Message Blocking Is Active: Meaning and Fixes

Text messaging has become the most used way of communication among people in this generation. With texting, you can save time and effort and refine your words before saying them aloud. That is why this feature is vital for young and older adults altogether and has become as essential as having a phone. But imagine if this little happiness was obstructed by an error, and you can no longer use it to connect with your friends, family, or coworkers.

It is most inconvenient that people have been encountering an error message that stops them from using texting means on their phones. A lot of users reported getting a message that says: “free msg: unable to send – message blocking is active” when they try to send a text message. What is this message, and why does it pop up whenever you try to send a text? How to fix this error and avoid it in the future? This article will explain all of this and more as you read on.

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What does Message Blocking Is Active Mean?

When this issue occurs, you will see this message whenever you try to send a text to someone: “free msg: unable to send message blocking is active.” This simply means that your messages aren't being delivered to the recipient.

This can happen due to a number of reasons but, usually, the main reason this happens is that either the sender or recipient is on each other’s blocked contacts list. However, it has been reported that T-Mobile users seem to encounter this issue more often than other network users do. In the next section, we will explain why this is happening and how you can work on fixing it.
 

Why Is Message Blocking Is Active Happening?

There are many reasons why this issue might be happening. We collected data and curated a list of the most common reasons why this issue occurs. Here is why you might be getting the "message blocking is active" error:

1. Blocklist

This is the first reason that comes to mind when you encounter the "message blocking is active" error. It means that either you have the recipient in your block list or that the recipient has you on their block list. What you can do to confirm or deny this is to try calling the person on the other end and see if the call goes through or not. Some people reported this issue happening to them due to parental control being accidentally imposed on either the sender or receiver's numbers. 

2. Short Code issue

This is an issue that T-Mobile users have been facing recently. So, if you want to solve this short coding problem, you should contact them and ask them for the help of an experienced technician; they will guide you to one.

3. Unsuitable plan

You could be encountering this problem because you're subscribed to a plan that doesn't include Messages in its services. To verify this, contact customer support and ask them about the features of the plan that you have chosen. Another cause why this is happening is that you've run out of balance in your prepaid plan, which is what's stopping your messages from getting delivered to the other person. You can also confirm this by contacting your courier's network customer support. 

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4. Premium message excess

Check your plan features again for this problem because you might have picked a plan that does not allow you to send or receive premium messages. Although only a few messaging apps use this feature, it is still essential for them to work efficiently.

5. Service outage

Your network service might be facing some issues regarding the service. This isn't your fault; you might be seeing this message because of a flaw in the signal. We advise you to try contacting your network service provider's customer support service to check if messaging services were put on hold.
 

How to Fix Message Blocking Is Active?

This section will guide you through the best ways to fix the "message blocking is active" error in easy and simple steps. Here's how you can do that:

1. Check the coverage

You need to make sure that your network coverage is decent enough to allow you to send messages. You can see this indicated by a small icon on the upper-right corner of your phone's screen. If you notice that the coverage is nonexistent or there are zero bars, this might be the cause of your issue, and it is better if you try to move to a place where there's decent coverage before sending your text message. 

2. Check if your phone is active

To check if your phone is active or not, go to your phone's Settings app and check the listing of your phone. If it says 'Active,' then this isn't the reason behind the error. However, if it says 'Suspended' or 'Still Porting,' then this is the reason you're not able to send or receive messages. Therefore, we advise you to activate your phone before attempting to send text messages again.

3. Check if the messages feature is included in your plan

Before checking for the availability of the messages feature in your plan, go to your Account Settings, make sure that the option Can Send/Receive Text Messages is turned on/enabled. If it is enabled, then you're probably encountering the "message blocking is active" error because text messaging is not included in your paid plan.

4. Check if you have enough storage
If you know that your device's storage is full, then this might be why you're getting this error message when trying to send texts. You need about 15% free space in order to be able to send a text message. Try to free up some space by deleting apps that you don't need, old screenshots, unnecessary files, etc.

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5. Check if you’re using the right country code

If you’re traveling, you might be encountering the issue of "message blocking is active" because you have the wrong country code. You need to make sure that you have the correct country code before sending the text message.

6. Try re-saving the contact
If none of the five solutions we listed above worked for you, the problem could be with the contact info of the person you're trying to text. You might have entered the wrong number by mistake. Just in case, try deleting the contact and saving it again with the correct info. 

7. Unblock the contact
Before trying to send someone a text message, make sure that you're not blocked by the other person or that you haven't accidentally blocked them. You can do that by going to your block list and checking if they're on it or not. Make sure to unblock them and ask them to unblock you if they were the ones who accidentally blocked you. To confirm this, try to call the other person. 

