How to Fix iPhone Not Sending or Receiving Pictures

Some users have reported their iPhone 11 won’t send or receive pictures. When you send text or pictures, your iPhone may show you “Not Delivered” with a red exclamation sign, as the picture shows below. Why is the iPhone suddenly not sending pictures?

In this guide, you will get the solutions to fix iPhone not sending pictures in iMessage/text message/WhatsApp message. No matter if your iPhone not sending pictures to Android or to certain contacts.

Why Won’t my iPhone Send Pictures through Text?

You need to first make sure the MMS and Group messages are enabled.

Besides, if the iPhone storage isn’t enough, it may cause the iPhone not to send or receive messages. Therefore, go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage to check.

What’s more, there may be system issues happening on your iPhone, which could make messages and pictures fail to send. You can restart your iPhone and send it again. 

Check more solutions below to fix an iPhone not sending or receiving picture messages:

How to Fix iPhone Not Sending Pictures in Text Message

If you see a green message bubble not delivered, it means that iPhone won’t send pictures in text messages, then it is a problem with MMS service as pictures are sent via MMS. To fix this problem, below we discussed every possible method that you can try on your iPhone.

Solution 1: Make Sure MMS Messaging is Enabled

To send pictures in text messages, you need to enable the MMS message. Otherwise, your picture message will not be delivered, no matter how much you try.

Step 1: On your iPhone, go to the Settings and then click on the Messages.

Step 2: Now, check if MMS Messaging is enabled. If not, then enable it and try again to send a picture.

Solution 2: Check Cellular Network

If MMS messaging is enabled, but still not able to send pictures, then it may be your weak cellular network that is causing the problem. To send pictures, you need to have a stable cellular network. So, go to the area where there is good coverage and again try to send pictures.

Solution 3: Reset Network Settings

Still, the problem persists? Then, reset your iPhone network settings to reset Wi-Fi and cellular connection and then, start again from scratch.

Step 1: Open the Settings menu on your iPhone and then tap General.

Step 2: Now, tap on the Reset and then, again tap on the Reset Network Settings.

Solution 4: Call Your Carrier

When tried all the above methods, again iPhone won’t send pictures in text messages. Then, it’s time to call your carrier to verify if your carrier allows you to use MMS messaging.

Fix iPhone Not Sending Pictures in iMessage

If you see a blue message bubble not delivered, or send a picture using iMessage but the message turns to blue, you can follow the solutions below to give it a try.

Solution 1: Make Sure iMessage is Enabled

Like MMS Messaging, you have to enable the iMessage service to send pictures using iMessage. To check if it is enabled or not:

1. Open Settings > Click Messages.
2. Enable the iMessage and wait for activation.
3. iMessage option should be also enabled on the receiving iPhone.

Solution 2: Check Internet Connection

You can send pictures via iMessage using either a Wi-Fi or cellular network. So, whichever network you are using, make sure that you are using a stable internet connection. If your iPhone is connected to Wi-Fi and pictures are not sending, go to Settings > Wi-Fi and turn off Wi-Fi. Then you can use a cellular data network. Or you can turn off or on your connection several times and then, try again to send the image via iMessage.

Solution 3: Reset Network Settings

If you have a stable connection, then reset the network settings for your iPhone as we did in the case of text messages. This will erase all the saved Wi-Fi passcode and carrier connections. If you are not able to send pictures due to a network issue, then resetting will probably solve the issue.

Solution 4: Check System Status

It might be the case that the iMessage server is down and there is no problem on your end. So, check the system status for iMessage and you can check by visiting the system status official page. If the server is working, then it will show as a green dot.

Text Messages or iMessage?

You may find that some of your texts are sending with green text bubbles, and some are blue bubbles. What are the differences between them? Are pictures not sent using text messages or iMessage? When you confirm the problem, you can find relevant solutions.

If you see a green message bubble:

• It means that the message was sent using MMS/SMS, which is the regular text message we sent.
• The person that you sent the message to doesn’t have an Apple device.
• SMS/MMS messages aren’t encrypted and appear in green text bubbles on your device.

If you see a blue message bubble:

• It means that the message was sent using iMessage, which is free if you send via Wi-Fi.
• iMessages are texts, photos, or videos that you send to another Apple device over Wi-Fi or cellular data networks.
• These messages are always encrypted and appear in blue text bubbles.
• If iMessage to another iPhone changed green, because iMessage is turned off on your device or on your recipient’s device, or iMessage is temporarily unavailable on your device or on your recipient’s device.

Bonus Tip: How to Fix iPhone Not Sending Pictures in WhatsApp Message

To fix your iPhone not sending pictures in the WhatsApp message, try the below-mentioned methods on your iPhone.

Solution 1: Check Internet Connection

Check your internet connection; it should be stable enough to send or receive a message via WhatsApp. No matter which connection you are using whether Wi-Fi or cellular, check both and make sure that you have enabled the connection.

Solution 2: Check iPhone Storage

One of the main reasons why users fail to send pictures via WhatsApp is due to insufficient storage space on their iPhone. Therefore, check your iPhone storage and if it is full, then free up space by deleting unnecessary data or apps.

Step 1: Go to the Settings and then, navigate to the General settings.

Step 2: Now, tap on the iPhone Storage and here, you can manage your device storage space.

Solution 3: Restart iPhone

If it is a software issue, then restarting iPhone forcibly can solve many minor software issues. Below we have mentioned the restart process for every iPhone model.

• On iPhone 8/8 Plus/X/XS/XR: Hold and release the volume down button quickly and follow the same procedure with the volume up button. Hold down the power button until the Apple logo does not appear.
• On iPhone 7/7 Plus: Press and hold the volume down and power button until you don’t see the Apple logo on your iPhone screen.
• On iPhone 6 and earlier: Press and hold the home and power button until you don’t see the Apple logo on your iPhone screen.

If you want to know the details about restarting your iPhone, you can refer to this article to learn how to restart your iPhone.

Solution 4: Uninstall and Re-install WhatsApp

Re-installing WhatsApp can solve many problems related to WhatsApp. Therefore, uninstall it and then, again download it from the App store. Before doing this, it is recommended to backup your WhatsApp data either to iCloud or iTunes.

Solution 5: Reset iPhone Settings

The last method that you can do is reset your iPhone. It can solve many minor iOS issues. So, it might solve this issue also.

Step 1: Go to the Settings and then, open the General menu.

Step 2: Now, tap on the Reset and then, click on the Reste All Settings.

The Bottom Line

Hence, this post is a complete guide for iPhone users who are facing iPhone not sending pictures issues. Here, there is every probable solution that can fix the issue, and hopefully, with the aid of the above-mentioned methods, you will be able to send pictures in messages. If you got further fixes, feel free to share your tips in the comment below.