#images Not Working, Fix

Several users have said that they were unable to send GIFs and images using #images in the Messages app on the iPhone or the iPad. They have said that they received the following message:

“Could Not Share Image. The internet connection appears to be offline”. See the screenshot below:

Your iPhone or iPad includes a built-in GIF keyboard. It’s called #images.

Messages on your iPhone or iPad allows you to search for various GIFs in #images to send so that you can send (and receive) moving images easily. If this feature is not working for you, this article explains how you can fix it.

Please try the troubleshooting tips below. Make sure that you check each step to see if your problem is fixed.

See also: How To Share Photos, Videos, Or Voice Messages in Messages

Before you do anything, make sure that your iPhone or iPad is running the latest version of iOS or iPadOS. Updating your device will improve the performance of your device. You can easily update your device by going to Settings > General > Software Update. This will check for updates. If any updates are available, follow the onscreen instructions to update your device.

See this article if the message effects are not working.

1. Restart the Messages app to see if this fixes your problem. Here is how:

• Quit the Messages app. If your device is an iPhone X or later, or an iPad with iOS 12 or later, go to your Home screen and then swipe up from the bottom of your screen. If your device is an iPhone 8 or earlier, double press the home button. This will reveal the App Switcher.
• Find the Messages app. You can swipe left or right.
• When you find it, swipe up.
• Now open the Messages app and try again.

2. Make sure that MMS Messaging is enabled on your device. You can check this by going to Settings > Messages. Scroll down and find the SMS/MMS section.

3. Remove #images and then readd. Here is how:

• Open the Messages app on your device.
• Compose a new message or open an existing message.
• Tap the ‘A’ (Apps) icon and swipe left and tap the more (…) icon.
• Tap Edit.
• Tap the red minus icon next to #images. And then tap Remove from favorites.
• This will move #images to the more apps section. Turn it off.
• Now exit the Messages app.
• Then re-add #images by following the same steps.

4. As the error message indicates, the most common reason why you can’t send or receive GIF messages is a bad Internet connection. We previously wrote about how to troubleshoot connection issues:

• iPhone Hotspot With Wi-Fi Not Working?
• Your iPhone Won’t Connect to Wi-Fi?
• iPad Wi-Fi Problems

You can also try the following tips:

• Enable Airplane Mode your iPhone or iPad, wait about a minute and then disable it (Settings > Airplane Mode).
• Disable Wi-Fi and wait about a minute and then enable it by going to Settings > Wi-Fi.
• Makes sure that Cellular Data is turned on (Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data). Do you see a No Service message?
• Try connecting to a different Wi-Fi network.
• Restart your Wi-Fi router. To do that, simply unplug your router from its power source. Wait 30 seconds. And then plug it in.

5. Restart your iPhone or iPad. Here is how:

• iPhone X, 11 or later and iPad with Face ID: Press and hold the volume up (or down) and the side buttons together until you see the power off slider. Then drag the slider. Wait about a minute. Then press and hold the side button until you see the Apple logo.
• Other iPhone and iPad models: Press and hold the side or top button until you see the power off slider. Then slide the slider. Wait about a minute. Press and hold the side or top button to turn on your device.

6. Force restart your device. Here is how:

• iPhone 8 or later and iPad with Face ID: Press and release the volume up button and press and release the volume down button and then press and hold the side or power button until you see the Apple logo.
• iPhone 7 models: Press and hold the side or top and the volume down buttons together until you see the Apple logo.
• Other iPhone and iPad models: Press and hold the Home and the side or top buttons together until your device restarts.

7. Reset network settings. Note that doing so will erase your network settings, for example, this will delete all your saved Wi-Fi passwords. Here is how:

• On your iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > General > Reset> Reset Network Settings > Reset Network Settings.

If you are still having this problem, you may want to contact Apple. Furthermore, please note that #images is not available everywhere. It is only available in the following countries: United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Japan, India, New Zealand, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Singapore, Philippines.

See also: iMessage questions and answers