What is “Message Blocking is Active” on iPhone? (Easy Fix!)
By Trae Jacobs,
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When you text someone, you want the message to go through — so any notification other than “Delivered” is frustrating to deal with.
Need to send a text message, but keep getting a “message blocking is active” notification? Here’s how to fix it.
What is “Message Blocking is Active?”
Message blocking on an iPhone makes it so messages cannot be sent or received by another person through SMS.
While a blocked number is the most common cause of this notification, don’t panic yet. There are a few other things that could cause a technical glitch.
Quick Fixes: “Message Blocking is Active” Error
Before you dive too deep, it’s worth noting that iPhones can be glitchy — especially if you’re several models behind. Try some of these troubleshooting tips before you look into more complicated fixes:
- Restart your phone. This often clears temporary glitches.
- Make sure you have service. If you don’t have service, you can’t text anyone.
- Try texting someone else. If you only have a problem texting one person, it’s probably on their end.
- Check the phone number. Make sure you’re texting the right person!
- Tweak your settings. Open the Settings app, then select “Messages.” Toggle iMessage off and on to refresh it.
How to Unblock a Number on iPhone
Whether for legitimate reasons or pure pettiness, we’ve all blocked a contact on our iPhones before. But after you make up, you need to unblock that phone number to contact them again!
- Open your iPhone’s Settings app.
- Select “Phone.”
- Scroll down and tap “Blocked Contacts.”
- Find the name or number you want to unblock and swipe left on it.
- Tap “Unblock.”
Blocking contacts is easy — and luckily, so is unblocking them.
Contact the Person on Another Platform
You could also get the “message blocking is active” notification if the person you’re trying to contact blocked you. While you can’t force anyone to unblock your phone number, you could try contacting them on another platform.
Maybe they blocked your number by accident, or maybe it was a misunderstanding. Try using another messaging app to contact the person and let them know what’s happening.
Always be respectful. If someone has a legitimate reason to block you or hide their social media profiles from you, it’s unethical (and could be illegal) to contact them anyway.
Update Your iPhone
Using outdated software for too long can start to cause technical glitches. If you’ve waited too long to accept a software update from Apple, you may need to update your iPhone to send messages again:
- Open your iPhone’s Settings app.
- Select General > Software Update.
- Download and install any available updates.
The longer you wait to update your software, the more problems you’ll encounter when you try to use your applications.
Check Your SIM Card
When you get a new iPhone, you get a new SIM card. This is what lets your phone connect to your mobile carrier.
But if you don’t have a SIM card, are using an old one, or it’s become damaged in some way, you won’t be able to send messages and may get the “message blocking is active” notification.
The easiest way to solve SIM card issues is by visiting your mobile provider’s store. They can usually give you a new one the same day.
Contact Your Mobile Provider
Sometimes, you’ll see “message blocking is active” when you or the person you want to get a hold of doesn’t have mobile service. If neither you nor the recipient added the other person’s phone number to their block list, contact your mobile provider.
You might have forgotten to pay your phone bill this month, or your carrier could be experiencing problems on their end. Whatever the cause, contacting them should clear it up.
