14 Common Reasons Why Someone Isn't Getting Your Texts

Troubleshooting texts that fail to send

Co-authored by Bryzz Tortello and Luke Smith, MFA

Last Updated: August 20, 2024 Fact Checked

You’ve just fired off that text, but something’s not quite right. They haven’t answered, or there’s a funny little “!” icon next to your message. You seem to be able to text other people, so why aren’t your messages getting through to them? There’s a number of possible explanations, and we’ll lay out the 14 most common reasons your message isn’t getting through to that 1 certain person.

Things You Should Know

They may have blocked your number, or your message was marked as spam. Call the person instead; if you can’t reach them, you may be blocked.
They may be roaming, outside of service range, or have airplane mode on. In any of these cases, they don’t currently have cell service.
Use an alternate method to reach them, like a phone call or email. Or, use a WiFi messaging app like WhatsApp or Signal to sidestep service issues.

1

Your number is blocked.

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Call their voicemail to check if you’re blocked. This is one of the most common reasons. Check to see if you’re blocked by giving them a call. If it goes to voicemail, they haven’t blocked you. If you call them multiple times, at different times of day, and it comes back with an automated message that says they’re unavailable, the odds are that your number was blocked.
- Also try texting someone else. It’s not a foolproof way to check, but if that text goes through, you know that the problem isn’t on your end.

2

They don’t have service.

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While most service providers cover most areas, there are still some cell signal blind spots. If the person you’re texting doesn’t have a signal, they’ll need to text over WiFi.^{[1]
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Research source} Or, text each other over a third-party messaging app that uses WiFi, like WhatsApp or Signal.

3

Their phone is off.

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Maybe they’re taking a quick screen break, or maybe their battery died and they’re not near a charger. Whatever the reason, there’s not a whole lot you can do in this case except wait. To be safe, send a follow-up text just to be sure, or have someone else try to reach them to see if they have access to their phone.

4

Their iPhone is messing with your Android’s texts.

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Ask your recipient to turn off iMessage if they have an iPhone. Sometimes iMessage, Apple’s messaging app, doesn’t play nicely with texts from Android users. Have them go to their settings, then the “Messages” menu, and toggle iMessages to “off.”^{[2]
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Research source} Then, send them another text to see if that fixed the issue.
- They may need to restart their phone before the change takes effect.

5

Your message was marked as spam.

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Ask them to check their filtered numbers to see if you’ve been marked as spam. Spam messages abound, and many people flag any suspicious messages when they receive them in order to block that number.^{[3]
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Trustworthy Source

Federal Trade Commission
Website with up-to-date information for consumers from the Federal Trade Commisson

Go to source} Your number may have been caught in the crossfire, or their carrier might have erroneously marked it using an automatic filter.
- Next time you see them, have them check their filtered numbers to see if they accidentally marked yours. Or, ask a mutual friend to text them to explain the issue.
- Certain characters also trigger some spam filters, especially strange emojis that aren’t already in your phone’s keyboard.

6

Your message has illegal content.

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Review your message for blocked illicit content prohibited in your country. Some countries require cell carriers to automatically block messages that break laws. These can include drug mentions, threats of violence, messages that trigger fraud filters, and other criminal activity conducted via text.^{[4]
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Trustworthy Source

Official UK government website
Official website for the public sector of the UK government

Go to source}
- Make sure you’re not using illicit key words, like the names of drugs or anything that might refer to crimes like smuggling or trafficking.
- If your texts are being filtered erroneously, use an encrypted messaging service like Signal to chat with your friend.

7

They haven’t paid their phone bill.

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Many service providers suspend a user’s calling and texting if the user hasn’t paid their monthly bill.^{[5]
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Research source} Ask a friend to try texting them, too, to see if this might be the case. If it is, you’ll have to contact them another way, like via email, or wait until their service is unsuspended.

8

Their phone is on Do Not Disturb.

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Wait for them to turn off Do Not Disturb, then text them again. Your phone’s Do Not Disturb (DND) function silences most notifications. If your recipient has this function enabled, they won’t see your texts unless they manually check them, or unless they’ve approved your contact on their filtered DND list.^{[6]
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Research source}
- Airplane Mode works similarly, but also turns off cell service, meaning they won’t get your text until they turn off the function.

9

Their carrier is having technical issues.

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Text them again in a couple hours when their service is back online. Outages happen every now and then, and when they do, you won’t be able to reach your friend over cell service.^{[7]
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Research source} Use a site like DownDetector to see if their carrier is having issues.
- In the meantime, wait 1-2 hours, then try to send your message again. Or, use a WiFi messaging app like Signal.

10

You texted the wrong number.

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Check that you input the correct number in the address bar. Getting the wrong number is a snafu that dates back to before texting was even a thing. Maybe they misspoke when dishing their contact info, or maybe your finger slipped while putting it into your phone. Next time you see them, clarify the number to make sure you have it right.^{[8]
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Research source}
- This also happens when someone has a new number, or their old number was disconnected. Time to update their contact in your phone.

11

You texted a landline.

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Make sure you’re texting a phone that can receive texts. Sure, it might sound silly, but it happens: someone gives out their old landline number rather than their cell phone. While some landlines can convert texts to spoken messages, others just don’t know what to do with an SMS, and your recipient won’t ever get that text.
- Give the number a ring, and leave a voice message instead of a text.

12

They’re abroad or roaming.

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Make sure your recipient isn’t out of the country where they can’t get texts. In this day and age, most major carriers allow international calls and texts (sometimes in exchange for higher bills). But a few have been slow to keep up, and may not allow for or be capable of delivering texts across international borders.^{[9]
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Research source}
- Either wait until your recipient is back on home soil, or download WhatsApp to text them via WiFi.
- In addition, your sender ID may not be compatible with their country’s phone network. Email them or use WhatsApp or Signal instead.

13

You’ve sent too many messages.

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Send only a few messages per minute to avoid spam filters. Many carriers automatically blacklist numbers that send rapidfire texts in an effort to cut down on spam.^{[10]
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Research source} Avoid firing off more than 2-3 messages per minute to avoid getting the hammer from your recipient’s cell service.
- Usually, sending a flood of messages is alright if you do it just once or twice—excited convos are par for the course—but try not to do it consistently.
- In addition, some countries prohibit repeated texts during certain times of day to prevent spam. Text them back in a couple hours.

14

Their phone’s storage is full.

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Some older phones store messages on the phone itself, and have limited storage space to do so. If the person you’re texting has full storage, they won’t be able to receive new messages until they free up some space by deleting old messages, apps, photos, or other files, first.^{[11]
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Research source}