There are a few common reasons why a Facebook message may fail to send. The most likely culprits include network connectivity issues, software bugs, blocked recipients, and message filters. Diagnosing the specific reason your message didn’t go through can be frustrating, but this guide will walk you through the major troubleshooting steps so you can get your message delivered.
Check Your Internet Connection
The first thing to check whenever a Facebook message won’t send is your internet connection. If you’ve lost your WiFi signal or your mobile data is spotty, messages may fail to send or get stuck in pending status. Here are some tips for troubleshooting your connection:
- Restart your device – Toggle airplane mode on and off to refresh the connection.
- Check WiFi settings – Make sure you’re connected to the right network and the signal strength is strong.
- Verify mobile data is enabled – For mobile devices, enable cellular data if WiFi is disconnected.
- Test with another device – Try sending a message from a computer or another phone on the same network.
If the message goes through on another device, then you can isolate the issue to your original device. But if the message still fails, there may be a more widespread network outage or service disruption between your location and Facebook servers. Switching networks or waiting a bit may resolve network-related send failures.
Update Facebook App
Assuming your internet connection is solid, another culprit for unsent messages is having an outdated version of the Facebook app. Mobile apps in particular release frequent bug fixes and performance improvements. Failing to update to the latest version can introduce messaging glitches.
To ensure you’re running the most up-to-date Facebook release:
- On iOS – Open the App Store, select Updates, and check if Facebook is listed.
- On Android – Open Google Play Store, tap Menu > My Apps & Games, and check if Facebook needs updating.
Install any available updates. Then try sending your message again. An app update may resolve underlying software bugs that disrupted messaging.
Restart Facebook App
Before updating the Facebook app itself, another basic troubleshooting step is simply restarting the app. Force quitting and relaunching the Facebook mobile app or web browser window can clear any cached bugs that are interfering with sending messages.
To restart the Facebook app:
- On iOS – Double tap the Home button and swipe up on the Facebook preview to fully close it.
- On Android – Open Settings > Apps & Notifications > App Info > Facebook, then select Force Stop.
- On Desktop – Quit your web browser completely then relaunch it.
Restarting provides a clean slate and may resolve any temporary glitches. Try sending your message again after app restart.
Check Recipient’s Block Settings
If you can send messages to other friends without issue, the problem may be on the recipient’s end. Specifically, the person you’re trying to message could have their account or message settings configured to block messages from you. Here are a couple places to check:
- Are you blocked? – Visit the recipient’s profile and see if you’re still listed as a friend.
- Are messages blocked? – They could have messaging disabled or restricted to friends only.
You won’t receive any indication that your messages are blocked from someone else’s end. The messages will simply fail to send without notifying you why. Have the recipient check their account settings to see if messages from you are being blocked.
Check Message Filters
Beyond outright message blocking, recipients can also filter messages into a spam folder. Facebook’s message filters aim to detect nuisance messages and divert them from the main inbox. But sometimes legitimate messages get inadvertently flagged and filtered.
If you seem to be blocked from a particular friend, politely ask if they can check their message filters and unblock you. On desktop, users can access filtered messages by clicking on the Message Requests tab in messenger. On mobile, tap on the People icon in messenger and select Message Requests.
False positives in Facebook’s automated filters could be flagging your messages, so they fail to send to the recipient’s inbox.
Don’t Exceed Message Limits
Although rare, another potential cause of send failures is exceeding Facebook’s message limits. If you send a flurry of messages in quick succession, Facebook may throttle some messages to protect against spam. Limits seem to be in the ballpark of 50 messages sent per minute per thread.
If you hit a message cap, take a break for an hour or two before attempting to resend the message. Also avoid sending duplicate messages repeatedly, as that signals robotic spam behavior.
Retry Sending
With so many moving pieces, transient glitches can also be to blame for message failures. A quick network blip, temporary software bug, or momentary hiccup could cause messages to fail to send. Before assuming permanent failure, always try sending the message again later.
Click retry or attempt to resend the message after a delay of ten minutes, an hour, or even a day. Intermittent issues may resolve on a second or third send attempt. If a repeated message goes through, then an ephemeral network or software issue was likely the cause.
