6 Best Ways to Fix Message Not Sent Error on Android

Does your Android device get an error message saying ‘Message not sent’ in the notification tray when sending SMS or multimedia messages? Check out the solutions in this guide to learn how to troubleshoot your phone or tablet that is causing this SMS related issue.

There are many reasons why this error might appear on your screen. And likewise, there are countless ways to solve it. Come on, let’s see.

1. Check SIM/Account Balance

All mobile operator networks have certain tariffs that they charge for their short message services (SMS). Check your account balance and make sure you have enough funds to cover the cost of SMS. Also, keep in mind that SMS rates are charged per message segment and sometimes by the number of characters. So if you’re trying to send a long text that exceeds your mobile carrier’s single message character limit, make sure you have enough money in your carrier account to cover the cost of the entire SMS.

If you’re on a private/private SMS plan, make sure the plan is active so it hasn’t been canceled or expired. An outage or service interruption at your carrier’s end can also cause a “Message not sent” error on your Android device. If you have enough funds in your account, try the other solutions listed below. And if the error persists, you should also contact your mobile operator.

2. Enable Airplane Mode

A glitch in the cellular connection on your Android device can prevent messages from going to the recipient(s). Enabling Airplane mode and turning it off after a few seconds will refresh your mobile networks and fix connection-related issues causing the ‘Messages not sent’ error.

Switch to Airplane mode from the notification panel or go to Settings > Network & Internet > Advanced and switch to Airplane Mode. Wait about 5-10 seconds and turn it off again.

3. Force Stop Messages

Like any other Android app, it’s normal for Messages to crash from time to time or become unresponsive to certain commands. When this happens with Messages (or other apps on your device), force-stopping the app is a quick and easy fix that will return its functionality to normal.

Follow the steps below to force stop Messages on your Android device.

Stage 1: Launch the Settings menu and select ‘Apps & notifications’.

Step 2: Select App info or All Apps—this option depends on your phone brand and operating system.

Stage 3: Scroll through the list of apps and select Messages.

Step 4: Next, tap the Force Stop icon and select OK at the confirmation prompt.

4. Clear Messages App Cache

The Messages app can also malfunction if there are corrupt files in the cache directory. Clear the app cache, resend the message and check if it goes away. Close the Messages app and follow the steps below.

Stage 1: Long press the Messages icon on the home screen or the app tray and tap the attached (i) icon in the context menu to reveal the Messages app info menu.

Step 2: Select ‘Storage and cache’.

Stage 3: Finally, tap on the Clear cache icon to clear the cache of the Messages app.

5. Check SMS Permission

You also want to check if Messages or your default messaging app has permission to send and receive SMS and MMS messages on your Android device. While this permission is always enabled by default in the official Messages app (by Google) that comes with your Android device, you may need to manually grant this permission to third-party SMS apps.

Follow the steps below to check if the affected Messages app has SMS permissions.

Stage 1: Launch the Settings menu and select Privacy.

Step 2: Select Permission manager.

Stage 3: Scroll through the list of permissions and select SMS.

Step 4: Check if the Messages app is in the Allowed section.

If Messages (or your third-party messaging app) is not in the Allowed or Denied section, follow the steps below to grant SMS permission to the app.

Stage 1: Long press the Messages icon on the home screen or the app tray and tap the attached (i) icon in the context menu.

Step 2: On the Messages app info page, select Permission.

Stage 3: Select SMS.

Step 4: Make sure the SMS Access for the app is set to Allow.

Other Troubleshooting Checks

If the error persists after trying all the solutions listed above, check if the recipient’s phone number is correct. If the message content includes a multimedia attachment (images, videos, GIFs, etc.), make sure your phone’s cellular data is enabled. This is because multimedia messages (MMS) require cellular data, not Wi-Fi. Some mobile operators even require you to have a special MMS plan before you can send multimedia messages. So check with your network provider to be sure. Finally, restarting your phone can also help eliminate this error.

Next: Not getting sound notifications for your text messages on Android? Samsung, Google, OnePlus etc. Read the linked article below to learn how to fix message notification sound not working on devices.