13 Fixes: Android Won’t Send Picture Messages Issue

Android users frequently encounter an issue where a message sender can’t send picture messages to another phone number through the default Android Messaging software.

Moreover, the text messaging service preferred to compress pictures for successful transmission overseas. Sending an attachment through an email was cheaper than sending a picture message through MMS.

We are here to fix the Android Won’t Send Picture Messages issue where an Android phone won’t send picture messages, so let us know why this problem occurs.

Why won’t my messages send?

There can be numerous reasons why Android users can’t send picture messages through Android’s Multimedia Messaging Service. The MMS service users previously used to send a picture message did not utilize mobile data to transfer a picture message; instead, they used full network connectivity to send multimedia messages.

Google nowadays has implemented a new service called Rich Communications Service (RCS) to revolutionize SMS and MMS communication through the mobile network by introducing Instant Messaging, the ability to send higher quality picture messages, location information, stickers, and perform native video calls.

But the RCS depends on mobile data and data connectivity, so any disturbance from that area will raise situations where Android users can’t send picture messages. Moreover, any changes in the APN settings which hampers the mobile networks can lead to an error in the text message service.

APN settings are unique for all mobile networks so that everyone with a mobile device and a SIM can access data connectivity towers without any problems. So resetting the network settings can provide to be helpful.

Another observation through the complaints by users with the picture issue is that the Android device is often out of the network coverage area or the data plan has expired when the problem of Android phone can’t send picture messages to occur.

There are numerous reasons for this irritating and unreliable problem, but our post will describe 13 tips and tricks to fix situations where you can’t send picture messages. So without further ado, let us dive into these illustrative detailed fixes.

Solutions to Fix Android Won’t Send Picture Messages Issue

1. Enable Mobile and WiFi Data Connection
2. Restart Your Android Phone
3. Force Stop Messages App on Android
4. Check Whether the MMS Service Is Enabled
5. Allow Unrestricted Data Usage Messages app
6. Clear Messages App Storage (App Data & Cache)
7. Use Play Store to Update the Messages App
8. Reset APN Settings
9. Reset the Network Settings to Default
10. Perform a Soft Reset
11. Update the Android system
12. Perform a Factory Reset
13. Contact your Network Operator (Final Solution)

These troubleshooting tips below are designed to fix Android can’t send picture messages in the least hectic way possible, following a detailed set of instructions. If a specific solution fails to work for you, proceed to the next one. The final method fixes the problem, so don’t miss it if none of these methods work for you.

Method 1: Enable Mobile and WiFi Data Connection

The cell connection is the primary source of communication for every mobile phone. If the WiFi internet connection is not accessible in any specific location, the individual may confront a pathetic scenario if the mobile networks fail to connect on the device.

Neither the call connection is possible without mobile networks, nor can text messages be forwarded. The MMS service, which permits media file sharing between mobile phones, only functions when the cellular data link is set into the enabled state; otherwise, the phone won’t transmit picture messages.

When Android devices lack proper network connectivity, it raises the situation where we can’t send picture messages through the latest RCS messaging service.

The following steps help us to re-check if we have proper network connectivity enabled on our device, if the WiFi is working correctly, or if the data plan of the carrier services has expired. Let us see how to do it:

• Unlock your Android device, and open the Quick Settings panel by dragging the notification bar downwards. To expand the Quick Settings icons, drag downwards again and reveal all the shortcuts.

• The icon to toggle the Wifi connectivity is present on the top-left corner. Long-press on the icon to open the Wifi settings.
• Enable the Wifi by toggling the button as shown below. If you cannot open Wifi, restart the Android device (Method 2) and try again.

• The list of available Wifi routers and hotspots are shown. Connect to your home router (if you have one) by tapping on its name, enter the password (if there is any), and press connect. Now you have successfully connected to the Wifi, and now you will be able to send picture messages easily.

