Message Blocking Is Active: What It Means and How to Fix It?

Some iPhone users report that they receive the error message “Free Msg: Unable to send message – Message Blocking is active” on their phone when they send a message to their friends, colleagues, family, or other people. The following is a user report and an example:

When I try to send text messages to my son and/or his wife, I immediately receive the message that Message Blocking is active. I don't know how to undo it. Please, help.https://community.t-mobile.com/apple-8/message-blocking-activated-but-i-can-t-undo-it-39158

If you received the error message “Free Msg: Unable to send message – Message Blocking is active” on your iPhone, you don’t need to worry. This post of NewsPivot will analyze the possible causes of the error and show how to fix it. Also, the similar solutions for Android users are listed here.

What Causes the “Message Blocking Is Active” Error?

After searching for this error on the Internet, I find that these reasons can mainly trigger the error:

• You have put the number in your phone’s block list.
• The carrier you use for your service may be experiencing some sort of problem, such as a service outage.
• You are using a specific plan on your carrier or sim.

How to Fix the “Message Blocking Is Active” Error?

How to fix the “Message Blocking is active” error? In this section, I summarize several practical solutions to help you get rid of this error. You can try them one by one until the error gets fixed.

Sometimes, basic tricks can help people successfully solve the “Message Blocking is active” SMS error. So, you can try the following basic tricks before you try other advanced solutions:

• Check if you have typed the recipient number wrong.
• Ensure the recipients aren’t on your blacklist.
• Contact the receiver by getting in touch with them in another manner to see whether they have inadvertently added you to their blacklist.
• Ensure you have active cellular service.
• Try sending the message again.
• Update the phone OS to the latest version.
• Restart your phone.
• Reinsert your SIM card.

Related post: What Does Sent as SMS via Server Mean on Android and Turn it Off

Solution 1. Turn On Automatic Date and Time

Incorrect dates and times may also interfere with your phone’s ability to send messages. You can enable the automatic date and time to fix the error in this case. Here’s the way:

For iPhone:

1. Go to Settings menu.
2. Select General > Date & Time.
3. Then turn on the switch of Set Automatically.

For Android:

1. Open the Settings menu on your phone.
2. Go to General Management (or Additional settings) > Date & Time.
3. In the Date & Time screen, toggle on the switch of Automatic date and time (or Set time automatically).

Solution 2. Reset Your Network Settings

If something is wrong with your Network settings, you can also encounter the “Message Blocking is active” error. In this situation, you can reset your Network settings to fix the error. Here’s the guide:

For iPhone: Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset, and then tap Reset Network Settings.

For Android: Go to Settings > General Management > Reset, and tap Reset network settings.

Solution 3. Clear the Messages App Cache

Some people report that clearing the Message app cache helps them fix the “Message Blocking is active” SMS error successfully. You can also have a try. To do that, please do as follows:

For iPhone: There is no option for you to clear the cache on iMessage. You can reinstall the iMessage app if you think its data is corrupt or too much.

For Android: Go to Settings > Apps > Messages > Storage, and then tap Clear cache.

Solution 4. Allow Premium SMS Access

 Allowing Premium SMS Access is another practical way to solve the “Message Blocking is active” error. If you want to have a try, you can follow the guide below:

1. Swipe down the notification panel from the top of your iPhone.
2. Tap the gear icon on the top-right side of the screen to open the Settings window.
3. Navigate to Apps > Apps, click the three dots icon, and select Special access.
4. Next, tap sequentially Premium SMS Access > Message > Ask.
5. After that, go to send a message again and check if the error is fixed.

Final Words

This post provides several effective ways to fix the “Message Blocking is active” error. If you encounter the same error on your device, you can try the above methods to fix it.