What does sent as SMS via server mean on Android? If you’re an Android user, you’ve probably come across the term “sent as SMS via server” while using your messaging app. But what does it actually mean?
When you send a message from your Android phone, it can be sent in a few different ways. The most common way is through your mobile carrier’s cellular network, using a protocol called Short Message Service (SMS). SMS is a text messaging protocol that’s been around since the early days of mobile phones. It’s a simple, reliable way to send short messages between mobile devices.
But sometimes, for various reasons, your message can’t be sent using SMS. Maybe you’re in an area with poor cellular coverage, or your recipient is in a different country with a different carrier. In those cases, your messaging app might automatically switch to a different protocol, such as Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS).
SMS instead of delivered, shows “sent as SMS via server?
It is safe to mention in this section of the blog post that the RCB can be a major reason why you keep seeing “sent SMS via server” instead of the usual read receipt feedback. RCS stands for Rich Communication Services, a protocol that was launched by Google in 2020 to handle the communication between telephone and mobile phone carriers.
You will experience the “sent SMS via server” response when the RCB has replaced the old messaging app on your phone. You will no longer see “message delivered” response.
There are also other factors such as; sending messages to a blocked number, an SMS from your android to an iPhone, and poor network connection are possible causes of “sent SMS via server” feedback.
Solution: how to turn off sent sms via server
When you get the “sent SMS via server” here’s how to fix it using different methods.
Method #1: Wait it out
Sometimes it could be that the receiver is in an area with poor network coverage, this is not your fault or a problem from your device. You should simply wait and retry after some time.
Method #2: Activate “show when delivered” settings from your phone
If you want to turn off sent SMS via server response on your phone, we recommend that you check if your “Show When Delivered” option is set to YES on your phone.
In case you don’t know how to set “Show When Delivered” option for SMS on your phone, follow the steps below to set it up.
- Open your Messaging app and go to Settings
- Tap on More settings.
- Open the Text messages option.
- Turn the Show when delivered option on to activate it.
Once you’re done with the above SMS configuration settings for your Android device, you can send a text message to see if that resolves it.
Method #3: Activate RCS on your phone
- Go to the Messages app on your Android phone
- Locate the three dots at the top-right corner of the screen
- Select Settings and choose Chat settings and customize your messaging app settings.
Final thought
“Sent as SMS via server” is a message you might see on your Android phone when your messaging app is unable to send a message using SMS and instead sends it via a different protocol through a messaging app’s server, when you try to send sms to a blocked number, or recipient with no network.