Why a message was not sent
GuideUpdated October 16, 2026
In short
Every message that was held back shows its reason on the appointment's history. The usual ones: no phone number, the client or your shop switched that message off, or a limit was reached. Fix the cause, then send it by hand.
Open the appointment. The SMS messages card shows each message's state, and the history below it says Message not sent with the reason.
The usual reasons
- No phone number
- Add one
- Then press Send on the message.
- Your shop switched it off
- Your settings
- That type of message is off in SMS settings.
- The client switched it off
- Their choice
- They stopped texts from you. Only they, or a manager, can turn them back on.
- Daily limit reached
- 6 texts a day
- Each client gets at most 6 texts in 24 hours.
Some messages are skipped on purpose, because the client already knows:
- Already sent for this recurring series: one confirmation covers the whole series.
- The reminder had already gone out, or the confirmation went out the same day: two messages never pile up.
- The confirmation had not gone out yet: an update waits, because the confirmation will carry the new details.
- The client was never told about this booking: cancelling a tentative hold sends nothing.
Not skipped, only waiting
- A request from your booking page gets its confirmation once you accept it.
- With Send only during business hours on, a message shows In queue until you open.
- With no credits left, confirmations and reminders wait and go out once there are credits again. Updates and cancellations do not wait: they are skipped, because a late update is worse than none.
Values shown for an example shop.
Confirmation
Sent immediately when an appointment is created.
On
Reminder
Sent 24 hours before the appointment.
On
Sent, delivered or did not reach
A client's Messages tab shows what happened to each message for them:
- Not sent
- Held back
- For one of the reasons above.
- Sent
- Left for the network
- The usual state. The network does not always report more.
- Delivered
- Confirmed by the network
- Shown only when the network said so.
- Did not reach
- Failed on the way
- Check the number, or send it by hand.
Related
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