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Android: Text Messages Stuck “Downloading” or “Expired”

Android: Text Messages Stuck “Downloading” or “Expired”

by 77 Comments

My wife recently encountered a problem with her Galaxy Note 9 Android where text messages were stuck. Some of them said things like:

  • Couldn’t download
  • Downloading…
  • Message expired or not available.

Android Messaging Stuck

We solved this problem with these steps.

  1. From the Home screen, open “Settings“.
  2. Select “Apps“.
  3. Choose “Messenger“.
  4. Select “Storage“.
  5. Select “Clear Data” and “Clear Cache“.
    Clear Messenger

Open “Messenger” and tap the stuck messages to attempt to download them again.

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Comments

  1. Rick Swarts says

    Clearing data and cache worked for me. All the messages that were stuck on “downloading” then came through.

  3. Richard says

    Same issues. I have cleared cache, removed data , moved from wifi everything mentioned above .. Sometimes seems to work for 24hrs and then same issues start again. Hate to say but looks like apple is calling :(

  4. Jason Rhoads says

    I turned off “Show iPhone reactions as emoji” under Settings -> Advanced and then I was able to download all of the pending “stuck” messages

  5. Bsims says

    Deleting the app data and cache deletes all of your messages. What a terrible guide. How can I go to the downloading message if it was just deleted?

  6. John Saxon says

    I have an LG Velvet, same problems since last system update. Nothing fixes it. Have tried everything, including deleting app, clearing caches, etc., etc.

  7. Donald Krebs says

    In my system it seems that it’s only images that cause it. It’s not spam; I see it when I’m in a texting conversation and the other person sends me an image. But emoticons come through.

  8. Marc says

    Don’t know if this will help anyone else but i tried all suggestions and nothing worked. Finally tried turning off my ad blocker called AdGuard and messages were able to download no problem. Frustrating as i have been using the App for a couple years with no problem but at least i figured it out for me.

  9. E says

    No!! Tried everything here. Still cannot download messages, blue circle with arrow continuing download, but no message appears!!!!
    Extremely frustrating, no problem like this anywhere else with text messaging

  10. E says

    Same issue, have never had a text service to download blue dots that cannot download!!
    Missing many work sent downloads and other pics etc. from friends. Why is this an issue? Tried clearing data and cache, then it returns-. And doesn’t work WHY??

  11. Drew Stelward says

    Contact Cyberexpositors at gmail dot com for any tech related job… He’s the best out there. I contacted him when I had the idea that my WIFE was cheating on me, I had contacted other tech related experts on this but couldn’t get to nail her until Cyberexpositors at gmail dot com came through for me. I was able to see everything she does with her phone, who she was texting, exchanging pics with, bank statements and other info needed. He’s the Best out there. Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you need any help.

  13. CP says

    Galaxy S9+. Cleared the cash per above instructions. Force stopped the messenger app. Restarted my phone and was able to download all messages.

  14. GILBERT GUTIERREZ says

    I just tried this and it seemed to have worked. I have a Note 9….

    Connections….Network Mode…..(Choose LTE/CDMA)

    I am not an IT guy…..just upset its taken so much of my time……

  15. Kelly Pruitt says

    I agree with everyone on here. Google’s messaging is a joke and it has to do with Google itself. I never had this problem until a few months ago so I’m thinking it could be some darn update that Google did. So if that is the case then Google should have a text go to everybody that has this problem and fix it! I have tried everything in the help department given by Google and nothing has worked so all I have done is wasted MY time with no results! I think I’ll try someone else.
    .

  16. Mantis Nomo says

    Samsung S8+: Glad to find this thread. I have been having this problem for months. A month ago I called Sprint/T-mob customer dontcare. Spent 3 hours on the phone with a nice little girl in the Phils. She was poking around in my phone/phone service from her end, and — voila! — she fixed it! For a couple of days. She did something that broke loose all the backed up messages, and I interpreted it as having been fixed. Over the next couple of weeks I invested 2 more 3-hour+ calls to customer disservice, and nothing helped. Now I tried each of the suggestions here, in order (except deleting my data), and when I got to “turn off WiFi”, it broke loose the backlog of undelivered messages, again. (Except for those that had timed-out trying to download for weeks, and been deleted by my carrier. I asked the carrier, and I ask you, “Why do I have to pay a corporation for a service they cannot deliver.?” This is not normal business.. This is a violation of the contract I have with my carrier. This is a violation of the law. They are forcing us to pay for a service they do not, and apparently cannot, deliver. This has already wrecked things in my career and personal life. Text messages are sometimes not delivered to those to whom I send them, and sometimes not downloaded — sometimes there is an indication, like “click blue kerberos to download,” and sometimes not. Sometimes it is pix, and sometimes it is just plain old messages. Sometimes it is iOS group messages, and sometimes not. Sometimes there is no indication at all that a message has been lost in the system, and sometimes it is obvious that they cannot be “downloaded.” (I have NEVER had to “download” a message before this nightmare began.) So much for the non-technical side of this travesty.

