In short: The message was blocked before it could even try to reach the other person.
Here’s the technical story: iPhones try to send via iMessage (blue) first. If that fails (no internet, recipient not on Apple), they fall back to SMS (green). But if is disabled, the iPhone won’t fall back. Instead, it shows “Message Blocking is Active” because the SMS pathway is blocked. how to turn off message blocking is active on iphone
Panic set in. Had Mike blocked her? Was there a problem with her phone? She quickly tried texting her mom—same error. Her brother—same error. The problem wasn’t with Mike; it was with her iPhone. Sarah took a breath and started researching. She learned that this error doesn’t mean she is blocked. It means her iPhone is unable to send a text message to the recipient because of a restriction somewhere between her phone and the cellular network. In short: The message was blocked before it
It was a quiet Tuesday evening when Sarah tried to text her friend Mike about dinner plans. She typed “Hey, are we still on for 7?” and hit send. Beneath her message, a dreaded gray bubble appeared. It didn’t say “Delivered” or “Read.” Instead, it read: “Message Blocking is Active.” But if is disabled, the iPhone won’t fall back
She went to and toggled Send as SMS to ON (green).
She dug deeper: “Message Blocking is Active” often appears when is turned off.