top of your phone’s screen and click on the airplane-shaped icon. Alternatively, you can turn it on from the Control Center as well.

Wait for 30 seconds and then disable the airplane mode. Check if your messages are being sent now.

3. Force Quit the App

If your messages are still not being sent, then you need to force-quit your Messages application.

To do this, simply enter the App Switcher on your iPhone. Do this by double pressing your Home button. You will a list of all the active running applications. You can close your iPhone’s Messaging app by dragging it up.

Now, wait for 15 seconds before you try sending a text.

4. Check if iMessage’s Servers are Down

On some occasions, the issue might not be from your end, but Apple’s. To ensure, check the server status of Apple. You can do so by going on their System Status Page and making sure that there is a green dot (online status) next to iMessage.

If you see either a yellow or red dot then it means that iMessage is down and that it’ll take some while before Apple fixes the issue.

In this case, you need not worry and wait for Apple to sort things out.

5. Restart your Phone

This quick solution is a simple fix for many smartphone-related problems.

Simply switch off your iPhone for a minute, and then switch it on. Check if your issues are fixed. If not, follow the subsequent methods.

6. Disable and Enable iMessage from Settings

Sometimes, your iPhone may display, “Cannot send messages, iMessage needs to be enabled” even if your iMessage is enabled.

In such cases, you’ll need to follow these steps:

1. Open Settings on iMessage and then scroll down to tap on Messages.
2. Locate iMessage and toggle it off.
3. Restart your iPhone.
4. Now go back to Settings and toggle iMessage on again.

7. Delete Unsent or Stuck Conversations

Sometimes, deleting your stuck messages can do the trick when such an issue arises. It might clear the pathway for iMessage to send your new messages.

1. Open the Messages application on your iPhone.
2. Go to Conversations.
3. Locate the unsent or stuck messages, long-press them, and then delete them.

After doing this, try sending fresh messages to see if it works.

8. Sign Out from your Apple Account and then Sign in

If the above solutions don’t work, try the following:

1. Go to your iPhone Settings and tap on your name located at the top.
2. Scroll to the bottom of the next screen and tap on Sign Out.
3. Once you’ve signed out, restart your phone.
4. Repeat the first step to Sign in to the account once again.

Afterward, send a message on iMessage and see if it works.

9. Revert Network Settings to Default

Sometimes, iMessage stops functioning normally because of some network issues. To fix that, try switching Network Settings back to default through the following steps:

1. Go to your iPhone Settings and tap on General.
2. Scroll down to the bottom and tap on Reset.
3. Find and tap on Reset Networks Settings.

Try and see if this fixed your issue. If not you can even try the Reset All Settings command just to make sure. This won’t affect your existing data, except you’ll lose the settings that you have changed like Wi-Fi information, Bluetooth, Notifications, and so on.

10. Contact Support

Unfortunately, we’ve hit the end of the road. If none of the above fixes work for you, you’ll need to contact Apple’s support staff and narrate your woes to them.

In the meantime, you can use the normal SMS instead of iMessage while Apple fixes your issues.

Final Thoughts

In this article, we talked about the multiple reasons that could be preventing your iMessage from sending your texts successfully. If none of our solutions work for you, chances are that you must be facing an external issue. To sort that out, you’ll have to contact Apple’s support team.