Find Out The Causes For SMS Not Delivered Or Delayed And Solutions To Fix Text Messages Delayed Or Not Delivering!
Summary: Are you experiencing problem while messaging to other or while you are receiving the SMS? Your messages take extra time to deliver or you receive delay messages. I know how much this irritates you. But you don’t need to panic as you can fix it by yourself. In this guide, I will discuss the causes – why your SMS delayed or not delivered and solutions to fix it.
Let us start with a practical example!
Practical Example: A User Is Receiving Test SMS After 10 Minutes Delay
I’ve had the phone about a week and love it, yet yesterday I started to get a 10 min delay when receiving texts. Was on the phone with sorint/t-mobile for a hr and solution was new Sim card… Got new Sim card and still delayed… Any ideas? Everything everything else works like a charm
Source: OnePlus Community
It is just one example, like this, there are many users whose text messages are also taking so long to send. If your messages are also taking so long to deliver then you don’t need to worry as you are not alone in this field.
So, let us first know the reasons why text messages are delayed and not delivered. Then we will learn the solutions to fix it.
Additional Reading: How To Recover Deleted Text Messages From Android
Reasons: Why SMS Delayed
There are some of the common causes for text messages being delayed. They are as follows:
Network Traffic: If you are surrounded by heavy traffic then it can obstacle to the network carrier and your messages may delay.
Coverage: If you are out of network coverage area or in mountains areas or driving at a speed above 50km/h.
Error On The Operator’s Server: If there is an error on the operator’s server then your messages may be delayed.
Problem with the Phone: Your text messages can also delay if there is no space in your inbox or if the messaging app is not working.
Different Networks: If the receiver or the sender used different networks then your SMS may delay as each network prioritize its specific traffic.
Reasons: Why Text SMS Not Delivered
Your text messages may not only delay maybe the messages are not delivered. So, the common reasons for SMS not being delivered are as follows:
- If you try to send too many SMS very fast then it can overflow and not be delivered.
- Suspended account can also be one of the reasons.
- When you are in an unreachable place.
- If your smartphone is switched off for a long time and during that time if someone sends you messages, though you switched on your device, if the time elapses then the message will expire and it will not deliver.
- If the messages you are sending to a person whose number is not in the country and when it is in roaming then your texts may not deliver.
- If you have ported your phone number then it can also cause SMS messages to not deliver.
- Your phone carriers block bulk SMS so that it can prevent unwanted messages, spam, phishing attempts. This can also not deliver the messages.
- When the routing service is not provided by the network provider.
After knowing about the reasons, let us learn the methods to fix SMS not delivered or delay.
Additional Reading: How To Recover Text Messages After Factory Reset On Android
Method 1: Reboot Or Restart Your Android Device
If there are some bugs on your smartphone which are preventing the delivery or delay of messages then restarting or rebooting the device may solve this issue.
To reboot Android phone, you need to press and hold the Power button until you see the Power menu on the screen. Now tap on Reboot option.
To restart your Android phone, press the Power button unless you see the Power menu on the screen. Now, just tap on Power Off option to switch off the device. After some time switch on it.
Method 2: Update The Messaging App
You should always update your apps so that they can work well. If you find any new update for Messaging app then you should install it.
Here, follow the steps to update Messaging app to fix delayed text messages.
Step 1: Open Google Play Store on your phone.
Step 2: Then tap on your Profile.
Step 3: Then tap on My apps & games and under update find the Messaging app.
Step 4: Now, just tap on Update button beside Messaging app.
Additional Reading: How To Fix Error 98 SMS Termination Denied On Android
Method 3: Clear Cache Of The Message App
If there are corrupted cache files on your Message app then it can stop the functionality and your messages may delay or not deliver.
So, you can clear the cache files of the Message app to fix this issue.
Here, follow the steps to do that.
Step 1: Open Settings app.
Step 2: After that tap on Applications and then tap on Messaging.
Step 3: Next, tap on Storage and then tap on Clear Cache button.
Step 4: Then, restart your Android device.
Now, check the messages are delivering or not.
Method 4: Remove The Battery
If you have a removable battery then you should remove the battery from your phone in order to fix delayed text messages on Android. What you have to do is just take out your phone’s back cover and remove the battery from it. After few minutes put the battery in the battery slot. Then switch on your phone and see the error is solved or not.
Method 5: Soft Reset Your Android Device
You can also fix delayed text messages on Android by soft resetting the device.
To soft reset your Android device, you need to press and hold both Power and Volume Down buttons for few seconds unless you see the screen turns off.
Additional Reading: [Tips] How To Remove Bloat Apps On Android
Method 6: Disable Battery Optimization For Message App
If you have enabled battery optimization on your Android phone to save battery life then it can affect the apps running in the background to decrease power consumption.
So, if you have enabled this feature on your phone then you can disable it to fix delayed text messages on Android.
Below, follow the steps to do so.
Step 1: On your Android device, open Settings app.
Step 2: Then tap on Device Maintenance and select Battery/Battery optimization.