• Blocking a contact on your Android phone:

Here's how you can block a contact on your Android:

1. First, go to your Phone app and tap on the button that says More Options.
2. Next, navigate to Call History and tap on the number you want to block.
3. Next, ton Block/Report Spam.
4. This way, you've added the contact to your block list. 

• Unblocking a contact on your Android:

Here's how to unblock someone:

1. First, go to your Phone app and tap on the button that says More Options.
2. Next, navigate to Settings and scroll down to Blocked Numbers.
3. Next, click on the Unblock option next to the blocked contact.
4. Finally, tap on it to remove the contact from your block list. 

• Block/Unblock a Contact on iPhone:

This is how you can block/unblock someone on your iPhone:

1. Tap on the Phone App from your Home Screen or from the App Library.
2. Head to Recents and tap on the Info next to the contact.
3. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen to an option that says Block, this Caller.
4. Tap on it to Block a contact.
5. You can Unblock a contact following the same steps. 

8. Enable premium access

This is another thing you should check before attempting to send a text if you keep getting this error message. Here's how to make sure that your premium access is enabled:

1. First, go to Settings and click on App Management.
2. Next, tap on the Messaging icon and scroll down to Special access.
3. Find an option that says 'Allow Premium Access.'
4. Switch it on, and your problem should be solved.

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9. Text Content

If you're trying to send a text message that has images, GIFs, emojis, or attachments, they might not go through. This will cause the error message to pop up on your screen. You can eliminate this possibility by trying to send a plain text message without any added media. In addition, make sure that your text message does not contain more than 160 characters.

10. Restart your phone

This is your last resort if all the above-mentioned methods fail. Here's how you can restart your phone:

1. Hold down the power button on your phone until it restarts.
2. If your phone has a removable battery, try taking it out and putting it back again.
3. If your battery is not removable, try removing the SIM card from the phone and then putting it back again.
    

Other Cases Where Message Blocking Is Active

There have been other reported cases where this error has popped up to users. Here are some of the most recurrent cases:

1. Message blocking is an active error in Gmail

Sometimes, this message might appear to users while trying to send messages or emails on Gmail. Here are the most common reasons why this might be happening:

• Invalid email address.
• Typing a dot at the end of the email.
• Typo or spaces in the email
• Spam mail.

Here's how you can solve this issue:

• First, make sure that you entered the correct email address.
• Second, avoid adding a dot at the end of the email address.
• Avoid spamming.
• Don't use Google Groups to send the same message to a large number of people.

2. Message blocking is active message on Google Hangouts 

If you’re encountering issues with Google Hangouts, try the fixes we mentioned earlier. The first thing you should try is logging out from Hangouts then logging back in. If this does not work, proceed to try the solutions we mentioned early in this article and see if any of them work for you. 

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3. Free message blocking is active notification on T-Mobile

As we mentioned earlier, T-mobile users seem to be encountering this issue more often than others. Check if the device is updated or if you have exceeded the character limit in the text message. If none is applicable, try the following fixes: 

For Android phones:

• Clear cache from the Messaging app.
• Make sure that you've got the correct mobile number.
• Uninstall the messaging app, then try installing it again.
• Restore your phone's Settings.

For iPhones:

• Restore the Network Settings back original
• Install any available updates.
• Check if there's an issue with your network.

4. Message blocking is active error on iMessages

As you might know, iMessaging is the default messaging service on all iPhones. So all you need to do is add the iMessage email of the other person to their contact info. 

If iMessages is not working properly for you, try checking if it's active from the Settings. If it's active, check to see if you have the other person's email included in their contact info. If both possibilities are inapplicable, try looking for any new updates by going to your iPhone's Settings, then heading to the Software Updates page.

How to perform a backup and restore on iPhone:

• First, go to your iPhone's Settings.
• Next, go to General Settings.
• Scroll down until you find Reset.
• Click on Erase all Contents and Settings.
• Back up your files and data via iCloud.
• Click on Erase Now.
• You might see a dialog box pop up.
• Enter your password and click on Erase iPhone
• Re-Enter your Apple ID password and Confirm.
• A second dialog box will appear.
• The restart process should begin shortly once you’re done entering the security details.

Conclusion

Trying to contact someone through text messages and getting an error popup every time could be quite frustrating and time-consuming. Yet, the reasons are known and explained earlier in this article. 

Check if you have good reception, coverage, and make sure that you haven't accidentally blocked the person you're trying to contact. If none of these work for you, then maybe try restarting your phone and contacting your network service's customer support. Don't get frustrated if it takes you a while to find the solution for you, everything good needs a little patience to get to.

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