What does Message Blocking Active Mean on Android & iPhone? [Answered]

What does Message Blocking Active Mean on Android & iPhone? Many users have encountered the “free msg: unable to send message -message blocking active error, which can be frustrating, especially when we need to send an urgent message.

And, given that text messaging is such an important part of our daily communication, any issues with getting information across in a timely manner could be heartbreaking.

Users with iPhone (iOS) or Android devices have seen the “message blocking active error immediately after sending a text, and while T-Mobile has been the main carrier with this issue for the majority of users, we have tried to make this guide easy to follow for users who may have experienced this issue on other carriers.

Let’s look more closely at the “free msg: unable to send message – message blocking is active.” problem and see what options we have.

Troubleshooting: Issues on Message Blocking Active Mean

Issue	Solution
You are not receiving messages from a specific number.	This could be because the number is blocked. To check if a number is blocked, go to Settings > Messages > Block numbers. If the number is listed, you will need to unblock it to receive messages from them.
You are receiving a lot of spam messages.	You can block spam messages by adding the sender’s number to your block list. To do this, go to Settings > Messages > Block numbers and enter the number.
You are trying to send a message to someone who has blocked you.	If you have been blocked, you will not be able to send messages to the person who blocked you.
You are trying to send a message to a group chat that contains a person who has blocked you.	If you have been blocked by one of the members of a group chat, you will not be able to send messages to the group chat.
You are trying to send a message to a business that uses a messaging app.	Some businesses use messaging apps to communicate with customers, but they may block messages from certain numbers. If you are not receiving messages from a business, you can try contacting the business to see if they have blocked your number.

What does Message Blocking Active Mean on Android & iPhone?

On Android and iPhones, the “message blocking is active” error indicates that you have blocked the other person. When you receive this error message block, one of the first things to notice is that the receiver either has you on their block list or you have them on yours.

See Other Related Articles:

Does Imessage Turn Green When Blocked? [Answered]

How to Block Spam Texts on Samsung? (Solved – 2 Steps!)

How to Block Email Text Messages on Samsung [3 Steps]

Service outage

The error message block “free msg: unable to send message – message blocking is active” could indicate a service outage. You should wait a few minutes or hours before retrying because your network provider may be performing maintenance and may have paused the messaging service.

Problems with shortcodes

Another possibility that T-Mobile has mentioned is a shortcode error. Some “message blocking is active” errors were caused by inactive or incorrect shortcodes. Verify that this isn’t your fault; if you’re in the clear, the error is on T-end, Mobile’s and you must contact them so that their technicians can resolve the issue of google hangouts.

Text message app restrictions

The error “free msg: recipient unable to receive message – message blocking is active.” indicates that the recipient has blocked messages from a specific group of users. Some messaging apps may have compatibility issues with your carrier. If any of these were used, you should investigate whether you can manually allow these applications. If there is no option to allow these applications, you may be unable to resolve the problem on your own.

Problems with data plans

You should also be certain of the plan to which you have subscribed. If you try to send text messages from a Data Only plan, the message may not be delivered and you will receive this error message.

Check for premium message support

You should also ensure that the service to which you are sending the message supports premium text messaging. We previously discussed the inability to send the message because your carrier does not support a premium text messaging service; in this case, you should ensure that the problem is not on the recipient’s end.

HOW TO FIX AND UNBLOCK “FREE MSG: UNABLE TO SEND MESSAGE – MESSAGE BLOCKING IS ACTIVE.” ERROR ISSUE?

You should try any of these possible solutions to resolve this error message. Tell us in the comments which of these options worked best for you.

HOW TO UNBLOCK MESSAGE BLOCKING?

• Fix 1: Check coverage

If an area’s coverage is listed as None, you won’t be able to send or receive texts or make or receive phone calls.

• Fix 2: Is your phone active?

Check and confirm that your phone is Active on the device settings page in your account; if it’s listed as Suspended or Still Porting, you won’t be able to send or receive text messages.

• Fix 3: Are text messages part of your plan?