Similarly, if you don’t have Wifi data connectivity, you need to enable your mobile data plan. If you enter your SIM into your phone, mobile networks automatically send appropriate APN settings and enable mobile data. But sometimes, the mobile data plan expires without any notice, so your Android phone won’t send picture messages afterward.

• Check with your network operator app to see if your validity has expired. If so, renew the data plan online or offline.

• Enable mobile data connection by expanding the Quick Settings tiles and pressing the mobile data icon once (with an upward and downward arrow).

• If you want to use another SIM for data connection, long-press that icon and choose SIM 1 or SIM 2 for data usage access.

After enabling the mobile data or Wifi connectivity, open your mobile browser of any choice and any website to see if the connection has been resumed successfully. Then try sending the picture message once again. If you still can’t send picture messages, follow the methods below.

Method 2: Restart Your Android Phone

IT instructors and technical advisors always mention that the first step to troubleshooting any issue happening on any device is rebooting or restarting the whole system. Restarting the Android system through a force reboot will help shut down the unnecessary services and apps running in the background.

These background processes often disturb the proper functioning of the devices, and the only way to fix random crash issues (app not responding) with battery life problems is by restarting the device.

To be technically correct, restarting your Android phone is notably not a standard answer to the question ”why won’t my messages send” but refreshing all the services, deleting the cache, restoring the network connectivity, and starting all vital processes anew might just save you from a lot of trouble.

Therefore, let us see the troubleshooting tips on how to restart your Android phone:

• Every Android phone has a Power button, which generally helps turn off the screen after you are done working on the phone. The same button can help you restart your Android device.

• Press the Power button long enough to bring up a power menu on the right side of the screen (or sometimes in the middle). Find the Restart or Reboot option among all the possibilities (Power off, Screenshot, Lock screen), and press on it. You have to push it again on some devices to confirm your action.
• The android will now show that it is Restarting, then it shuts down and wakes up with its boot logo and animation sound. After the system starts up, unlock the screen and try to send the picture message again.

If you still can’t send a picture message through the messaging app, follow the steps below.

Method 3: Force Stop Messages App on Android

At the core of Android is the Linux kernel, the component responsible for managing memory and processes, along with a whole load of other resources. Whenever you launch an app, you are essentially starting a Linux process. The kernel’s role is to arrange CPU time and allocate memory to the process to execute.

When an app leaves, the kernel will clean up all the resources utilized by the app (like open files, allocated RAM, etc.) and finally terminate the process that was started for that app.

However, if things start to go wrong, the program might misbehave. It could cease reacting to specific events, become caught in some form of a loop, or start doing strange things.

In this scenario where an android phone won’t send picture messages, the Messages app is behaving unexpectedly, which needs to be killed and then resumed. That is what Force Stop action is for; it effectively shuts off the Linux process for the software and cleans up the mess!

The reason why using Force Stop is suggested when attempting to solve the “I can’t send picture messages” issue:

It terminates the presently operating instance of the Messages app, and

It implies that the messaging app will no longer be accessing any of its cache files.

So let us see how to Force Stop the messaging app on Android:

• Launch the Settings app from the app drawer, and Open the Apps & notifications category.

• Expand the App list by selecting “See all apps.”
• Keep scrolling the app list until you find the Messages app listed on the phone. Since the phone used in the screenshots features a Stock Android ROM, therefore the Google Messages app is the default Messaging app. If you use another messaging app, find the package name of that app among the list of apps in the settings.
• Tap the messaging app to open its own settings.
• Press on the Force Stop icon to kill the messaging app. Press OK on the confirmation dialog box when it appears after the first action.
• This will terminate the messaging app.

Relaunch the messaging service by opening the app again and sending another picture message through the text messaging service. You will get a notification sound if you are successful; else, follow other methods given below.

Method 4: Check Whether the MMS Service Is Enabled

We have seen in the discussion above how the Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) is essential to send picture messages through the cellular network. Services are individual processes that take up some memory on the RAM of the Android device, and it is the responsibility of the Android System to manage, govern, and keep alive the vital services in the memory.

