User profile for user: Felz__
Felz__ Author
User level: Level 1
43 points

Unable to send photos, voice notes, text or any media from my iPhone Messages app after last update

I started noticing this issue since 5/9/25. I can no longer send voice notes, photos, videos, or any media whatsoever on text message. It’s been several weeks now and nothing has changed. This is on iMessage, text message, cellular data, and WiFi. I just get a blue loading bar that loads forever and eventually says “Not Delivered” with an explanation point. I have a couple of friends who are having the same exact problem. I already reset my phone and network settings and it still does not work.




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Posted on May 25, 2025 07:58 AM

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User profile for user: Felz__
Felz__ Author
User level: Level 1
43 points

Posted on Jun 15, 2025 12:55 PM

I’m sorry but if you’re not going to provide anything helpful, then please stop replying this post. It’s clear that having a VPN (or not having one) is irrelevant to this issue. As I’ve stated, I don’t have a VPN and neither does anyone I know with this same issue. You keep replying with the same solution, which has not helped anyone. After hours of being on the phone with multiple different Apple senior advisors, yes, they have acknowledged the issue with iOS and acknowledged that thousands have called with the same exact problem. Idk what your motive is with trying to gaslight people into thinking that this is not an issue solely with iOS and that simply reactivating your non-existent VPN is the solution when it’s clearly not. again, do not respond unless you have a solution worth mentioning.

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User profile for user: Felz__
Felz__ Author
User level: Level 1
43 points

Jun 15, 2025 12:55 PM in response to Lawrence Finch

I’m sorry but if you’re not going to provide anything helpful, then please stop replying this post. It’s clear that having a VPN (or not having one) is irrelevant to this issue. As I’ve stated, I don’t have a VPN and neither does anyone I know with this same issue. You keep replying with the same solution, which has not helped anyone. After hours of being on the phone with multiple different Apple senior advisors, yes, they have acknowledged the issue with iOS and acknowledged that thousands have called with the same exact problem. Idk what your motive is with trying to gaslight people into thinking that this is not an issue solely with iOS and that simply reactivating your non-existent VPN is the solution when it’s clearly not. again, do not respond unless you have a solution worth mentioning.

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User profile for user: Felz__
Felz__ Author
User level: Level 1
43 points

Jun 7, 2025 08:57 AM in response to npetrik

Same. I considering an android as well. I spent two hours on the phone with a senior advisor and they did a full diagnostic on my phone and went through all my settings and found nothing wrong with it. She could not figure it out. After that, she had me do a factory reset which did nothing to fix the problem and was a major inconvenience and waste of my time. Still have not found a solution and it does not seem like Apple is doing anything to fix it.

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User profile for user: Felz__
Felz__ Author
User level: Level 1
43 points

Jun 14, 2025 08:32 PM in response to Magnolia22

Ugh. Yeah this is very annoying. Apple senior advisor gave me zero solutions after going through every single setting in my phone, doing a diagnostic, and resetting my phone to factory settings. Idk why that guy keeps responding with the same reply talking about it the VPN. That’s clearly not what is happening as thousands are having the same issue. I’m not sure what his MO is with that.


I think we honestly just need to wait for the next iOS update unfortunately. I was told Apple is aware of the issue and is working on it. I’m hoping they will figure it out or I will have to get an android eventually.

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User profile for user: MNM17
MNM17
User level: Level 1
14 points

Jul 2, 2025 08:34 AM in response to Felz__

Same issues! I got the new iphone 16 pro end of May 2025 and immediately couldn't send videos or pictures. It doesn't matter if its in a group, to another iphone user or an android, whether I'm connected to WiFi or not or in same location or different location. I have to reboot my phone for it to work. So I'm rebooting my phone several times a day just to send images and videos. I called AT&T and after 2 hours on the phone with them for 2 days they said its an apple issue. Spoke with a rep and did ALL THE THINGS...everything. He was even stumped and couldn't do any more. Ran a complete diagnostic and said the problem has to be recreated within 30 minutes of rebooting my phone and I told him it won't work then because once I reboot my phone I'm able to send images and videos.... then after about a couple hours its back to not being able to. So I was unable to recreate the issue in a 30 min time frame.