Contact Facebook Support
If all else fails and your message still won’t send after troubleshooting your device, app, recipient, and network, reach out to Facebook support. Describe your message send issue and supply any helpful diagnostics like screenshots or error messages. Support can investigate server logs and identify any problems on Facebook’s infrastructure causing repeated message failures.
Conclusion
Unsent Facebook messages usually stem from solvable issues like network outages, software bugs, blocks/filters, or random glitches. Check your device’s connection, update the Facebook app, restart it, verify the recipient’s account settings, avoid spam behaviors, and retry sending later. If problems persist across devices and networks, contact Facebook support to trace the cause on their back end. With some diligent troubleshooting steps, you should be able to diagnose why your Facebook message failed and get it delivered properly.
| Reason for Unsent Message | Troubleshooting Steps |
|---|---|
| Network connection issues | Restart device, check WiFi and cellular data, test different network |
| Outdated Facebook app | Update app to latest version |
| Temporary software glitch | Force quit and relaunch Facebook app |
| You’re blocked by recipient | Check if you’re still friends on their profile |
| Recipient has messaging disabled | Ask recipient to verify their account settings |
| Message filtered as spam | Have recipient check message filters and unblock you |
| Hitting message send limits | Slow down send rate and avoid duplicates |
| Intermittent issue | Retry sending the message later |
| Problem on Facebook’s end | Contact Facebook support for investigation |
Network Issues
Connectivity problems are one of the most common reasons Facebook messages won’t send. Anything that interrupts the flow of data between your device and Facebook’s servers can block messages. Steps to troubleshoot network issues include:
- Toggle airplane mode on and off on your mobile device or laptop to refresh the connection.
- Restart your home WiFi router and modem to resolve any network conflicts.
- Disable VPN connections that could be routing traffic away from Facebook.
- On mobile, ensure cellular data is enabled if WiFi is down.
- Test your connection speed to confirm overall network performance.
- Try accessing Facebook from different locations and networks.
If the message sends over a different network, then something is disrupting your usual connection. But if it fails everywhere, a larger regional outage may be preventing communication with Facebook’s infrastructure.
Facebook App Issues
Problems with the Facebook app itself also commonly prevent messages from sending properly. Crashes, freezes, bugs, and glitches can interrupt the send process or cause errors. Updating the app and restarting it are two easy ways to clear up software issues:
- Install the latest Facebook app available for your device.
- Force stop the Facebook app completely, clear cache/data, then restart it.
- Try accessing Facebook through the mobile site or desktop site if the native app is problematic.
- Report persistent app issues directly to the Facebook team.
Reinstalling the app as a last resort can also reset any corrupted data or configuration problems. If messaging works fine through the web but not the native app, then an app reinstall may resolve the send failures.
Recipient Block Settings
Issues on the recipient’s end can also prevent your messages from getting through. You may be inadvertently blocked, have messages filtered, or be trying to message someone with messaging disabled. Ways to check potential blocks include:
- See if you’re still listed as a friend on the recipient’s profile.
- Ask if they have messaging restricted only to friends.
- Request they check message filters and spam settings for false positives.
- Confirm your messages aren’t getting caught in the “Message Requests” folder.
If the recipient confirms your messages are blocked or filtered to spam, they will have to update their settings and unblock you to receive messages again.
Facebook Spam Detection
To protect against spam, Facebook limits how many messages you can send per minute and watches for suspicious duplicate messages. If you exceed the limits or send repetitive messages, Facebook may throttle or block some messages from sending. Slow down your send rate if you encounter failures after a flurry of messages. Also reword messages instead of sending exact duplicates repeatedly. Standard messaging limits allow around 50 messages per minute and thread.
Intermittent Send Issues
With so many technical components involved in sending Facebook messages, random transient glitches can also occur. Minor network blips, temporary bugs, short server outages, or unpredictable software crashes could all cause messages to fail to send. Before assuming permanent failure, always retry sending the message again later. An issue at one moment may have already resolved on a second send attempt ten minutes or an hour later. Intermittent issues are frustrating but often clear up on their own.