This was mentioned earlier. Check the Can Send/Receive Text Messages setting on your account device settings page. If it is not already enabled, enable it. If you can’t seem to enable the option, it’s because you don’t have text messaging included in your plan or your phone number is inactive.

• Fix 4: What’s the country code?

If the error was in international text, a simple Google search of the country code will help you determine whether you are using the correct one.

HOW TO TURN OFF MESSAGE BLOCKING?

• Fix 5: Restart the process

If the “free msg: receiver unable to receive unwanted messages – message blocking is active.” error occurs only on one phone, the number may be faulty. Perhaps it is incorrect. Retry after deleting and resaving the number.

• Fix 6: Remove and swap the SIM cards

Change the SIM cards in your Samsung phone and try messaging with a different SIM. If it works, the problem is most likely with the SIM. We’ve seen cases where the inability to send text messages was SIM-specific, so see if that applies to you.

HOW TO DEACTIVATE MESSAGE BLOCKING?

• Fix 7: Unblock

If you’re still getting the “unable to send message message blocking is active” error, one solution is to ask the person who blocked number you to unblock you. Call the number if you are unsure whether you have been blocked or not. 

If it also does not connect, it is possible that you have been blocked or that you have blocked number the person. If the calls go through, you may need to try the other solutions in this article.

HOW TO UNBLOCK MESSAGE BLOCKING?

• Fix 8: Text Content

Some users were able to work around this by sending only plain text in messages. This error could have been caused by all of the non-plain-texts that were added to the message message blocking. Retry after removing all attachments, emojis, pictures, or graphics from the message.

Is your Android device message blocking problem still active, or are you getting the “message blocking is active” error on iOS ( active iPhone)? Which of these resolved your “message blocking is active” error? I’d love to hear what you think in the comments.

• Fix 9: Do A Complete Factory Reset

The last option would be to completely reset our device. To do this, go to Settings >> Reset >> Factory Data Reset >> enter the information requested and perform a complete factory reset of your phone to return it to default settings. If you try this, it should work, but I should warn you that it should only be used as a last resort.

HOW TO TURN OFF MESSAGE BLOCKING IS ACTIVE ON IPHONE 6, 7, 8, XR OR 12?

In this section of the article, we’ll go over some practical solutions for turning off message blocking on iPhone.

Note: Based on our tests and fixes, iPhone users appear to have a few more options [in addition to the ones we recommend for Android users, so check those as we added some things we didn’t add here that could help] to consider if they encounter the error: Free Msg: Unable to send message – Message Blocking is active.

These could range from as simple as tweaking a setting in settings to performing a full software update. So you want to try the fixes in the order we arranged them, from the most basic to the most advanced. You should also restart your phone to ensure that the problem does not reoccur.

• Fix 1: Check That the Recipient Information Is Entered Correctly

We recommend doing this first for any messaging or emailing active issue, as many of them are caused by incorrectly entering the recipient’s information. A missing number or letter would result in a text message or email not being delivered to the intended recipient. Check that the phone number or email address is correct.

• Fix 2: Remove and swap the SIM card

Change the SIM cards in your Samsung phone and try messaging with a different SIM. If it works, the problem is most likely with the SIM. We’ve seen cases where the inability to send text messages was SIM-specific, so see if that applies to you.

• Fix 3: Turn iMessage OFF

Turning off iMessage is both a fix and a way to isolate the problem. On your iPhone, you have the iMessage app and the regular texting app; either one could be the culprit, so turn one off and try messaging with the other; in this case, it will be the iMessage.

To do so, go to Settings >> Messages >> Turn iMessage OFF. After that, try sending a message. If that doesn’t work, let’s move on to the next solution.

• Fix 4: Try to send a Text Using iMessage

Because iMessage was not the problem, this procedure will concentrate on performing a simple troubleshooting task on the iMessage app and then attempting to send a messaging app with it.

