Apple’s very own instant messaging platform known as iMessage allows you to send and receive messages containing videos and audio files to and from other Apple devices. Using this feature is pretty straightforward because it’s just like using other messaging apps. In order to use iMessage on your iOS device, a stable internet connection is required. You can use iMessage over Wi-Fi or cellular data. The latter however may result in incurring additional data charges, so better go for Wi-Fi if possible. In iOS 13, iMessage receives a number of add-on features as well as system enhancements, making it more stable and fun to use. In case you’re having trouble using iMessage on your new iPhone, I’ve lined up a few handy tweaks you can use. Read on to find out what to do if all of a sudden, you can’t send or receive iMessages because iMessage just stopped working on your iphone 11.
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Troubleshooting iMessage that stopped working on your iPhone 11
Before you start ruling out common software-related triggers, check and ensure that your iPhone has no problem connecting to the internet either via Wi-Fi or mobile data. Also care to check the date and time settings and make sure they are properly set. If necessary, use automatic date and time information on your device. If you’ve met all these criteria and yet iMessage is still not working on your iPhone 11, try these solutions.
First solution: Refresh iMessage then restart your iPhone.
Like many other built-in iOS features, the iMessage can also give into random errors and so it would stop working at some point. To eliminate minor triggers, restarting iMessage and rebooting the phone can help. Just follow these steps to refresh iMessage feature on your phone:
- From the Home screen, tap Settings.
- Tap Messages.
- Scroll to and tap the iMessage switch to turn it off shortly and then tap the switch again to turn iMessage back on.
After restarting iMessage, continue with these steps to reboot or soft reset your iPhone 11:
- Press and hold both the Side and Volume Up buttons for a few seconds.
- Release both buttons when the Slide to Power off bar appears.
- Swipe or drag the bar to turn your device off.
- After about 30 seconds, press and hold the Side button and then release when the Apple logo appears.
Performing a soft reset aids in resolving minor firmware issues including system errors that directly or indirectly halted iMessage from working on your iPhone. It doesn’t affect any saved information on the internal memory, so there’s no need to back up data beforehand.
Second solution: Log out and back into iMessage on your iPhone 11.
Account-related issues like expired sessions or voided logins can also be the main reason why you couldn’t get to use iMessage on your device. To clear this out, follow these steps to log out of iMessage and then sign in again:
- From the Home screen, tap Settings.
- Select Messages.
- Scroll down to the Send & Receive section then tap to select the correct Apple ID that’s associated with your iMessages.
- Tap on the Apple ID header then select the option to Sign Out.
- Stay on the same screen for about 30 seconds and then tap the option to Use your Apple ID for iMessages.
- Choose the option to Sign In to your iMessage account.
After successfully logging into iMessage, try creating a sample message to send and receive as iMessage on your phone. Be sure to set the recipient email or contact details to your own email address or contact number.
If you can receive the sample iMessage, then that means the problem is fixed and iMessage is back up and working again. Otherwise, continue troubleshooting.
Third solution: Delete old iMessage conversations.
Old messages that are left piling up on your iMessage directory can also trigger some conflicts, especially if any of them contains some malwares or corrupted links. To eliminate these from the possible culprits, delete all old and unused iMessage threads or conversations from your phone. Here’s how:
- Find and open old message threads or conversation.
- Touch and hold the message bubble that you want to delete.
- Tap More.
- Then tap the trash icon.
- Select the option to Delete Message.
- If you want to delete all messages in a thread, tap Delete All on the upper-left corner instead.
- To confirm deletion of selected message(s), tap Delete Conversation.
- Or, you can also swipe left over a conversation to delete a single conversation and then tap Delete twice to confirm action.
After deleting all unwanted iMessages, restart your iPhone to clear its cache and to refresh its system functions, particularly iMessage.
Fourth solution: Check and manage your iPhone restrictions.
Another factor to rule out are your iPhone restrictions. When enabled, a privacy feature called content and privacy restrictions can halt certain apps from working on your device. To make sure this isn’t stopping iMessage from working, follow these steps to manage restrictions settings on your iPhone 11:
- Tap Settings from the Home screen.
