NewsiMessage is a convenient feature to share texts, stickers, and some media files with your family and friends. However, sometimes when you send a text, a pop-up window may appear saying “iMessage needs to be enabled to send this message”. Don’t worry, this post from NewsPivot can help you get out of it.
6 Fixes for “iMessage Needs to Be Enabled to Send This Message”
After updating iOS, you are probably unable to send messages on iPhone via iMessage. There are 6 effective methods mentioned below, just read and try them out.
Restart Your iPhone
A minor bug can hinder the normal function of iMessage and cause the “iMessage needs to be enabled to send this message” problem. All you need to do is to perform a simple restart, that can quickly solve most of the issues.
To restart your iPhone, press and hold any volume key along with the power button until the “Slide to Power Off” prompts on the screen. Slide the power icon to the right, wait for a moment, and hold the power button to turn your iPhone on.
Related post: What Does Sent as SMS via Server Mean on Android and Turn it Off
Make Sure iMessage Is Enabled
After restarting the iPhone and it’s not working, you can fix the “iMessage needs to be enabled to send this message” issue by enabling iMessage. Do you know how to enable iMessage? Just keep on reading.
Open Settings > Messages > make sure the toggle of iMessage is on. If it is off, just turn it on. If it’s on, you can toggle it off to disable iMessage first, next turn it on again and wait for a moment until it activates.
Besides, you can go to Messages > scroll down to enable Send as SMS. When you want to send a message and iMessage is unavailable, try sending it via SMS instead of iMessage.
Check iMessage Server Status
Another reason why you are unable to send messages on iPhone is that the iMessage server stops functioning. You can go to Apple System Status to check whether iMessage Server is available. If you see a green dot next to iMessage, it is available; When the dot is yellow or red, iMessage is off, and Apple is working to implement the fix. It may take a few minutes to a few hours for everything to return to normal.
Check & Reset Network Connection
Sometimes, the iMessage is enabled but not working problem will happen due to poor cellular signals or an unstable Wi-Fi connection. Thus, all you need to do is to check your network connection. To do this, follow the steps below:
Step 1: Check your SIM card is activated and unlocked.
Step 2: Go to Settings > Cellular > make sure that Cellular Data is on for a network connection.
If you want to check your Wi-Fi connection, try to open Safari on the iPhone and browse a webpage to see whether it loads normally. If yes, your Wi-Fi connection is working well. If not, follow these instructions to reset the network connection:
Step 1: Open Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone.
Step 2: Tap on Reset > Reset Network Settings > enter your screen passcode.
Step 3: Select Reset Network Settings again to confirm.
Related post: Fix the “iPhone Connected to Wi-Fi but No Internet” Problem.
Reset iMessage Settings
If iMessage is enabled but not working, you can manage to reset iMessage settings. Follow the easy steps below to reset iMessage settings.
Step 1: Launch Settings on iPhone > tap on Messages > Send & Receive.
Step 2: Uncheck the email address and phone number.
Step 3: Tap your Apple ID and choose Sign Out.
Step 4: Restart your iPhone, go to Settings to enable iMessage and sign in to your Apple ID again.
Sign out and Sign in to Apple ID
If the above methods aren’t useful, try re-signing in to your Apple ID on the device. It can resolve any underlying issue associated with the sending error of iMessages.
Step 1: Go to Settings and tap your name at the top.
Step 2: Scroll to the bottom and tap on Sign Out.
Step 3: Restart your iPhone and sign in to your Apple ID.
After finishing all the steps, head to iMessage to see whether you are unable to send messages on iPhone.
If you don’t have an Apple ID, try to create one. Read this post: How to Create a New Apple ID on iPhone/iPad/Mac.
Bottom Line
In conclusion, this post is all about how to solve the problem when you are unable to send messages on iPhone. When you get the “iMessage needs to be enabled to send this message” error, try these solutions and you can easily fix it.