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“ This message cannot be displayed”

On my 3rd gen iPad Air, the Mail app has started displaying the error message:


This message cannot be displayed because of the way it is formatted. Ask the sender to send it again using a different format or email program.”


about one time in 10 messages. It has so far only happened in emails that I BBC’d myself. IOW, I am the sender. And I can see the first few words of the original email in the sidebar. So it’s a Mail glitch?


Any know the solution? Thanks.

iPad Air, iPadOS 14

Posted on Oct 7, 2020 7:23 AM

Reply
134 replies

Jan 7, 2021 2:14 PM in response to lwalton

I have had this problem for at least 6 years, on iPhones 5, 7 and now 12, across all iOS versions to date. The problem never gets solved and, judging from over 6 years of fighting it, Apple has no intention of addressing it. The only known work around is on a message by message basis is to (1) delete the message and (2) move the message from the Trash folder to the Inbox. This only works when you then view it in the Inbox. Moving the message in any other sequence to any other folders than first to Trash and then to the Inbox will not work. The same workaround can be used for message that display the note " This message has no content". Obviously the message is really there because the preview of the message shows the first part of the message's content. I have given up on ever getting any Apple resolution to this. Quality control is apparently no longer a focus - or this is an intentional design feature. If anyone has any better solution please let me know. Thanks.

Jan 8, 2021 12:43 PM in response to lwalton

I have an iPhone 8 and had this issue for the first time ever today.


Sounds like it’s the same situation as you.


I sent an email (just text) and BCCed myself only to get the same message you did.


I went to the sent folder to open the email there and it said the same thing.


Hopefully the three people I emailed received a legible email and not this error.


Thankfully this issue was resolved when I turned my phone completely off and restarted it. When I opened the email this time it had the contents I had typed.


I hope your situation gets resolved.

“ This message cannot be displayed”

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