How to resolve 'iMessage not delivered' issue on iPhone 14 Pro?

https://support.apple.com/en-us/118433

iMessage not delivering on an iPhone 14 Pro can happen when the send/receive settings or activation need to be refreshed.

1. Open Settings ➡️ Apps ➡️ Messages ➡️ turn iMessage off, wait 10 seconds, turn it ON.

2. Stay in Settings ➡️ Apps ➡️ Messages ➡️ Send & Receive ➡️ check your phone number and Apple ID email.

3. Stay in Settings ➡️ Apps ➡️ Messages ➡️ Send as SMS ➡️ turn ON.

4. Open Settings ➡️ General ➡️ Date & Time ➡️ turn Set Automatically ON.

5. Restart the iPhone to reload messaging services.

When you toggle iMessage off and on, does it show “Waiting for activation”, or does it activate normally?

Axel F.

If iMessage is enabled on both devices and both are connected to the internet, you cannot choose to send an SMS instead of an iMessage — there’s no built-in option to force SMS while iMessage is active and available.

The only time an iPhone gives you the "Send as Text Message" option is when iMessage fails — like if the recipient’s device is offline or iMessage isn’t working. Otherwise, as long as both devices stay connected and iMessage is enabled, messages will always default to iMessage (blue bubbles).

If you ever wanted to force SMS for a particular contact, you’d have to turn off iMessage entirely on your device — but that would apply to all conversations to all contacts, not just one.

There are a few reasons why your texts might not be delivered to your friend's iPhone even though you can receive theirs:

iMessage Issues:

• iMessage Not Enabled: Both you and your friend need to have iMessage turned on for texts to exchange as iMessage (blue bubbles). Check-in Settings > Messages > iMessage.
• Data Connection: iMessages rely on data or Wi-Fi. Make sure you both have a stable internet connection.

It's possible that you used their Phone Number to send an iMessage, while they might have sent an iMessage using your Apple ID. There's a chance that iMessage isn't activated for their phone number on their device.

iMessage requires phone number activation for sending and receiving messages with other phone numbers. Without activation, you can only chat with people using their Apple IDs.

Activate iMessage and FaceTime using your… - Apple Community