Facebook Messenger brings all of our contacts, including friends and family, together in one place, where we can talk or call each other. The Messenger app allows users to share photos with their contacts but sometimes users are unable to send their pictures through this platform. If you are one of these users who are concerned about “Why Can’t I Send Pictures on Messenger?” then cheer up because you can fix it in simple ways.
The maximum file size for media files sent through Messenger is 25 MB. If you send multiple photos totaling more than 25 MB, you will see an error message, and your transfer will not be successful. In addition, a weak internet connection and faults in the servers of Facebook can also cause this issue. Now, let’s discuss all the possible reasons for this issue in detail.
Why Can’t I Send Pictures on Messenger?
- Blocked/Restricted Account – If a blank circle appears next to the photo you have sent, indicating that it was not successfully delivered it means you are restricted on blocked by that recipient on Facebook. Moreover, there is also a chance that the recipient deleted their Messenger account shortly after you sent the photo and that’s why the photo is not delivered to them.
- Expired Session – Your login session with Facebook Messenger expires after a certain amount of time. In this case, you will receive a prompt informing you that your session has ended. That might also be the cause of Messenger’s inability to send photos.
- No Internet Access – A weak internet is the most common cause of pictures not being sent on the Messenger app. There is either a problem with your wireless network or your cellular service provider. It’s possible that you’re out of data or that the signals are too weak for you to upload the photos.
- Large Size File – All media files, including photos and videos, sent through Messenger must fit within the 25 MB size limit. Facebook Messenger will display a warning if the file size is too large.
- Low Internal Storage – It is also possible that the storage of your device is full, or the cache memory on it has been maxed out. Due to that, Facebook is unable to process any new information. Full internal memory or Cache can also cause the Facebook Messenger Notification issue and you can fix all similar issues by clearing the internal storage and cache of your device.
How to Fix the “Messenger Unable to Send Pictures” Issue?
Method # 1: Connect to The Internet
Your device should be connected to the internet in order to send pictures on the Facebook Messenger app. So, check the internet connection status of your device to ensure that your device is connected to any Wifi or mobile data connection. If you are currently using Wifi, you may find it helpful to temporarily disable it and switch to using your cellular data instead. Because sending MMS/picture messages over Wifi is prohibited by most service providers, you will need to ensure that you either have a sufficient balance or an active data package.
Method # 2: Allow Background Data
Smartphones are intelligent and can operate independently but they also impose unnecessary restrictions on some apps occasionally. In order to maintain the uninterrupted usage of any app, you should allow your device to let it run in the background. Follow these steps to stop all restrictions from the Messenger app:
- Press and hold the Messenger app to see additional configuration options.
- To access additional details about the application, select the “info” button.
- Now, Tap the Mobile Data or Wi-Fi options from there.
- Check to see that the Unrestricted data usage and Background data options are both “activated” on your device.
Method # 3: Clear Cache
To clear out the Messenger cache and date from your device, just follow the steps that are listed below.
- Go to the settings of your device and click on “Apps Management”.
- Then, search there and click on the Messenger app.
- Now, click on the option of “Storage and Cache”.
- To delete all temporary files of the Messenger app, click the “Clear cache” button.
Method # 4: Update The App
Using an outdated version of Messenger can result in troubles and errors when the program is used on a regular basis. You should update your app to the most recent version of Messenger in order to enjoy all features with functionality. You can easily update the app from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store through your Android and iOS devices respectively.
Method # 5: Force Stop The App
If you’re having trouble with the Messenger app, you can “force stop” it and try again. This will restart the Messenger app from scratch and will resolve all bugs. You can use the below-mentioned process to force-stop the Messenger app:
- First of all, access Messenger’s settings by holding down on the app’s icon for a few seconds.
- Then, you can proceed by pressing the option of “Force Stop” from the bottom.
Method # 6: Reduce Picture Size
In order to prevent users from sending large files through Facebook Messenger, the app has restricted its users to send files less than 25 MB in size. So, if you are unable to send your pictures of large size on Messenger, you can compress the file to a sizeable amount. There are plenty of online tools available on the internet which can reduce the size of any picture without compromising the quality.
Method # 7: Turn Off Data Saver
If you are using cellular data, there is a chance that a feature called data saving mode is enabled on your device. This feature can restrict the amount of data the Messenger app consumes. It is possible that this is why you are unable to send pictures through Facebook Messenger. Turn off Messenger’s data-saving mode if you are using cellular data by using the instructions provided below.
- Tap on the Messenger icon to start the app.
- Then, click the profile icon in the top left corner to proceed to Settings.
- Now, click on the Data Saver option located below Preferences and disable it.
Method # 8: Reinstall The App
After using all the above-mentioned methods, if you are still unable to send the photos through your Messenger, then you have to uninstall the app and install it again as a final option. If you are an Android user, simply tapping and holding the Messenger app brings up the uninstall menu; from there, you can simply drag and drop the icon of Messenger to the trash to uninstall it. However, if you are using iPhone, tap and hold on to the Messenger app until a menu appears, then select “Delete App” from the list to uninstall the app.
Final Thoughts
You will be unable to send photos through the Messenger app if the file size is more than 25 MB, there is a glitch in the app, there is no internet or the Facebook server is down. However, you can fix this issue by connecting your device to a strong internet connection, clearing the cache of the device, restarting your device, updating the app, or reinstalling the app on your device.
