Billions of people worldwide are using text messaging daily. But many people receiving an SMS or MMS from them will get neither a notification nor a helpful “delivery error” message. The most popular word that often comes up is message blocking. A lot of people ask themselves, “What is message blocking? Why does it occur? How do I fix this message blocking?” Let’s make the concept of psychology simple and help you understand it with easy-to-read language in this article, as we will also provide some solutions that anyone can apply.
Message-blocking refers to a sender’s or recipient’s inability to send or receive messages and can be imposed on the device sending or receiving the message, as well as on the mobile carrier network. When on, however, this barrier prevents the mobile phone from sending texts and displays an error alert that says “cannot do this right now.”
How Message Blocking Works?
To better understand message blocking, you should also become familiar with how messaging services work. An SMS or MMS needs to go through:
Your mobile phone
Your carrier’s server
The recipient’s carrier
The recipient’s device
The message fails to go through if, at any point along this chain, it is obstructed. So, it can be said that message blocking is a security measure to prevent unwanted or prohibited communication from advancing. It can also help protect users from spam, abuse, or unwanted marketing messages.
Common Causes Behind Message Blocking
• There are various reasons message blocking may take place:
Contact Blocking: If the recipient has blocked the sender, messages will not be sent through.
Carrier Restrictions: Mobile carriers may limit access to Premium SMS under certain conditions, such as not being able to approve charges or send messages; check with your mobile carrier for details.
Shortcode Limitations: Texts sent via shortcodes (usually used for marketing or verification) can be blocked if the carrier doesn’t allow them.
Content Screening: Service providers can screen messages to guard against unsolicited content or spam, blocking the message.
Technical Hiccups: There might be a server issue, or network congestion may cause the message to be delivered in batches, making it appear as a single message.
Types of Message Blocking
• Text blocking is the blocking of text messages.
• Incoming Message Blocking: Stops messages from being received on the user end, usually due to parental or privacy controls or the use of a third-party app.
• Outgoing Message Blocking: Prevents users from sending messages, typically for billing issues or carrier plan restrictions.
• Both flavours of message blocking can be enabled at the same time and depend on your account and device settings.
How to Ratify These Message Blocking Problems?
• Determine whether you are blocked by reaching out to the recipient by other means, and if calls fail, you likely have been blocked.
• Confirm your carrier status by verifying whether or not your messaging plan is active; call customer support if service has been suspended.
• Turn off parental controls, which can be active even when everything looks normal; change settings in the carrier portal.
• Keep your device up to date, so you don’t have messaging errors related to out-of-date software.
• Put your SIM back in; a damaged or misplaced SIM can cause problems with service messages.
• Reset network settings to eliminate obsolete configurations and return the connection.
Can Message Blocking Be Avoided?
Yes, by ensuring:
Your bill is paid
Your network settings are updated
No blocking apps that are not necessary, since every blockade is unwanted or installed.
You use carrier-approved messaging platforms
Is Message Blocking Permanent?
In the majority of cases, a message has been temporarily blocked. After the technical or user issue is resolved, messaging services work as expected again. You are indeed being prevented from potentially permanently blocking.
Conclusion
What is message blocking? Message blocking is a feature that communication system providers use to protect users when they send messages. It’s key to know what sets it off, so you can break up fights as quickly as possible. When you see notifications about message blocking, some tips can help you investigate and confirm whether your carrier has not intentionally restricted them. Early detection and intervention can effectively restore normal messaging function.
