14 Ways to Fix iPhone Not Sending or Receiving Pictures

Have trouble sending or receiving pictures in Messages or iMessage on your iPhone? Sharing photos is a common and essential part of communication, and when it doesn’t work as expected, it can be frustrating. However, don’t fret or get angry yet; we have figured out some easy ways to fix iPhone not sending or receiving pictures.

Whether you can’t send pictures to Android devices, encounter problems specifically with iMessage, or face general issues with picture messaging, we’ve got you covered. Whatever is causing your iPhone not to send pictures via iMessage or MMS, the troubleshooting options below should help. Moreover, you can also check out the video below for further help.

The first order of business is to establish whether you can’t send pictures in Messages or iMessage or both. Simply put, is it a blue bubble (iMessage) or green bubble (SMS) problem? As the troubleshooting methods might vary.

However, there are also some common fixes you can try. Accordingly, the article is divided into three sections – general troubleshooting, fixes for MMS(green bubble), and fixes for iMessage (blue bubble).

General Troubleshooting to Fix iPhone Not Sending Pictures

1. Try Sending a Picture to Another Contact

Before we go into fixes, it’s wiser to determine if the problem is specific to a particular contact or is a general issue. To do so, try sending a picture to a different contact or group. If the picture goes through successfully, nothing is wrong with your iPhone or network connection.

Perhaps the person you’ve been messaging the picture(s) to without success isn’t on iMessage, or the contact phone number is incorrect. Or maybe the number has been deactivated or is no longer using iMessage. In that case, share this guide with the contact and ask them to check their settings and troubleshoot their device.

2. Check Network Connection

If you use cellular/mobile data, check that you haven’t exhausted your current internet plan or subscription. If, on the other hand, you are using a Wi-Fi connection, check your router settings.

A good way to go about this is to open a webpage on Safari or your preferred browser. If you can surf the internet on the browser or use some other apps that require internet connectivity to function, everything is fine with your internet connection.

Otherwise, check our guide suggesting ways to fix internet connectivity issues on iPhone.

3. If You See a Red Exclamation Point

If your iPhone won’t send pictures and shows a red exclamation mark next to the message, check your internet connection. Next up, tap the exclamation mark icon and tap Try Again.

If this doesn’t work, try force sending it as a test message (MMS), i.e., tap the exclamation mark icon and select ‘Send as Text Message’.

Note: Messaging rates may apply when sending the picture through text, so contact your carrier.

4. Restart the Messages App

If not connection-related, the issue might be caused due to a minor bug in the messaging app. And restarting the app can help you fix that issue in minutes.

Step 1: To close the app, bring the App Switcher

• For iPhone with Face ID: Swipe up from the bottom of the screen towards the middle and hold.
  
• For iPhone with Touch ID: Double-click the Home button.

Step 2: Swipe left or right to find the Messages app.

Step 3: Hold and swipe up the app to close it.

Now, open the Messages app. However, if your iPhone still does not send or receive pictures, try the next method.

5. Restart iPhone

As simple and unbelievable as this sounds, restarting your iPhone can fix several problems, including this one.

To restart your iPhone, do the following,

• iPhone with Face ID: Press and hold the volume down/up and the side buttons simultaneously. Then, drag the power slider to turn off the device.

• iPhone with Touch ID: Press and hold the side button, then drag the power slider to turn off the device.

6. Update iOS

Another solution to fix a bug-related issue is to update iOS. This will not only fix the iPhone not sending pictures issue but also help if your iPhone photos are not loading in messages.

To do so, go to Settings → General → Software Update → tap Download and Install (if an update is available).

Fix iPhone Not Sending Pictures in Text Message

If you can’t send pictures on iPhone through text even after the general fixes shared above, ask some potent questions.

• Does your carrier plan support MMS? – If not, upgrade your plan or switch to a different carrier.
• Do you have enough balance to send an MMS? – Get the necessary recharge to send MMSs freely.
• Is MMS enabled on your iPhone? – Steps to check and enable MMS on your iPhone are mentioned below.

7. Enable MMS on iPhone

When sending a picture, videos, and other multimedia content through text, it is sent as an MMS. And before we proceed, it’s wiser to check whether the feature is enabled on your device.

Go to Settings → Messages → turn on the toggle for MMS Messaging.

Note: If you can’t see an option to enable/disable MMS Messaging on the iPhone, your carrier probably does not support the feature. Contact the carrier for more information.

8. Reset Network Settings

If you could send MMS before, and it has suddenly stopped, there may be an issue with cellular settings on your iPhone. To fix the disturbance, reset the network settings.

However, this will also reset Wi-Fi networks and passwords, VPN and APN settings, so view and save your Wi-Fi passwords and more to reconnect later.

Go to Settings → General → ‘Transfer or Reset iPhone’ → Reset → Reset Network Settings → enter password.

9. Call Your Carrier

Still can’t send pictures to Android or non-iMessage users via text? Connect with your carrier and enlist their help. It might be an issue on their end, and they can help you resolve it.

Fix iPhone Not Sending Pictures in iMessage

10. Ensure iMessage is Enabled

If you’re not able to share any iMessage, maybe the iMessage is not properly activated or enabled. To check the settings, go to Settings → Messages → toggle on iMessages → follow the on-screen instructions.

11. Check System Status

Maybe there’s nothing wrong on your end, but Apple servers are at fault. While this usually means that iMessage won’t work altogether, there’s a chance you’re facing an error when sharing photos on your iPhone.

To do so, visit the Apple System Status website and check whether Messages is working. If iMessage is down, wait till Apple fixes the issue otherwise; skip to the next solution.

12. Check iPhone Storage

This is a particularly important step in checking if your iPhone is not receiving photos via messages. A packed iPhone storage would stop your iPhone from receiving big files, including images.

To check your storage, go to Settings → General → iPhone Storage. If the storage is in the red zone, try deleting/offloading apps, clearing other storage, moving files to iCloud, and more to make space for incoming messages.

13. Sign Out of Apple ID and Back In

Like resetting the network settings, this will simply reset any connection error that might stop the iPhone from sending or receiving photos. However, this will not reset or affect any changes in settings you’ve made or data stored on your iPhone.

To do so, go to Settings → Apple ID → Sign Out → enter your password → Turn Off.

14. Contact Apple Support

If none of the above methods worked, this will be your last resort. Contact Apple Support and share your issue with them. Notably, they’ll ask you to repeat some of the steps, do let them know what troubleshooting steps you’ve already tried.

Send and Receive Pictures in Messages

iMessage has come a long way; you can share self-made stickers alongside images. But if you can’t send images or stickers, we hope our guide helps you. For more assistance, feel free to connect with us.