To do so, make sure your phone has a good internet connection (always turn off iMessage when you don’t have an active data plan) >> go to Settings >> select Messages >> select Send & Receive >> tap on the Apple ID >> and select Sign Out >> reboot your iPhone >> go back to the Settings app >> select Messages >> and tap Use Your Apple ID for iMessage.

• Fix 5: Check Quality of the Network

Because the iMessage app uses an internet connection, a strong internet connection on your phone is essential. Many people will advise you to reset your network settings, but there is no reason to do so if your other internet-connected apps on your phone are working perfectly.

Simply confirm that other applications, such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Google Chrome, and others, have access to the internet. If they can’t, the problem is less with your text messaging and more with your phone.

• Fix 6: Are They Blocked? Are You Blocked?

This is self-explanatory; when discussing how to turn OFF Message Blocking Is Active on iPhone and Android, we highly recommended it. If you are both blocked, you will receive the following error: Free Msg: Unable to send message – Message Blocking is active.

• Fix 7: Update to the Most Recent iOS Version / Consider the Age of Your iPhone

You should ensure that your device is running the most recent software. In comparison to Android phones, iOS software updates are critical for iPhones. The software updates are what distinguishes the first three iPhones from the last three iPhones.

If you have an older iPhone that isn’t receiving new OTA (over-the-air) updates, or if you haven’t installed an update in a while, that could be our culprit. To check for Apple updates, go to Settings >> General >> Software Updates and complete any available software updates.

• Fix 8: Do A Complete Factory Reset to Fix Message Blocking Is Active On iPhone

The last option would be to completely reset our device.

To do so, open the Settings app >> tap General >> select Reset >> select Erase ALL Content and Settings >> Confirm your desire to erase said content >> enter your Phone PIN code and your Apple ID password to turn off Apple Find My service >> the screen will go blank, an Apple logo with a progress bar will appear >> when the reset is complete, you will be greeted with flashes of “Hello” in different languages.

HOW TO TURN OFF MESSAGE BLOCKING IS ACTIVE ON SAMSUNG S8, S9, S10, S20, A20, J3, J7?

If you have a Samsung smartphone, all of the fixes we recommend for Android phones apply to you, and here are some that are specific to Samsung Galaxy smartphones.

• Fix 1: Enable Premium SMS on your Samsung Galaxy phone

One setting that other Android phones lack is a premium SMS feature, and if you want to fix message blocking that is active on Samsung, that is where you should begin.

To do so, go to Settings >> Apps >> click the three dots in the upper right corner of your screen >> select Use the Premium Text Message Services >> select the APP and, if prompted, select Always Allow.

• Fix 2: Eject and Swap the SIMs

Change the SIM cards in your Samsung phone and try messaging with a different SIM. If it works, the problem is most likely with the SIM. We’ve seen cases where the inability to send text messages was SIM-specific, so see if that applies to you.

• Fix 3: Do A Complete Factory Reset to Fix Message Blocking Is Active On Samsung

The last option would be to completely reset our device. To do this, go to Settings >> Reset >> Factory Data Reset >> enter the information requested and perform a complete factory reset of your phone to return it to default settings. If you try this, it should work, but I should warn you that it should only be used as a last resort.

CONCLUSION On What Does Message Blocking Active Mean

When you see the error message blocking is active,’ you start to wonder if you’ve been blocked. Blocking someone can be entertaining, but it becomes much less so when you are the one who is blocked. We strongly advise you to read through this article to learn how to confirm if you are indeed blocked and how to resolve the message blocking is active’ error.

FAQs About Blocking Active Mean

What does it mean when you get a message blocking is active?

Having the message “message blocking is active” appear usually refers to a message that cannot be sent to the number due to you blocking the number. Or the other person may have blocked you.

How do I disable active message blocking?

Go to Settings > Messages > Blocked > Edit on your Android phone. If the target number appears in the list, tap Unblock next to it to remove it from the blacklist.

How can you tell if someone blocked you?

If an Android user has blocked you, “your text messages will go through as usual; they just won’t be delivered to the Android user,” according to Lavelle. It’s the same as an iPhone, but without the “delivered” notification (or lack thereof).