Spoke to a lady today (7/2/2025) and said its a well known issue and they are seeing multiple reports . She said I just need to wait for a software update and it will fix problem. No estimated time on when that will happen either...so I could be stuck with this for several months before anything is resolved. Its SO unbelievably frustrating having to reboot my phone several times in 1 day just to send 1 image or a video.

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User profile for user: npetrik
npetrik
User level: Level 1
8 points

Jul 2, 2025 08:40 AM in response to MNM17

well there is hope! I didn’t do anything other than take a break from sending media through text messages and iMessages, I probably didn’t attempt to do that for about a month and then tested it out, it worked for a little bit and then stopped working so I gave it another week or two and tested it again, it worked and hasn’t stopped working now for about three weeks so! Not sure what fixed it but that’s what I did. I didn’t delete any extra storage, I didn’t reset my phone to factory settings, I did try a few things but after trying those things it didn’t fix the problem it just resolved spontaneously a couple weeks ago for me

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User profile for user: Felz__
Felz__ Author
User level: Level 1
43 points

Jul 2, 2025 09:22 AM in response to npetrik

Interesting! Obviously I have somewhat given up on sending media via text and stopped doing it as often, stopped testing it over and over. Only once in a while, if I really need to I send a photo or video, i restart my phone again. But I also noticed that I am able to send media more sporadically now, unlike before where I literally could not send any at all. So once in a blue moon I try to send a small media item, like a photo or a gif without restarting my phone first, and it works! However large items like long voice notes or videos still seem to get stuck still. Sometimes the large items send eventually but take much longer than before this bug happened. Maybe I’ll just take a month long break from sending any media at all and see what happens.

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User profile for user: c_ardonnay187
c_ardonnay187
User level: Level 1
14 points

May 29, 2025 03:39 PM in response to Felz__

I'm having the very same issue (blue loading bar to "Not Delivered" on photos, videos, gifs, and voice notes), since I updated to iOS 18.5. If I toggle iMessage off, then on, then shut the iPhone off and back on, sometimes it will work again, but it doesn't continue to work. There are just under 46 GB of available storage on this iPhone (14) and I'm not using a VPN. It doesn't work regardless of how much service I have, or whether or not I'm connected to my usual WiFi networks.


iMessage on my MacBook works for photos and videos to other iMessage users.


It's silly and frustrating, so I'm somewhat relieved to read that I'm not the only one, and hoping that the next update will rectify this issue, or can otherwise get to the root of this.

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User profile for user: Lawrence Finch
Lawrence Finch
Community+ 2025
User level: Level 10
226,672 points

Jun 7, 2025 08:40 AM in response to npetrik

npetrik wrote:

The same thing has been happening to me for over a month now. I am beyond frustrated and I just got the new iPhone 16 Pro Max otherwise I would have switched to a different type of phone. I’ve had the iPhone for as long as I can’t remember but this has become so frustrating to the point where I don’t even want an iPhone anymore

I’ll assume you haven’t read any of the thread you added to, so the first thing to try:


Do you have a 3rd party VPN installed, even if you are not using it? If so, delete the VPN profile in Settings/General/VPN & Device Management/VPN. Don't just turn it off; delete the profile. If that fixes it, you can try reinstalling VPN. 


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User profile for user: Felz__
Felz__ Author
User level: Level 1
43 points

Jun 7, 2025 09:47 AM in response to Lawrence Finch

I do not have a VPN. I went through every setting in my phone with a senior advisor with Apple. All my settings were correct. She also did a full diagnostic and could not find the problem. I also did a factory reset which did not fix the problem. If it was as simple as a VPN problem, thousands of people would’ve figured that out by now. I know so many people having the same exact problem as I am after installing iOS 18.4.

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Unable to send photos, voice notes, text or any media from my iPhone Messages app after last update

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