    From a tech standpoint, this has all the earmarks of a totally random coding bug within the phone networks. Virtually any action can, in some cases, break loose the “logjam,” while, at the same time virtually any same action can later fail to have an effect. Across many many models of cell phone, and across a multiplicity of SMS text apps. Since there is often no indication that messages are being lost, I suspect that this is happening a lot to people who do not even know it. What is wrong with those maintaining the phone system that they would implement a service that has no feedback to them as to whether it worked or not? What is wrong with the maintenance personnel that they do not escalate this apparently wide-spread (intermittent) failure, and fix it? I’ll tell you what: The corporations are continuing to be paid for a service they are not only not delivering, but, even more harmfully, delivering partially to an extent that it continues to disrupt peoples’ lives for months! If text messaging simply stopped working tomorrow, none of us would continue to depend on it. But it works just enough that at least I keep thinking that I will be informed of the next meeting I miss. I will be informed of the next social gathering I miss. I keep thinking haven’t missed anything in group chats by staring at groups of tail-chasing blue dots for weeks, until they “expire.” I’ve had enough of this non-service. Can I please have my money back, now, for a service which is not being provided??? Thank you.

  17. Beth says

    This happened to me, but I’m thinking maybe we shouldn’t try to fix this. My phone has all kinds of room for things to download. I’m thinking it’s spam or something worse that would ruin the phone.

  20. Steve says

    I have a galaxy 5E and did the following – Turn off advance messaging under the settings within the text messaging app. This worked and I was immediately able to download text messages via wifi.

  21. Brandi Partridge says

    I have the galaxy S20 FE I have had this issues since I got it. I tried your truck or didn’t work . please someone help

  24. Cathy says

    I have been having this problem of “message expired or not available” with MMS for a few months ( phone Nokia 8 is two years old and no problems before) . It only seems to happen with some messages from particular phones, especially IPhones. Have tried all the below fixes, nothing works. Only turning the phone off and back on, then the picture is there!

  27. John says

    It is caused by google. Or att. Nothing anyone does will be a lasting solution as google and att are constantly screwing thing up.

  28. Kari D says

    At my wits’ end with this. Galaxy S10+, AT&T, tried it with Samsung and Android messages apps, same result. Clearing cache didn’t do anything. Resetting the network settings worked for a bit the first time then not at all. Turning off wifi calling, then wifi, no difference. Tried a different app, Pulse, worked great except none of the photos were loading (like they were never posted, just never showed up). Heard a similar issue happens with Textra. Pattern seems to be a group message thread with iphone users, but beyond that nothing consistently works, none of the proposed fixes. I really, really don’t want an iphone, I hope this gets figured out and fixed!!

  29. thomas says

    bro thank you, i literally called customer service like 3 or 4 times and no one resolved the problem. but this here did resolve the problem, thanks a lot.i salute you.

  30. Ron Dennis says

    Ebony Grace (and Lallette, which is where we found the response to Ebony that helped us),
    THANK YOU!!!

    … and thanks to Technipages also, without which we wouldn’t have a place to find the answers from these kind (and knowledgeable) folks.

  31. Linda says

    Turned wifi off on my Samsung Galaxy J7 Sky Pro and and was able to download text messages, which I haven’t been able to do on ‘some’ for months.. Thank you for making this suggestion that resolved this problem.

  32. Wayne Gannett says

    My LG phone had a bunch of incoming text messages that would never download.

    What worked just now: in Messages Settings….Advanced

    Turn off “Auto-download MMS”

    Bingo. All the messages came in normally.

  33. Karen Smith-Gratto says

    The problem has continued. Still unsupported files. Have followed this procedure several times to no result. Any other ideas?

  36. Sue says

    I had the same problem on Samsung tract one. Go to settings, network, and there is a MMS messages
    choice. Turn on “send and receive when mobile data is off”. Worked for me.

  37. Rose says

    I performed the steps stated and now my text reads “unsupported file.” Please advise. Thank you.

