Facebook Messenger is one of the most widely used instant messaging platforms around today, coming second in the ranks to WhatsApp.
The app allows Facebook users to talk to each other privately either on a one to one basis or in a group chat. The app is usually pretty faultless, but from time to time will throw up some error messages.
One of the error messages that users may experience is one that reads ‘this person isn’t available right now’.
This will typically appear when you go to message someone and the app isn’t playing ball. It will likely confuse you as the error message isn’t exactly clear in explaining why the user in question isn’t currently available.
In this article, we are going to look at the most common reason behind this error message and also look at some of the other reasons why you might be struggling to message particular users on Messenger. Let’s get into it.
This person isn’t available right now – Facebook error fix
You may not want to hear this but the most common reason why Facebook tells users that ‘this person isn’t available right now’ on Messenger is because the person you are trying to message has blocked you.
While there is no way to check for sure if someone has blocked you, there is some investigate work you can do to figure it out.
First of all, click off Messenger and load up the main Facebook app. Use the search bar to search for the account that you suspect may have blocked you.
If you can’t locate their account then you have either been blocked or they have deactivated their Facebook account.
To find out which one it is, you can ask a friend to use their Facebook account to search for the user on the app.
If they can locate the user, this means you have been blocked. However if they can’t, then they have more than likely just deactivated their account.
Read More: This page isn’t available right now Facebook error
Coincidentally, if is the case that the user in question has just deactivated their account then you will receive the same ‘this person isn’t available right now’ error message when trying to contact them on Messenger.
Check your block list too
While it seems absurd that you could be trying to message someone that you have blocked, it is still a possibility if you are particularly trigger happy when it comes to blocking users on the platform.
Additionally, if you are trying to message someone that you have blocked then you will receive the ‘this person isn’t available right now’ error message so it’s worth a check.
In order to check your blocked list on Facebook, please follow these steps:
On the mobile app
- Log on to your Facebook account.
- Select the three lined icon on the bottom right hand side of the screen.
- Select ‘settings and privacy’ and then ‘settings’.
- Scroll down to ‘audience and visibility’ and select ‘blocking’.
- This will bring up a list of all the people you have blocked in the past. To unblock a user in order to message them, select ‘unlock’ next to their name.
On web browser
- Log on to your Facebook account.
- Select the downwards arrow icon on the top right hand side of the screen.
- Select ‘settings and privacy’ and then ‘settings’.
- Select ‘blocking’ from the left hand side menu bar.
- Select ‘block users’ and then unblock the person you want to message should they appear on this page.
Other reasons why Messenger might not be working
There are a couple of other more general reasons why the Facebook Messenger app might not be working for you as it should.
These are worth looking at should you receive any other error messages from the app relating to messages not being able to be sent.
Connectivity
In order to successfully send and receive messages via Facebook Messenger you are going to need to be connected to the internet. If you don’t have a solid internet connection then your messages will not be delivered.
On your mobile device, ensure that you are either connected to a Wi-Fi network or mobile data before trying to send a message via the app. A lack of internet connection is a common reason this error message appears.
Updates
Facebook regularly runs updates as they look to constantly improve their service, and Messenger is 100% a part of that. Running updates is important for making sure there are no software errors.
If you are running an old or expired version of Messenger then you may struggle when trying to perform basic tasks such as sending messages.
Check your settings on your mobile device to see if Messenger requires an update and consider turning on automatic updates to ensure that this is never an issue again.
Conclusion
To conclude, the most common reason why Facebook will bring up this error message is if you are trying to message someone who has either blocked you or deactivated their Facebook account.
As a result, there isn’t really a viable option to get around the issue because if someone has blocked you then you should respect their privacy.
