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If iMessage does not say 'Delivered', it could mean that the other person's phone is off or they don't have an active internet connection. It could also mean that the sender has blocked you. If the other person has switched from iPhone to another device, the message will not be delivered. To find out what is happening, try calling them.

One of the perks of shifting from traditional messaging to instant messaging services, like iMessage, is saying goodbye to uncertainties. If someone’s not replying to you, you don’t have to wonder if it could be because your message got lost. And they can’t lie to you about not getting your messages, either.

iMessage tells you when your message is delivered and read (if the person doesn't have the read receipts turned off). So, there's no more guesswork involved. But, of course, that doesn’t mean there aren’t circumstances that still aren’t left wondering. Like when your message does not say "delivered”.

There’s no ‘delivered’ tag with the last message.There's 

One is left to wonder what it means exactly. Is the problem on your end or theirs? Or maybe, the unthinkable has happened, and they have blocked you. It's easy to go down that spiral, but knowing precisely what is what can be helpful. So, let's do that and find out exactly what it means.

What Does the Absence of 'Delivered' Mean?

When iMessage doesn't show 'Delivered' with the message, the problem is not on your end. When the message fails to send from your side, it shows a "message failed to send" error instead.

So, that means the issue is definitely on their end. The most probable cause is that either their phone is off for some reason or they don't have access to an active internet connection. If their phone is on DND, iMessage will still say 'Delivered.'

Another instance where iMessage doesn't say 'Delivered' is when the sender has blocked you. Now, people don't usually get up one day and decide to block other people. So, if there's no reason for them to block you – no fights or arguments in the recent past – it's safe to assume that it's the former. But if you still have doubts, you can head over here and find out whether you have been blocked.

There's another instance when your iMessages aren't delivered. When the other person shifts from an iPhone to another device, say an Android but doesn't delete their number from Apple's iMessage servers.

If the issue is a switched-off phone or no internet connectivity, the message will be delivered when their phone is turned on, or they connect to the internet. But if they have blocked you or shifted from your iPhone, the message won't say delivered even after a few hours or days. In this case, try calling them, and you'd find out exactly what's happening.