How to cancel a text message that is stuck sending

Last Updated on September 20, 2022 by Kennedy

If you’re using an android phone to send text messages, you will definitely come across the error of text messages stuck in sending.

Now the question is, how to cancel a text message that is stuck sending on andriod phones and tablets. This article explains all the necessary methods used to cancel a text message stuck in sending on any type of android phone and tablet.

how to cancel a text message that is stuck sending

How to cancel a text message that is stuck sending

To cancel a text message that is stuck in sending kindly enable the Airplane mode and it will automatically prevents the text message from sending.

Airplane mode is one of the best methods to stop a text message from sending even if you have already sent the text message but it is stuck sending, airplane mode will prevent the stucked text message from sending as it will cancel the text message immediately.

Aside from Airplane mode, there are other methods used to cancel a stucked text message in an android phone, and they include the followings;

  • Switch off the phone
  • Swiftly enable airplane mode
  • Delete the text message

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1. Switch off the phone

There are some android phones when you switch off the phone it prevents text messages from sending especially if the text message is yet to delivered to the recipient though it is not applied to all android phones.

One of the ways to cancel a stucked messages on an android phone is by switching off the phone for some hours. After a number of hours has passed, the text messages will be removed from the phone.

2. Swiftly enable airplane mode

Airplane mode is a good option to stop a test message stuck in sending on an android phone. Once you enabled the airplane mode on android phone, it will automatically disable cellular network service and this will in turn prevent SMS messages from sending.

To enable airplane mode on your android phone, simply pull down the control center or the notification bar on your android phone and you will see the airplane mode feature along with an airplane icon.

When you tap on the airplane icon, it will immediately turn on the feature on your android phone .

Immediately airplane mode is enabled on your android phone, all cellular service, including the cellular data will be disabled on your android phone. This means that you won’t be able to send or receive text messages or receive or make calls on your android phone.

This will also cancel a text message that is stuck sending on android phone and lte tablets.


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3. Delete the text message

If a text message is stucked sending, deleting the text message will definitely cancel it as long as you’re using an android phone.

If a text message only shows sending without saying sent and delivered, it simply means that the text has not been sent to the recipient phone. Once you press hold on the text message and tap on the delete icon, you have both deleted and cancelled the text message.

These are the sure ways to cancel a text message that is stuck sending on any type of android phone and tablet.

how to cancel a text message that is stuck sending

What causes a text message to stuck in sending

It is necessary to know what causes a text message to stuck in sending aside from finding the solution to the problem.

From my observation, the major causes of a text message stuck in sending usually occur when the sender doesn’t have enough airtime to send a text message or his texting plan has expired.

Below are the main causes of a text message to stuck in sending.

1.1. Poor network reception

Poor network reception can make a text message to stuck in sending and this is applied to both android phones and iPhone.

If there’s a poor network reception within an area or location, sending and receiving sms text messages will be quite difficult.

In this type of situation there’s nothing you can do about it other than to wait until you have a good network reception in your area and smartphone.

1.2. No active texting plan or an airtime

Your text message stuck in sending?

This may be caused by the fact that you don’t have a texting plan or an airtime in your phone. This is very common and I have experienced such especially when I don’t have an adequate airtime to send a couple of sms text messages right from my android phone.

If a text message is stuck in sending, kindly check if your texting plan has expired or if you have enough airtime to send the text message.

Even if you have a good network reception but no texting plan or an airtime, you won’t be able to send an sms text message on your android phone unless your network carrier offers free text messaging.

1.3. Message app bug

This is quite rare to see but sometimes it does happen. When the message app has a bug sending text messages will be difficult and instead text messages will stuck in sending.

To fix this problem, kindly clear cache from the message and you can even clear data if ckearing cache doesn’t fix the problem.

To do so;

  • Open the settings app on your android phone and scroll down to Apps. 
  • Open Apps and search for the text message app.
  • Open the text message app and click on Storage. 
  • On the next page look below and you will see clear data and clear cache.
  • Tap on clear cache to clear all the cached files from your message app.

Check to see if this has fixed the problem and if not, go ahead and clear data from the message app. This should fix the problem unless you don’t have a texting plan or an active airtime on your android phone.

Can you stop a sent text message?

You can stop a sent text message from getting delivered only if the text has not been delivered to the recipient phone.

In terms of sms text message, you can’t stop a sent sms text message that has already been sent and delivered to the recipient phone.

However, if any of the instant messaging apps and services like the iMessage or whatsapp is used in sending the text message, you can stop the text even if the text has been delivered to the recipient.

Both iMessage and whatsapp has the option to unsend the text message even when delivered to the recipient phone.

What happens if I delete a message before it's delivered?

Can you cancel a text that hasn’t been delivered?

You cannot neccesarily cancel an sms text message that showed sent even if it is yet to be delivered to the recipient. However, you can cancel a sent iMessage or whatsapp even when it has been delivered to the recipient.

For you to be able to cancel sms text message, it must not show sent after sending the text message. Once it shows sent, then there’s nothing you can do about it other than wait to receive a delivery report about the text message.

For the likes of iMessage, whatsapp, etc. You can easily cancel a sent text message even when it has been delivered to the recipient phone, thanks to undo send on iMessage and delete for everyone on whatsapp.

To cancel or unsend a text message on iMessage;

  • Simply locate the text message and press hold on it.
  • You will be presented with options which includes Undo Send.
  • Tap on the Undo Send option and it will immediately unsend the text message on your iMessage and iPhone, and as well as the recipient iMessage.

On iMessage, you have a maximum time frame of two minutes if the recipient haven’t opened the text message to unsend the text message.

To cancel or unsend a text message on whatsapp;

  • Open whatsapp and locate the text message.
  • Press hold on it and you will see the option that states delete for everyone and delete for me 
  • Tap on delete for everyone and the sent text message will be delivered for both the sender and the recipient.

Remember that you have a maximum of two minutes to unsend a text message for the recipient or the other person.

What happens if I delete a message before it’s delivered?

The text message will still be delivered to the recipient if it shows sent especially if it is an sms text message.

However, if you delete a message on iMessage or whatsapp before it gets delivered to the recipient’s phone, the text won’t be delivered to the recipient’s phone as it will be unsend or cancelled.

If you delete a pending text does it still send?

The answer is no. If you delete a pending text message it will no longer be sent to the recipient phone and this is applied to both android phone and iPhone.

Once a text message didn’t show sent, you can delete the text message and it won’t be sent and delivered to the recipient’s phone.

How to cancel a text message that is stuck sending? To cancel a text message that is stuck in sending kindly enable the Airplane mode and it will automatically prevents the text message from sending.

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