Step 3: Then scroll down and find “Always Sleeping Apps”.
Step 4: After that, select Messaging app from the app’s list.
Step 5: Now, disable the power saver mode.
After this, restart your phone and then check the messages are delaying/delivering or not.
Method 7: Update Your Android OS To Latest Version
If your Android phone is running on older version then it can also cause delivering or delaying SMS problems. So, if you have not updated it to the latest OS version then you should update this to fix the issue.
Below, follow the steps to update Android OS to the latest version to fix delayed text messages on Android devices.
Step 1: Open Settings app on your phone.
Step 2: After that, tap on About Phone.
Step 3: Then tap on Check for updates.
Step 4: Now, if there is any new update available on your phone then it will show you the Install button. Just tap on it to download and install the latest OS.
Additional Reading: How To Geotag A Photo In Android
Method 8: Reset Network Settings
If there is some problem with the network settings then it can conflict and your messages will not deliver or will take time to send. You can reset the network settings to fix this issue.
Here, follow the steps to reset network settings to fix receiving delayed text messages on Android.
Step 1: On your Android phone, tap on Settings icon.
Step 2: Scroll down and select Backup & reset option. You will also find this option under More tab.
Step 3: Next, find the option to Reset Wi-Fi, Mobile & Bluetooth and close it.
Step 4: After that, tap on Reset Settings and confirm it.
Step 5: When the process gets completed your device will reboot and all the settings of mobile data, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth history will be removed.
Method 9: Select Different Network Mode
If your Android smartphone is not receiving proper network and due to this you are not receiving the messages on time. You can connect your phone to 4G, 3G, and even 2G networks but if you select LTE for faster connectivity then receive such type of issues on your phone.
So, you can change the network mode and see which one is working well for you.
Step 1: Go to “Settings”.
Step 2: Then tap on “SIM cards & mobile networks” menu and select the SIM card that is creating the problem.
Step 3: After that, choose “Preferred network type” option.
Step 4: Now, you can select the network between 4G, 3G, or 2G.
Additional Reading: How To Fix Voicemail Won’t Play On Android
Method 10: Uninstall Recently Installed Apps
If your issue has started after installing some apps on your phone then you should find that app and uninstall it. After that, check the issue is solved or still coming.
Method 11: Perform A Power Cycle
Many users use their phones every time and they do not give their phone a minute to rest. If you are also among them who regularly use phone either for messaging, watching videos, or charging it. If YES, then this can also cause texts not delivered issue on your phone. In this case, you should give your phone some rest at least for an hour. What you have to do is just switch off your phone for an hour and during that time don’t connect it to Power source.
Method 12: Delete Unwanted Messages
If you have lots of SMS on your message app and they some of them are only important then you can delete all those unwanted messages from your phone. You can also backup those messages and keep them on another device so that if in the future you need them then you can easily restore them.
Method 13: Disable Data Usage Restrictions
There are many users who use mobile data plans on their phones and to some data they enable mobile data-saving features. You can disable this feature for your messaging app so that it can fix unrestricted connectivity for receiving and sending SMS.
Here, follow the steps to disable this feature to fix the issue.
Step 1: Open Settings app on your phone.
Step 2: After this, tap on System Apps.
Step 3: Now, find the Messages app from the list of apps.
Step 4: Now, turn on Mobile data, Wi-Fi, and Background data option.
Additional Reading: Fix Camera Error “Can’t Connect To Camera” On Android
Method 14: Factory Reset Your Android Phone
If every method is not able to fix the issue then you can factory reset your phone. But remember that this will delete all saved data, installed third-party apps, and other settings. So, before you factory reset your phone make sure all the important data is backed up.
Now, follow the below steps to factory reset your phone.
Step 1: On your Android device, open the Settings app.
Step 2: Now, select Additional Settings menu.
Step 3: After that, tap on Backup & Reset option.
Step 4: Now, select Restore to factory settings and then tap Reset phone.
Method 15: Contact Your Service Provider
If after factory reset you still not sending or receiving text messages properly then lastly you should contact your service provider, whether it be Verizon, T-mobile, AT&T, Sprint, etc. and tell them about your problem.
You should make a call to your service provider and ask them to check that all the features on your account are provisioned correctly and compatible with your particular phone number and model. Also ask them to check nothing has been changed recently on your account that might be the reason behind it, including restrictions or block hotlines. They will connect and reconnect your smartphone to the network so that it can make a strong network connection and that should fix the issue.
Conclusion
So, I hope whatever methods mentioned in this article will help you to fix SMS delayed or not delivered. I have also discussed about the causes for the delayed text messages and not delivering SMS on Android phones. Try the methods according to your choice and if they fail then you can contact your service provider.
Wan to know About Me. Well, I have experince of almost 11 years in writing topics related to Android and other tech. Previously, I used to write Blogs for the company where I was working earlier. Now, I love to write tips, tricks, fixes for errors, data recovery solutions, and more related to Android for my own Website. Besides that, I love to travel and explore places, watch movies and play online games.