The MMS service is considered a part of such emergency messaging services, and the Android system requires this process when you want to send a picture message through your Android phone. Even the latest RCS service used by Google takes the help of the MMS service.

We need to enable the MMS service through the device’s messages settings to send multimedia messages. Without this, we can neither send nor receive picture messages on or Android devices. Let us see how to enable the MMS feature to fix this picture issue:

• Open the Messages app on your Android device by touching its icon from the app drawer.

• Press the 3-dotted icon at the top-right corner and open Settings.
• Please navigate to the Advanced category by tapping on its button.
• Enable the options to Auto-download MMS and Auto-download MMS when roaming. You might incur extra charges when you keep the MMS service running while you are roaming (i.e., you are not present in the State where you bought the SIM), but it is necessary to fix the issue of Android devices not sending picture messages.

In some Android phones with the latest system version, there is no separate option to enable MMS in the messaging app settings, which was the more straightforward method. Newer Android devices require to switch to the APN designed to enable the MMS service.

As discussed, APN settings are provided to all SIM owners’ mobile when activated and put inside the SIM tray. Network operators offer multiple APNs nowadays, so users can decide what task they want to do with their SIM and select their preferences.

We will show you how to shift to the APN, which has the MMS service enabled to send picture messages through instant messaging:

• Go to the Settings app on your mobile device, and open the Network and internet settings.
• Press the Mobile network icon, and select the SIM you use primarily. In this case, I am using my Airtel SIM present in SIM Slot 1.

• Expand the list of options in the SIM setting by pressing the Expand arrow.
• Open the Access point names panel by tapping on it.
• Among the list of APNs available there, select Airtel MMS, scroll down, and check if the APN is enabled or not. It should be enabled by default. If not, toggle to start the MMS service.

Exit from the Settings app and send the picture message again. Follow the other methods below if you still can’t send picture messages.

Method 5: Allow Unrestricted Data Usage Messages app

On one side, we have seen how to resume regular data connectivity and check if the data plan of the mobile network had expired or not. The fix might help correct the issue where phones can’t send picture messages. If that fix didn’t work for you, we have created another method, where you have to allow unrestricted data access to the Messages app.

Android phones make a data limit according to our data plan so that our daily data usage does not cross a specific limit. If we somehow reach the data limit while browsing the internet, our Android phones automatically block or limit all apps’ data usage, regardless of how much data is left in our data plan.

But we also need the data limit so that other data-hungry apps don’t consume everything away from sight. The MMS or RCS services do not consume a tremendous amount of data allocated to us, so we can safely grant Unrestricted data usage to the Messages app.

Also, the Messages app helps to compress pictures before sending them to the other party, so there is significantly less data consumption. So let us see how to grant access to the Messaging app:

• Open the Settings app by tapping its icon from the app drawer or the notification bar.
• Tap Apps & notification, and expand the list of apps by pressing See All Apps.
• Scroll down the list to find the Messages app below. Open it by pressing on it.
• Go to the Mobile data & Wi-Fi category.

• You can see the total data used by the Messages app, which is very insignificant. Enable both Background data and Unrestricted data usage options to allow the app to freely access data whenever it needs.

After these steps, the messaging app can consume data even when running in the background (away from the list of running apps). Try sending a family picture to see if the process worked. Otherwise, proceed to the next steps.

Method 6: Clear Messages App Storage (App Data & Cache)

When you use an app on your Android, it saves temporary data from cache files on your phone. The phone does this to static material or repeated files to swiftly remember related information when relaunching the app.

On the one hand, cache files boost your surfing speeds; on the other hand, they slow down your phone’s overall performance by taking up its storage space over time.

As a result, it is vital to clear the cache on Android regularly to free up storage by eliminating outdated and useless cache files. Also, remember that a cache file only benefits the related program.

