Sent vs Delivered Message: How Are Both Different

Whether it be emails, Facebook messages, or WhatsApp messages, when labeled as sent, it means the message has left your device and is on its way to your network, but it doesn’t mean it has reached your contact's device yet.

When the message is marked as delivered, it has reached the receiver, but that doesn’t mean they have seen it. When your receiver opens and reads your messages, it gets labeled with read on the sender device.

When you type your message and press the send option in your messaging platform, your network service provider receives it. From there, it travels through various networks or grids until it reaches the recipient’s network provider. Finally, the receiver service provider delivers the message to their devices.

Poor network signal and device settings can affect the whole message-sending process and the status of your message. The “sent,” “delivered,” and “read” status denotes the entire process.

To know whether your SMS has been sent, you can check the status indicator in your messaging platform. If it shows as “sent,” your message has successfully left your device and has reached the recipient’s network. However, this doesn’t confirm the delivery of your message to the receiver’s device.

On most Android phones, while your message is sending, a small clock icon appears. Once the message is sent, the clock disappears and you may see a “Sent” label or no indicator at all, confirming the message has left your device. However, some messaging apps with RCS enabled show a checkmark once the message is sent.

If you are using an iPhone and sending a regular SMS (which appears as a green bubble), the “Sending…” label will show at first. Once it disappears and no error appears, your message is considered sent. iPhones do not show a checkmark like Android phones, but if the message does not get stuck or show an error, it has likely gone through.

There are several reasons behind messages that are sent but not delivered. Here are the main reasons why your message might not be getting through:

• Incorrect Recipient Details: The most frequent reason is simply having the wrong phone number or email address. A small typo can send your message into the void.
• Full Inbox/Storage: The recipient's device might have no space left to receive new messages, acting like a "mailbox full" sign.
• Network Issues: Both the sender's and receiver's internet or mobile network connection can experience temporary outages or weak signals, preventing message delivery.
• Spam Filters and Security: Automated filters often block messages that look like spam, contain suspicious links, or come from unrecognized senders to protect the recipient.
• Recipient Has Blocked You: If the recipient has blocked your number or email, your messages will not be delivered to them.

You can check the delivery of your messages from the messaging platforms you’ve used to send them. If the status shows delivered, it confirms that your message has reached your recipient's device.

However, standard SMS does not always show delivery status, but some messaging apps like Google Messages with RCS enabled can confirm when your SMS is delivered. Otherwise, you may not see any confirmation unless the recipient replies. Here is how to enable delivery reports:

• Enable Delivery Reports (Android): In your Android's Messages app, go to Settings and look for an option to turn on "SMS delivery reports" or similar under "Text messages" or "Advanced."
• iMessage (iPhone): For blue-bubble messages between iPhones, "Delivered" will appear below your message once it reaches the recipient.

Beyond traditional SMS, popular messaging apps like WhatsApp, Messenger, and Telegram use their own systems to indicate message status. Unlike basic SMS, these apps tell you when your message is sent, delivered, and read.

A single gray check mark means the message was sent from your device. Two gray check marks confirm it was delivered to the recipient's device. Once these turn blue, it means the recipient has read the message.

An unfilled blue circle with a check mark shows the message was sent. It turns into a filled blue circle with a check mark once delivered. When the recipient has seen or read the message, their profile picture will appear next to it.

A single check mark indicates the message was sent to Telegram's servers. Two check marks mean the message has been opened and read by the recipient; Telegram does not have a separate "delivered to device" status like WhatsApp.

If your message is marked as “delivered,” it means it has reached the recipient’s device. However, if the recipient has blocked your number, your messages may only show as “sent,” and the status won’t change to “delivered.” In such cases, you might experience undelivered text messages, and the recipient won’t receive any notification of your message on their device.

Understanding what “sent” and “delivered” messages are can help you manage your communications better. While “sent” shows that your SMS has left your device, “delivered” means it has reached the recipient. But even a “delivered” message doesn’t guarantee that the person has read it until the status shows as read.