How to cancel a slow/stuck outgoing iMessage?

[EJ8]

This is not iOS 11 specific but since most peeps are on 11 I'll ask here. This has made me crazy for years. You send a text (iMessage) with some pics, maybe a video, and the files are pretty big and the text is "sending" for really long long periods of time. During this time you basically can't message anyone else. It just clogs up iMessage waiting for the original message to go out. You can delete the specific messages, shut down iMessage, turn off all data connections, etc, You can even reboot the phone after deleting the message and the damn thing just keeps trying to send! It never quits. Am I missing some secret way to cancel an outgoing message?

 

[Feenician]

This is not iOS 11 specific but since most peeps are on 11 I'll ask here. This has made me crazy for years. You send a text (iMessage) with some pics, maybe a video, and the files are pretty big and the text is "sending" for really long long periods of time. During this time you basically can't message anyone else. It just clogs up iMessage waiting for the original message to go out. You can delete the specific messages, shut down iMessage, turn off all data connections, etc, You can even reboot the phone after deleting the message and the damn thing just keeps trying to send! It never quits. Am I missing some secret way to cancel an outgoing message?

No, you're not missing anything. Delete should mean "stop trying to send this" but it doesn't. Better still, a way to cancel without deleting would be ideal so you can try again later without rewriting.

 

[Speedman100]

I think you can get it to stop if you turn on airplane mode, delete the message, and then force quit Messages. Try that. I think it worked for me before.

 

[ncrypt]

I think you can get it to stop if you turn on airplane mode, delete the message, and then force quit Messages. Try that. I think it worked for me before.

+1

 

[EJ8]

I think you can get it to stop if you turn on airplane mode, delete the message, and then force quit Messages. Try that. I think it worked for me before.

Thanks will try. I've done all of those things of course, just not in that order.

 

[Speedman100]

Thanks will try. I've done all of those things of course, just not in that order.

Let me know if it works

 

[CTHarrryH]

I have also found a force restart sometimes "fixes" not deleting.

 

[TouchedByAl]

This happens to me mostly with sms messages. Usually I’ll turn on airplane mode, close and re open app. If that doesn’t work I’ll reset the phone. If either of those things don’t work I just let it do it’s thing.