If you can’t send picture messages through your Android device, the problem might lie in the cache and storage of Android’s default messaging app. A probable and working fix is wiping the cache and storage of the Messages app.

Don’t worry because we won’t be clearing messages from your phone; instead, we will master reset the Messages app and change its settings to the default version. So let us help you go through the process of deleting cache and Storage:

• Fire up the Setting app on your Android device from its default location.
• To open the app list, navigate to the Apps & notifications option, expand the app list by tapping See all apps, and scroll down to find the Messages app.
• Open the app to find its settings. Press Storage & cache to see how much memory the Messages app occupies.
• First, tap on CLEAR CACHE to perform a wipe of the residual files in the temporary memory.

• Next, press CLEAR STORAGE to reset the Messages app with its default settings. It will ask for confirmation regarding the deletion of internal files and database, so press OK at the prompt. We assure you that no message will be deleted, just the internal settings.

After cleaning the storage and cache, fire up Messages once more. It will take some time to load, and afterward, you can send picture messages without any problem. If you still face issues, continue to the next steps.

Method 7: Use Play Store to Update the Messages App

Android devices might fail to send picture messages through the mobile network if your default Messaging app is filled with bugs. Bugs are errors that occur due to mistakes in the app’s source code.

Therefore, it is up to the developers to push method updates to the Play Store to download and update the Messages app. But sometimes, the Play Store might fail to automatically update the app, either due to failure in data connectivity or processes being killed in the background.

We will show you how to update the Messages app through the Play Store and resume sending picture messages:

• Go to the Settings app on your Android device. Press the Apps & notifications category.
• Expand the app list, and search for the Messages app by scrolling the list up.
• Upon finding Messages, click on it to open its App info.
• Scroll to the bottom and tap on App details.
• It will redirect you to the play store page of the messaging app (if installed from the Play Store).

• You will see an Update button on the left side if an update is available. Tap on it, and after downloading the file, Play Store will update Messages automatically.

Try sending picture messages again after updating and relaunching the Messages app. If this did not work, or there were no updates in the Play Store, continue to the following methods.

Method 8: Reset APN Settings

If you have previously tried to fiddle with the default APN settings of your Android device in the hope of getting better network speeds, then this method has been designed particularly for you.

Such changes cannot be remembered easily, but incorrect APN settings often lead to connectivity problems, which makes you unable to send picture messages.

We will delete the APN settings prevalent on the device and re-insert the SIM card after restarting so that new default APN settings are downloaded automatically from the mobile operator. So let us get into the required steps directly:

• Open the Settings app on your Android device.
• Reveal the network settings by tapping on the first option, Network, and the Internet.
• Press the Mobile Network icon, and select the SIM you primarily use to send the picture message.
• Expand the list of options in the SIM settings and open the Access point names panel by tapping on it.

• Delete all the listed APNs by selecting and opening them (one-by-one), pressing the 3-dotted icon on the top-right corner, and tapping on Delete APN.

• After deleting, remove the SIMs from the SIM tray, and Restart your Android device.
• After the device starts up, re-insert the SIM cards back in their positions on the tray. You will get popups to download new APNs; accept and install them. After installation, try sending a picture message and hope you succeed.

Try the following methods if this doesn’t work.

Method 9: Reset Network Settings to Default

Sometimes while configuring our devices, we might not know what went wrong with those steps. Moreover, there can be external third-party applications that mess up with the internal settings of your device. It becomes increasingly hard to find, locate, and troubleshoot the settings.

So our initial response is, why don’t we reset all the settings and start from scratch? There might be some losses on our end, as the device will forget the saved Wifi passwords, APNs, paired Bluetooth devices, and so on.

But if sending picture messages is your primary concern and you are aware of the risk that comes with it, follow the steps to reset network settings:

• Open Settings by tapping on the gear-shaped icon in the app drawer.
• Scroll down and open the System settings.
• Expand the System settings through the Advanced arrow.
• Tap Reset Options to view the list of availabilities.
• Select the option to Reset Wi-Fi, mobile & Bluetooth, which restores most of the connectivity settings to default.
• Tap the RESET SETTINGS button on the next screen to proceed.

