With your iPad, you can send text messages, images, and much more. You can reply within a conversation or to specific comments in a thread. This article explains how to fix the problem if you cannot send messages from your iPad.
What to do if you cannot send messages from your iPad
Test iMessage by Sending Texts to Multiple People
If you can’t send messages on your iPad, first check if you can’t send messages to everyone, or you are having problem when you message one contact. Try sending iMessages to a few different people who you know use iMessage to find out if it works for any of them.
- Go to the Messages app on your iPad.
- Tap the Compose button at the top of the screen.
- Tap the To field, then enter the phone number, contact name, or Apple Account of each recipient.
- To choose recipients from your contacts, tap the Add Contact button.
- Tap the text field above the keyboard, then type your message.
- Tap the Send button to send.
If you’re having trouble with iMessage when sending messages to a single contact, the problem is probably on their end. On the other hand, if iMessage isn’t working with any of your contacts, and you know they’re using iMessage, the problem is probably with your iPad.
You may not have multiple contacts you can check with if most of your friends use Android. In this case, if you have multiple devices using iMessage, try sending messages with each of them. You might find that you can use iMessage on your iPhone, but not on your iPad, so you know to focus your efforts on the iPad.
Try sending the message again
If you try to send a message on your iPad and you see a red exclamation point with an alert that says Not Delivered, tap the red exclamation point, then tap Try Again.
Check your internet connection
To send a message on your iPad, you need a cellular data or Wi-Fi connection. Open a web browser and try loading a new webpage to test your internet connection.
If you can’t get online, that will explain why you can’t send text from your iPad. Try connecting to a different Wi-Fi network or check how much data you’ve got left.
Make Sure iMessage Is Enabled Correctly
Even if you’ve used iMessage on your iPad before, you may not have it enabled for a specific number or device. This is easy to check.
- Open Settings and tap Apps.
- Scroll down to Messages.
- Make sure the iMessage slider is enabled here.
- Then tap on Send & Receive.
- Here you’ll see all the phone numbers and email addresses you can associate with iMessage. Make sure all the numbers and email addresses you want to use are enabled.
Update iPadOS
You might be unable to send messages on your iPad due to a bug on iPadOS. Thankfully, Apple may have already fixed the problem through a software update. Go to Settings > General > Software Update and update your iPad to the latest version of iPadOS if needed.
Reset iMessage and Reboot Your iPad
If your iPad still won’t send text messages, a restart can fix the issue. You’ll want to turn off iMessage, reboot, then turn it back on.
First, turn off iMessage. In the Settings app, tap Apps. Tap Messages, then turn iMessage off.
Now restart your iPad. If your iPad doesn’t have a Home button, press and hold either volume button and the top button until the power off slider appears. Drag the slider, then wait 30 seconds for your device to turn off. To turn your device back on, press and hold the top button until you see the Apple logo. If your iPad has a Home button, press and hold the top button until the power off slider appears. Drag the slider, then wait for 30 seconds for your device to turn off. To turn your device back on, press and hold the top button until you see the Apple logo.
Finally, go to Settings. Tap Apps, then select Messages. Turn iMessage back on. You might need to wait a moment for it to activate.
Sign In to iMessage Again
This is another method that is so simple it can’t hurt to try: log out of iMessage, then log back in.
- Open the Settings app and tap Apps.
- Scroll down to Messages.
- Tap Send & Receive.
- From this menu, tap on your Apple account email at the bottom of the screen.
- In the dialog that pops up, tap Sign Out.
- After you sign out, tap on Use your Apple Account for iMessage.
- In the dialog that pops up, it will show your Apple account email address and ask if you want to log in with that. Tap Sign In to log in with that email address.
Conclusion
We hope this troubleshooting guide has helped you diagnose the real reason why your iPad is not sending text messages and how to fix the problem. If you still can’t send text messages from your iPad, drop a comment below and we will do our best to help you.