- Then tap on Screen Time.
- If prompted, enter your screen time password to proceed.
- Select Content & Privacy Restrictions then toggle the switch to turn the feature off.
If iMessage works while restrictions are turned off, you need to manage your iPhone restrictions and set exceptions to allow iMessage to work among other applications.
Fifth solution: Reset network settings on your iPhone 11 to fix iMessage that stopped working.
Network-related errors that might have inflicted troubles to internet services like iMessage are the next factors you should eliminate. These errors not only affect iMessage but also other internet-based applications on your device. To clear these errors out, you can use the reset network settings command to erase all current network settings along with erratic network customization. You don’t need to back up files beforehand because this reset doesn’t affect any saved information on the phone. Just follow these steps whenever you’re all set:
- From your Home screen, tap Settings.
- Select General.
- Scroll down to and tap on Reset.
- Select Reset Network Settings<span style=”font-weight: 400;”> from the given options.
- Enter your device passcode if prompted to continue.
- Then tap Reset Network Settings again to confirm that you want to reset network settings on your phone.
When the reset is finished, your iPhone restarts on its own and then starts loading the default network values and options. To use necessary features like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or cellular data, you need to re-enable them individually. When your internet connection resumes, check and see if iMessage is already working as intended.
Sixth solution: Update your iPhone software to the latest version available.
Installing the latest iOS version available for your iPhone can also be the key to resolving iMessage problems, especially if malware and stubborn system bugs are the main triggers. To check and update your iPhone 11, simply follow these steps:
- From the Home screen, tap Settings.
- Select General.
- Tap Software Update.
If a new update is available, read and review the system information. Also consider backing up all critical data on your iPhone storage before updating, for safekeeping.
Aside from iOS update, installing pending carrier updates on your device can also help. These updates are pushed by your carrier for network system maintenance and network fixes. Here’s how to manually check for these updates on your iPhone 11:
- From the Home screen, tap Settings.
- Select General.
- Tap About
If an update is available, you’ll be prompted with an option to select OK or Update. Just follow the rest of the onscreen prompts to finish installing updates on your device. When updates are completely installed, reboot your iPhone to apply the recent system changes along with the integrated bug fixes.
Last resort: Restore factory default settings on your iPhone 11.
A factory reset or master reset is usually deemed among the last solutions to try, especially when dealing with recurring symptoms. This process usually eliminates complex system errors that trigger major system problems on the device. But the main downside of this reset is the fact that it will wipe everything out from your iPhone system including all saved data on the internal memory, downloads, and personal information. On a positive note, performing a factory reset often yields a positive outcome when it comes to resolving complex system problems. Thus, it may also be worth a shot. Should you wish to proceed and take a chance, then you can start backing up all important files from your iPhone storage and then follow these steps to begin wiping your device:
- From the Home screen, tap Settings.
- Select General.
- Scroll down and tap on Reset.
- Select the option to Erase all content and settings. This will erase all customized options and new settings overrides from the recent update, including all saved information on the phone storage.
- Enter your device passcode if prompted to continue.
- Tap the option to Erase iPhone twice to confirm that you want to erase and restore factory default settings on your device.
Follow the rest of the onscreen instructions to finish resetting your iPhone. When the reset is finished, your phone restarts and then loads up its factory default settings. By then you can start setting up things as new, including iMessage on your iPhone 11.
Is iMessage still not working on your iPhone 11?
There might be some temporary problems with the iMessage server that makes the app stopped working on your device. To check on this, you can use a tool called downdetector to trace which services or sites are currently down. If iMessage appears in the list of down services, then there’s not much can be done on your end but to wait until it’s back up and running. Apparently in this case, the problem isn’t rectifiable at home because it is not attributed to any software issues on your iPhone because it’s the main server that’s enduring some issues. To confirm the current status of iMessage server, you can visit the Apple Support status page or contact Apple Support directly.
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