• This method will remove all personal preferences regarding WiFi, mobile data, and Bluetooth. You will get a chance to start fresh on these grounds.

After resetting, connect to your networks again and send a picture message. Go below if this step does not work.

Method 10: Perform a Soft Reset

A soft reset is the easiest way to bring back your Android device into a normal working state. If your device gives some unfixable issue, or won’t respond to your actions appropriately, then you can perform a soft reset on your device.

It solves various problems, such as applications not responding and crashing, fingerprint sensors not working, games not downloading, and Android phones not sending picture messages.

The steps required to perform a soft reset on your Android phone are straightforward but different for mobiles depending on whether the battery is removable.

So let us see how to perform a soft reset in a phone with a removable battery:

• If your phone has stopped responding to the MMS service or sending picture messages, open the back cover of your Android device and pull out the battery from its socket. It is safe to be cautious while doing so.

• Leave the battery out for about 45 seconds or more.
• Insert the battery again into the battery slot of the device, and put the back cover.
• Start your smartphone again by holding the power button for 5 seconds.
• Try sending the picture message again.

Soft Reset a phone with a non-removable battery:

• Hold down the power button for about 15 seconds, which will force reboot your Android device.

• The screen turns off, and you are welcomed with the usual boot animation.
• Try sending the picture message again after your device starts.

Method 11: Update the Android system

Sometimes essential functions of the application installed in the Android phone fail to work correctly because the Android system has not been updated to the latest version.

Moreover, phone manufacturing companies push regular updates to your Android system via the OTA method to fix multiple bugs and update the Android security patch to the latest version.

So if your device still is in the update cycle (i.e., gets regular updates), then let’s see how to update your Android:

• Go to the Settings app.
• At the top of all the options there, you will see About Phone. Tap on it.
• Press the block on the top left corner listing the system version.
• Tap the option to Check for Updates on the lower side.

• If there are any updates available, Android will ask for Download confirmation.
• After Downloading the update, press Install and reboot now.
• After installing the update, you can try sending a picture message after the device boots up.

Method 12: Perform a Factory Reset

This is the final solution you can perform on your device, which fixes all software-related problems without using third-party tools or fiddling with your device. This master reset technique is a factory reset or a complete wipe.

Master reset turns your phone back in time because it deletes everything on your mobile device, from personal files to customized settings, and transforms it back to the default manufacturer’s style.

To get an out-of-the-box experience with your Android phone, save everything you have on your device, including contacts, messages, photos, and videos. Follow the steps below to perform a master reset of your device:

• Firstly, we must go into recovery mode to factory reset the device.
• Power down or Turn off the device by holding down the power button and pressing the appropriate option.
• Press and hold the volume up and the power button together. When you see the Android logo, release the power button, but press the volume up button.
• Release everything when you see the screen below.
• Navigate through the menu by pressing the Volume Up (for going up the menu) and Volume Down (for going down the menu) buttons.
• Go to the Wipe data/Factory reset option, and press the power button to select it.

• Press the power button again when asked for confirmation.

• Wait for a few minutes until the master reset finishes. Go to the Reboot system now option and press the power button to select it.

• The reboot will take longer, and you need to set up your phone initially, just like you did before.

Method 13: Contact your Network Operator (Final Solution)

If you completed all the 12 methods above but still can’t send picture messages, we want to assure you that the problem doesn’t reside in your Android phone. Hence, it becomes essential to contact your service provider to ask them if there is any problem with their network.

Firstly we need to check which cellphone company we use. Use the name to search for their service care number in affiliate links found on the web. If you have an offline service care center near your home address, you can visit them and raise an issue regarding this.

Conclusion

Hope our article on how to fix Android won’t send picture messages helped solve your problems. Feel free to comment below and leave us your thoughts on this.