Do iMessages Still Deliver When Phone is Dead? (Explained)

iMessage can be delivered between apple devices over the internet without any cell service.

This has been a relief for many people because it means they can still communicate with someone even in an area with poor or no signal reception.

But what happens when the recipient’s phone is off or dead? Does the iMessage still deliver even when iPhone is dead?

In this blog post, we will explain how iMessage delivery works and whether an iMessage will be delivered to a dead iPhone.

Requirements for iMessage Delivery

For an iMessage to be successfully delivered, both the sender’s and recipient’s devices must use Apple’s iMessage service.

Additionally, both devices must have an active internet connectionIf the sender’s device is not connected to the internet, a regular text message will be sent instead of iMessage to the recipient’s phone.

To send an iMessage, first, you must ensure iMessage is turned on both sender’s and receiver’s devices. To do this,

1. Go to the Settings app on your iPhone.

2. Scroll down, and select Messages.

Messages selected from iPhone settings

3. Toggle the iMessage switch to the On position.

iMessage option turned on from Messages

If it’s already turned on, you don’t need to do anything else.

Finally, you can send an iMessage through your phone number or your Apple id. But remember, iMessage can’t be sent to people who aren’t using ios8 or later,

Do iMessages Deliver when Phone is Dead?

No, iMessages will not be delivered when iPhone is dead. iMessages are sent and received using the internet, and if iPhone is dead or turned off, it will not be able to receive iMessages.

Once the iPhone is turned back on and is connected to the internet, then any messages that were sent while it was offline will be delivered.

The iMessages will be held in Apple’s servers until the recipient phone turns on and is connected back to the internet.

Sending an iMessage When Your iPhone is Dead

If your phone is dead and you want to send an iMessage, you can do so by using any other Apple device.

All you need to do is login into the Apple device(iPad, MacBook, etc.) using your “Apple id” and wait for iCloud to finish syncing.

After syncing, all your Messages from the dead iPhone, including your contacts, will appear on the new device.

Using mobile data or Wi-Fi, you can now send iMessage to anyone as you do from your iPhone.

Can You Tell if An iMessage was Delivered or Not?

When you send an iMessage, it will typically display a status underneath the message indicating whether it has been delivered or not.

If the message is successfully delivered to the recipient’s device, the status will change to “Delivered.” If the recipient has read the message, the status will change to “Read.”

Sometimes, a message may fail to deliver for various reasons, such as if the recipient’s device is dead or has network connectivity issues.

The message will typically display a “Not Delivered” status in such cases.

Comparison of iMessage delivered vs not delivered

Also, if it says “Not Delivered,” then you can hold the ‘i’ icon next to that message and select “send as a text message” to send a text message instead of iMessage.

The text message will be delivered to the recipient’s phone even if it is dead and does not require an internet connection.

IMessage not delivered and sent as a text message

It’s worth noting that delivery status notifications are only available for iMessage and not for regular text messages.

Additionally, delivery status notifications may not be available if the recipient’s device is not connected to the internet.

Identifying Message Bubble Colors

When you send a message to someone, the bubble that appears around the message on your iPhone will show what type of message it is.

There are two types of messages:

  • Green: a standard SMS message
  • Blue: an iMessage that is being sent to someone on an iPhone or iPad
'Hi' sent as text message vs 'Hi' sent as iMessage

So, now you know what the different colors of message bubbles mean. If you’re unsure of what type of message a bubble is, just look at the color, and you’ll be able to tell.

Conclusion

When an iMessage is sent, it’s encrypted and delivered to Apple’s servers and then to the recipient’s device if it’s turned on and connected to the internet.

However, if the recipient’s device is turned off or dead, the message remains on Apple’s servers until the device is turned back on and connected to the internet.

Additionally, you can tell if an iMessage was delivered by looking at the status underneath the iMessage.

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