  39. Jean Balensiefen says

    Sorry, but does clear data clear out all your messages? I can’t loose any.

  40. Howie says

    Worked like a charm! So simple too!
    Thank you so much!!

    From the Home screen, open “Settings“.
    Select “Apps“.
    Choose “Messenger“.
    Select “Storage“.
    Select “Clear Data” and “Clear Cache“

  43. Leslie says

    Android 9 phone… Pay as u go …with no data

    One contact there message says to download message. Do not want to download and don’t not to turn on data only wifi… How do I stop this from happening…. Please help

  45. Jon Richt says

    It’s important to note when instructions actually solve the problem claimed – and this worked perfectly. The phone had to redownload the messages again, but the dreaded “Download MMS” icons were gone. Thanks!

  47. Mike says

    I got this to resolve, at least temporarily, by truning off my WiFi. Messages came thru using cellular. I cannot find any setting in the Messenging App to make cellular preferred over WiFi for messages.

  48. Ferter says

    Not working on my Moto G7. I don’t want to enable data – my plan has expensive data, so I only download via WiFi. My Android 5 phone worked fine. New phone Android 9 doesn’t work.

  50. Bridget says

    I don’t know if this will work tomorrow, but it just worked today: I changed my WiFi settings from “WiFi Preferred” to “Cellular Network Preferred-use cellular network for calls. If cellular network is unavailable use WiFi.”

    This has been a LONG time problem of mine that has bugged me to no end. Today was my first day to search for a solution and after reading only the first few responses, and nothing working, I don’t know what made me try this and I did and all of the non downloading messages downloaded almost immediately.

  51. Blittie says

    From 10/17/19, “Says to Download the message but download always fails. I just change my setting from Wifi to Data and then try again. Message downloads.” Tried this on Samsung A6. Worked. Thank you. Solved a mysterious problem for me.

  52. Judi Whitworth says

    Blue screen with large arrow Downloading, been like it all day. Cannot turn off off or access anything to get rid of message. If you call the member message says lonely receiving at the moment Help please

  54. Jamie says

    I have a samsung S10. This works short term. Issue comes back. Beyond ridiculous. My phone is brand new. Samsung tried to fix and even remoted in. Still could not fix.

  56. Mista J says

    This fixes the problem for me but then it just happens again in a day or so.

    Is there a permanent fix?

    (I’m on a OnePlus 6t with T Mobile by the way)

  57. Sue says

    BB Dtek50. Click to download text and nothing happens. Via wi-fi, via data. Nothing. Cache etc cleared. Restart. Cold start. Nope. Only began happing a few weeks back. Makes me wonder if it’s a provider issue.

  58. Rick says

    I have an LG G5, using Android. I am using Messaging, not Messenger. Can receive but can’t open some text messages from an iphone. Says to Download the message but download always fails. I just change my setting from Wifi to Data and then try again. Message downloads. This has worked for the past few years for me. Hopefully this helps. My wife’s phone has no data yet hers receives iphone text messages everytime.

  59. Joshua H Weigner says

    This worked for me too, however I have to do it at least once a week. What’s the permanent fix?

  61. Jan says

    Had trouble downloading/receiving pictures using Samsung default text message app. After trying everything including a factory reset which didn’t fix the problem.- I found the answer: turn off advance messaging under the settings within the text messaging app.

  62. Ron says

    Other online comments say clearing data does delete texts, so I didn’t try it. I cleared cache and then restarted the phone. Worked after that!

  63. Deb says

    i have a Samsung S7 Edge. I get “Downloadling” messge on sevral messages. One of the last ones i got took about 12 hours to download. I tried the clear cashe because my husband said clear data will delete all my messages. I am not seeing a change on the text still downloading.
    Any other suggestions for a Samsung S7 Edge

  64. Suzanne Hale says

    Anyone have issues with “Message Expired of Not Available” on a Blackberry Keyone?

    Thanks in advance!

  65. Frank says

    I have a Moto G5+ on T-Mobile. I had to change and then change back to APN under Settings,Network, Mobile Network, Advanced, Access point names. After that is worked.

  71. Frank says

    Finally someone knows how to help! I was on the phone for 45 minutes with virgin mobile tech support about my SG3 and couldn’t figure it out… Thank Mitch owe you one!

  73. JM says

    I just deleted the image my phone thought I didn’t receive…therefore, no notification was necessary.

  74. Holley says

    The app may be corrupt. You can rollback the app to factory in settings application manager. It will roll back updates but will not erase your messages.

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