That being said, some users have experienced the following error message after sending a text: “Unable to send message – Message Blocking is active.”. It’s a problem that also shows up on various mobile carriers and smartphone models. In this guide, we’ll show you what the “message blocking is active” error means on your phone and how to fix it.
“Free Msg: Unable to send message – Message Blocking is active” — Most Common Reasons
This error message automatically appears when you’ve blocked the recipient or are included on your blocked numbers. It can also appear when you’ve been blocked by the recipient. But if you are sure that both situations above didn’t happen, here are more common reasons why the “message blocking is active” error shows up in your conversations:
1 “Free Msg: Unable to send message – Message Blocking is active” — Most Common Reasons2 Message Blocking Is Active: Unable to Send Message on Phone Fixes2.1 Fix #1: Check your Cell Coverage2.2 Fix #2: Verify your Mobile Number2.3 Fix #3: Remove the Recipient from your Blocked Numbers2.4 Fix #4: Enable Premium Message Access (Android Users)2.5 Fix #5: Send the Text using iMessage (iOS Users)2.6 Fix #6: Contact your Cell Service Provider3 Final Thoughts
You’re only Subscribed to a Data Plan – This error message can appear when your mobile number is restricted to a data plan. It prevents you from sending messages unless you reapply for a new plan with text messaging.
Restricted Text Messages – If your recipient has restricted the text messages that they are receiving, it can block a bunch of messages, including yours. Thus, triggering the “message blocking is active” error message on your conversation.
Cell Service is Down – One common reason that triggers this error is when your service provider’s cell service is down. Besides contacting them directly, you can check their status page and see if all services are operational.
Premium Message Access is Disabled – If your recipient is on a premium text messaging service, you’ll need to first check on your settings if it is enabled. If it’s disabled, you’ll see the “message blocking is active” error appear on your screen.
Message Blocking Is Active: Unable to Send Message on Phone Fixes
If you’ve experienced one or more of the situations above, here are some fixes that you can try to solve the “message blocking is active” error on your phone. Remember to go over these fixes individually and see which one works best for your device.
Fix #1: Check your Cell Coverage
Before sending a text, ensure that your phone receives sufficient signal coverage to properly send messages. Also, contact your service provider to verify your subscription, especially when you’re subscribed to a data-only plan. You can opt for plans with text messaging and see if this solves the issue.
Fix #2: Verify your Mobile Number
If you’re using a phone number that was not used for a while or didn’t have any significant activity for a few weeks or months, you’ll need to get its status checked first with your service provider. Some numbers can be suspended if it hasn’t had any activity for a significant amount of time.
Fix #3: Remove the Recipient from your Blocked Numbers
You can sometimes block your recipient by accident. Fortunately, this can be reverted by going to your phone’s message settings. It’s a quick way to solve the “message blocking is active” issue on your phone. To unblock the recipient on an Android device, follow these steps: To unblock the recipient on an iOS device, proceed to these steps: Please note that any messages that were sent while the recipient was blocked will not be resent. For more details on this behaviour, please read our article Will iMessage Say Delivered if Blocked?
Fix #4: Enable Premium Message Access (Android Users)
If you’re sending a message to a recipient with premium message access, you’ll also need to enable this feature on your phone once it’s supported. This feature is available mainly on Android phones. To enable premium message access on an Android device, proceed to the steps below:
Fix #5: Send the Text using iMessage (iOS Users)
Another alternative for text messaging is to use iMessage. It’s a useful feature when you’re experiencing SMS issues since your text is sent through the internet. However, you and your recipient need to have an iOS device to access iMessage. Note: Messages sent through iMessage will display blue bubbles instead of green ones, which are represented by an SMS message. To send texts using iMessage, follow these steps:
Fix #6: Contact your Cell Service Provider
If all fixes didn’t work, you can contact or go directly to your service provider to ask for further help. When you’re under a postpaid plan, you can ask for an upgrade for text messaging or to get your phone number replaced, especially when it has problems.
Final Thoughts
Besides communicating through internet-based messaging services—like Messenger, WhatsApp, Telegram, and others—text messaging is still one of the most reliable offline services today. With it, you can send messages to your contacts as long as you have a valid phone number. Hence, these fixes can hopefully guide you to solve the “Free Msg: Unable to send message – Message Blocking is active” error on your conversations. Remember to contact your service provider for an account and phone number concerns.
