It doesn’t matter what messaging platform you use to send and receive texts, but you may have wondered if your messages get delivered when the recipient’s phone is off or if you have to resend the message again.
This is a common question that has crossed the mind of anyone who has ever sent a message and it might be via iMessage, WhatsApp, SMS/MMS, Instagram, Signal, etc
In this article, you will learn if messages deliver when the phone is dead and why it is so.
Do Messages Deliver When Phone is Dead?
No. Regardless of whatever media you employ to send your texts, if the receiver’s phone is off, then the message will not be delivered. It will be sent but not delivered.
The sending of texts is in three stages
1. Sent: This is when you send the message from your mobile device and it goes to the
service of either your network operator or the servers of your Message app-sending platform.
2. Delivered: This is the part where the message from the server is directed to the phone of the receiver.
If you are using SMS/MMS and the receiver is of a different network operator, then the message is first transferred from the servers of your network operator to the servers of the receiver and then to the receiver’s phone.
For a message to be delivered, the receiver’s phone must be on.
3. Read: At this stage, the receiver acknowledges the message, opens it, and reads it.
How To Tell If A Message Has Been Sent, Delivered, And Read
Depending on the service you use to send messages, there are indications that your message has passed through each of the three stages of text-sending messages.
With SMS or MMS, there is no indication that your message has been delivered let alone read.
The only confirmation will be when you receive a reply from the one you sent the message.
With iMessage, when the message is sent there is a little sent counter under the message.
It changes to Delivered and Read respectively when your message is delivered and opened by the receiver.
This is the same for With Whatsapp, when the message is sent, there is a single gray tick beneath the message.
It switches to two gray ticks when the message is delivered and then a blue two tick when it has been read.
On Twitter, there is only an indication of when messages are sent and read. The counter underneath the messages changes from sent to see when your message has been opened.
Conclusion
Now you don’t need to wonder again if your messages will be delivered if the phone is dead.
You do not need to worry if you will receive messages if your phone is off. Once it is on, the sent messages will appear on your phone.
FAQs on Do Messages Deliver When Phone Is Dead?
Can a dead phone receive text messages?
No, the phone cannot but once it is turned on, the sent messages will be delivered.
Do messages show as delivered if the phone is off?
No, if the phone is off it is shown as sent. Only when the phone is on will it be acknowledged as delivered.
How do you know if someone's phone is switched off?
If your message has not been replied to or is still showing as sent after a considerably long time, then the possibility that the receiver’s phone is off is very high. Alternatively, you could try calling to confirm.
Further Reading
- What It Means If A Phone Keeps Ringing
- How To Fix “iPhone Incorrect Wi-Fi Password”
- How To Fix “Random Photos Appearing On My Phone”
- How To Fix “Black Spot On Phone Screen”
- How To Fix Face ID Not Working On iPhone 14 Pro