You sent a message to someone on your iPhone and Messages said "Sent as Text Message" and you don’t know why. This means the message was sent through SMS. If the message was sent as an SMS message, the blue bubble will turn into a green text bubble. So, you are wondering if you are blocked by this person. You may especially suspect that you are blocked if your messages suddenly stop being delivered as iMessages. In this article, I will cover possible scenarios to answer this question.
WHAT TO KNOW
- If your iPhone says “Sent as Text Message,” it does not necessarily mean you’re blocked. It means they’re being sent as SMS texts rather than iMessages.
- You’ll always see green when texting Android users, or when you’re not connected to the internet.
- If all of your iPhone messages are green, you should make sure iMessage is turned on in Settings.
iMessages are texts and media sent between Apple devices over an internet connection. A successfully sent iMessage appears as a blue text bubble in your chat conversation.
However, you’re probably here because you noticed your messages are sent as a green text bubble instead of blue or perhaps saw a "Sent as Text Message" note at the bottom of the bubble.
What does this mean? Have you been blocked? Below, we explain why you’re probably not blocked, why your iMessage is sent as a text message, and how to fix it if you think it’s a mistake.
Does green Sent as text message mean you are blocked?
When sending messages to another Apple device, your iPhone will use iMessages. But if you’re texting an Android phone, or you’re not connected to the internet, your iPhone will use SMS. As a general rule, you can’t send an iMessage to an Android phone.
Sometimes, when you are sending a message to another iPhone user, you may see the blue arrow Send icon indicating that the message will be delivered as an iMessage. When you tap the button to send the message, it will first appear in a blue bubble but won’t say “Delivered.” It will stay in the blue bubble for some time, and then it will turn into the green bubble with a “Sent as Text Message” notification indicating the text could not be sent as iMessage. So, does this mean you are blocked?
The answer to the question is maybe. You cannot send an iMessage to someone who blocked you. It will say “Sent as Text Message,” but still, the person will not get the message. However, your iMessages may send as SMS text messages in green bubbles instead of blue bubbles even when you are not blocked.
If you’re used to seeing blue iMessage text bubbles but they are suddenly green, it can be an indication you’ve been blocked – but that’s just one possibility, and isn’t necessarily the most likely.
Reasons you may see a green text bubble in Messages
If your iPhone messages are green, it means they’re being sent as SMS texts rather than iMessages. You may see a green text bubble if one of the following conditions occurs:
There may be issues with iMessage on your iPhone
When your iMessage is sent as a text message, it’s worth checking whether the root cause of the issue lies with your iPhone first.
iMessage texts sending in green instead of blue is a common problem when the service stops functioning as it should. You may experience iMessage issues after switching your SIM card or adding a new device to your Apple ID, so apply various troubleshooting methods to fix iMessage on your iPhone first.
The Recipient’s Device Is Not Connected to the Internet
For a text to be successfully sent as an iMessage, the recipient’s Apple device must also be connected to the internet. Otherwise, the iMessage will be sent as a text message to their device, or you might see an "iMessage Not Delivered" error on your iPhone if it’s not sent out.
The Recipient Wasn’t Using an Apple Device at the Time
Remember, iMessage only works between Apple devices. So, if your family or friend switches from an iPhone to an Android smartphone, for example, your iMessage will automatically be sent as a text message to them.
Your iPhone does not notify you that they have changed devices, even if your previous chat conversations were held using iMessage.
The Recipient’s Device Was Turned Off
Another simple reason is that your contact may have turned off their iPhone, or their device had shut down because it ran out of battery. When this happens, you can still continue to message them. However, your iMessage will be sent as a text message or simply remain pending until the other party turns on their device again.
The Recipient Disabled iMessage on Their iPhone
iMessage is a feature that can be enabled and disabled in the iPhone’s Settings app. For whatever reason, your contact may have chosen to turn off iMessage.
If this happens, you’ll be unable to send and receive iMessages from them. However, both of you can still reach each other with SMS text messages.
There’s a chance that iMessage is down on Apple’s end
When iMessage is not available for you or the recipient due to outages, the messages will be sent as SMS. Visit Apple’s System Status page and check if iMessage service is having known technical issues.
Turn on iMessages so your messages appear in blue bubbles when able
In order to send and receive the "blue text bubbles" when chatting with other iPhone, iPad, and Mac users, iMessage must be enabled on your iPhone.
If you have recently bought a new iPhone and set it up using your Apple ID already, iMessage will already be enabled and ready to use.
But if iMessage isn’t enabled, here’s how to do it:
- First, unlock your iPhone and launch the Settings app from the home screen.
- In Settings, scroll down until you find ”Messages” and tap on it.
- At the top of the screen, find iMessage.
- If the slider on the right is green, iMessage is already enabled. If not, tap the slider to enable iMessage
- If iMessage is already turned on, turn iMessage off by swiping the button to the left.
- Turn off your iPhone, then turn it on again.
- Go back to the Settings app, tap Messages, and turn iMessage back on by swiping the button to the right.
After activation, you will now be able to send and receive the "blue text bubbles" when chatting with other iPhone, iPad, and Mac users.
How to enable SMS only on iPhone
It’s possible to disable iMessage entirely, which ensures that all your messages are sent as SMS using your cellular service’s voice network instead of Wi-Fi or your data service. You may want to switch to SMS if there are issues with Apple’s messaging system, or if you have an urgent message to send, but you can’t find a stable internet connection.
If you do this, all texts — sent to both iPhone and Android devices alike — will appear in green text bubbles.
Here’s how to switch to SMS only:
- First, unlock your iPhone and launch the Settings app from the home screen.
- In Settings, scroll down until you find ”Messages” and tap on it.
- Make sure iMessage is turned off by swiping the button to the left.