Fix: Pictures don’t appear in messages on iMessage

iMessage is one of the most used and best-designed messaging apps out there, so it’s not strange that people love it. However, it still has its share of problems. These are mostly individual cases, but if you’re on the “wrong side” of the line, you’ll only care about resolving it.

One of the most common problems with iMessage is when the in-message pictures can’t be seen or won’t load properly. For that purpose, we prepared a list of possible solutions that should help you resolve this problem. If you have trouble seeing the images in your text messages, make sure to check the list below.

Table of contents:

1. Check the connection
2. Make sure that the MMS is enabled
3. Sign out/in with your AppleID
4. Reset Network settings

1. Check the connection

Even though the text messages can be sent in all manners, for MMS messages you’ll need a proper connection in order to receive or send the multimedia files. Additionally, it’s important that both the sender and recipient have a stable connection, so make sure that the one you’re texting is also on the grid.

Moreover, you can restart your device as the first precautionary step and switch to a more stable Wi-Fi network rather than using the mobile data.

2. Make sure that the MMS is enabled

Secondly, to send and receive multimedia messages you’ll need to enable them first. If this feature isn’t enabled, you won’t see pictures, even though the sender is certain that they’re delivered. So, in order to do so, follow the instructions:

1. Tap Settings.
2. Open Messages.
3. Navigate to MMS Messaging and make sure that it’s enabled.
4. If not, enable it and check your Messages to look for changes.

If you’re still unable to see the images that are clearly sent to you, move on to the next steps.

3. Sign out/in with your AppleID

Some users reported that they were able to resolve the problem with pictures by re-signing with the AppleID. Namely, some kind of bug prevented them from seeing the images, and it was gone when they sign out and back in. If you’re not sure how to do that, follow the instructions below.

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Messages.
3. Open Send & Receive.
4. Tap and hold your AppleID.
5. Sign out.
6. Choose ”Use your AppleID for iMessages”.
7. Enter your AppleID credentials and confirm.
8. This will restore backed up settings and messages and clear the possibly corrupted data.

This step should resolve your issues. But, if you still have hard times with the pictures, check the final step on the list.

4. Reset Network settings

It’s not unusual for your network configuration to take a wrong turn and cause issues with different connection-related features. The same goes for the Multimedia Messages that are dependent on the connection. Luckily, you can reset your network settings to defaults and check for changes. The one drawback is the fact that you’ll need to set up and customize all of the connections again, including Bluetooth, mobile data, and VPN.

This is how to reset your Network settings to their default values:

1. Tap Settings.
2. Open General.
3. Tap Reset.
4. Tap Reset Network Settings.
5. Enter the password when prompted and tap Reset to confirm.

After that, you’ll at least be sure that you’re in the clear. The problem is most certainly on the other end, so make sure to tell that to the one that messages you.

That should do it. In case you have any questions or suggestions, don’t hesitate to post them in the comments section below.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published in June 2017. We made sure to revamp it for freshness and accuracy.