# iPhone SE on Consumer Cellular - "Message blocking is active"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-se-on-consumer-cellular-message-blocking-is-active/796781>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 20, 2017, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-se-on-consumer-cellular-message-blocking-is-active/796781 "2017-09-20T03:37:52Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\
**Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-se-on-consumer-cellular-message-blocking-is-active/796781/1 "2017-09-20T03:37:52Z")

</div>

My wife just got her first smartphone, an iPhone SE. It’s on the Consumer Cellular network. She got it activated today, and it can make and receive calls just fine. But when she tries to send a text message, it doesn’t send, and she gets a message that says:

> [@](#):
>
> Unable to send message - Message blocking is active.

I get a similar message when i try to text her from my phone, except on my phone it says:

> [@](#):
>
> Receiver unable to receive message - Message blocking is active

I’ve gone into her Consumer Cellular account, and messaging and data are both enabled. I’ve fiddled with every message and data-related setting i can find on her phone, but still no joy.

I’m not an iPhone expert; i have a Samsung Galaxy. Anyone got any ideas about what i might be missing here?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\
**Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-se-on-consumer-cellular-message-blocking-is-active/796781/2 "2017-09-20T04:06:58Z")

</div>

Could it be something at the carrier level? I don’t know anything about Consumer Cellular, but I’d check with them.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\
**Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-se-on-consumer-cellular-message-blocking-is-active/796781/3 "2017-09-20T04:09:30Z")

</div>

> [@pulykamell](#):
>
> Could it be something at the carrier level? I don’t know anything about Consumer Cellular, but I’d check with them.

Yeah, that was one of my suspicions. If we can’t figure it out, i’ll get her to call them tomorrow.