Top 10 Reasons Your Text Message Failed and How to Resolve Them

The first SMS was sent long ago, in 1992, and yet, this form of communication remains one of the most reliable and widely used. 5 billion people (65% of the global population) still send and receive sms messages. But what’s more important for the business is that these messages have an impressive open rate of 98%.

But sometimes, messages don’t get through, leaving you wondering, “Why can’t I send text messages?”. This can be stressful, especially when you’re running an ad campaign and deadlines are near. Let’s explore how text messaging works, the top reasons it fails, and possible solutions.

How Text Messaging Works and Why Failures Happen

“Why are my text messages not being delivered?” is what we usually think after failed attempts to send a message. There are various reasons for that, but to understand the problem, we first need to understand the delivery process.

Here’s how SMS is sent and delivered:

1. You send a message 
2. Your device connects to your carrier’s network
3. The message is routed through servers
4. SMS is delivered to the recipient’s phone

Yet, keep in mind that it’s almost impossible to reach a 100% delivery rate for SMS, as many factors can affect that. For example, a user changed the number, or there are technical problems on the side of the mobile carrier.  Therefore, it’s acceptable that messages may not reach the user at times.

The good delivery rate is 95%-98%, but if it falls lower than 95% it’s time to check the content you send or whether your database is full of invalid numbers.

Top 10 Reasons Your Text Message Failed

It doesn’t matter how well-crafted your message is if it can’t reach the recipient. Below, we’ll consider the most common reasons for failed deliveries and possible ways to prevent them.

1. Network Issues or Signal Problems

Poor connection is one of the most common explanations for failures. An unstable signal prevents your device from connecting to the carrier’s network. As a result, the message can’t be delivered.
Before sending a message, ensure that coverage is good and check the signal bar. If you see that something’s wrong, restart your phone or find a place with better coverage.

2. Airplane Mode or Do Not Disturb Settings

Sometimes the problem is the Airplane mode that disables transmission of SMS, and the Do Not Disturb mode that blocks certain alerts. They are the frequent reasons people ask: Why won’t my text be sent?
The good news is that it’s not a technical problem, which means dealing with it won’t take long. Check your settings, make any necessary changes, and then retry sending the message.

3. Incorrect Phone Number or Country Code

The phone number is like a mailing address – if you mistype it or forget the international code, the system won’t know where to deliver your message. If your SMS isn’t going through, double-check the number and check the code on the code using the internet. Once you’re sure all data is correct, resend the SMS.

4. Carrier or Plan Limitations

If you see the undeliverable text message error, the reason may be the provider’s limitations for your plan. For example, your subscription doesn’t include international SMS or have limits on the number of messages you send. Review your plan, ensure SMS/MMS are enabled, and, if necessary, upgrade your package.

5. Blocked Numbers

If your calls and texts don’t ever get delivered, your number might be blocked. If the recipient blocked you, you can try another method to reach them.

6. Device Software Bugs or Outdated OS

If you haven’t updated your operating system or messaging app for a while, this may cause glitches. Regular updates will help you minimize the risks of undelivered messages. If there are no available updates, but the problem persists, try clearing the cache or reinstalling the application – this should help.

7. SIM Card or Account Problems

Your messages can fail to be sent because of SIM card issues or an unpaid account. Try to remove and reinsert the SIM to reconnect it. But it won’t help if the SIM is damaged, then you need to contact the carrier’s service and replace it with a new one.
If the problem is with not enough balance, just top it up. If it doesn’t help, contact support, maybe there are some limitations for your account.

8. Spam Filtering or Blacklisting

Spam detection filters block suspicious messages, protecting customers from unwanted SMS. For individual users, it’s not a common problem, but for businesses, it can be a serious issue, as mobile messages are a great communication channel (up to 98% open rate, remember?).
To avoid being marked as a spam sender, register your business with a sender ID with the carrier. And, of course, don’t send suspicious links to your customers.

9. Message App Crashes or Misconfigurations

If your text messages keep failing, the reason may be that your app isn’t configured properly. Restart the app, clear data, or switch to a different messaging app to confirm whether the issue persists.

10. International Messaging Restrictions

Some regions block certain types of SMS traffic, leaving you to ask why a text message fails to send when contacting friends abroad. Check whether your plan includes international texting or try alternative channels.

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How to Fix Common Text Message Errors

When you see an error while sending a text message, don’t panic. Most problems can be fixed with general troubleshooting. Just follow these tips:

• Restart your device
• Verify your SIM card is active
• Ensure the recipient’s number is correct
• Reset network settings
• Update your phone’s OS and apps
• Try sending the message from another app or device

These steps are simple, but they can resolve the majority of everyday SMS problems.

When to Contact Your Mobile Carrier or Device Support

When the issue seems network-based or persistent, and none of the methods above are working, then it’s time to contact your mobile carrier support. Do this if you:

• You receive messages like “text message *error code*”
• Suspect there’s a service outage
• You may have billing issues, and your account might be suspended

Keep in mind that some issues may be caused by problems with your phone. For example, this may be when your apps keep crashing or freezing, or you get unexplained error notifications when trying to send a text message. Then, it makes sense to contact your device support.

How to Prevent Text Message Failures in the Future

To conclude, we’d like to provide you with several practical tips to prevent SMS failures. These are summaries of what you’ve just read, designed to reinforce these methods in your memory.

• Regularly update your OS and messaging apps
• Restart your phone from time to time to refresh network connections
• Ensure right phone numbers and country codes before sending SMS
• Monitor your balance and plan
• Avoid suspicious links or bulk messages that trigger spam filters

As you can see, most issues have straightforward solutions, but to deal with them, you need to know the root of the problem. Be proactive and you’ll encounter fewer issues with SMS delivery. And if you need a reliable messaging app, you can always build it with Ethora.

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Keep Reading

• SMS notifications vs push notifications — key differences
• What are push notifications — 10 inspiring mobile examples
• Mastering omnichannel messaging — definition and benefits

Avoid failed-message headaches with in-app chat — explore the Ethora chat SDK, or start building for free.

More from Ethora: Ethora AI SDK, self-hosted chat server on AWS.