If you are asking why can’t I send messages on POF, you’ve come to the right page.
We’ve compiled a list of reasons and quick fixes to get you chatting with people again.
Nothing is more frustrating than not being able to send messages on Plenty of Fish. But don’t worry!
It’s not always because of you and your profile. With these solutions, you should be back in the dating game and sending messages in no time.
Is there anything you can do to fix this? Absolutely!
You should first ensure your device is connected to the Internet and that the recipient did not block you. Then, try launching the app again. If this doesn’t work, clear your POF files to eliminate temporary bugs and glitches.
Before we move on to the actual steps of each solution, let us discuss the causes of the issue in detail.
Top Reasons Why My Messages Are Not Sending on POF
The point of POF messages not sending can be due to several factors. In most cases, bad Internet connectivity is the culprit.
- Check your Internet speed or any problems with your service provider.
✅ Issues With the Pof Servers
Plenty of Fish might be down if you cannot connect to the network. You won’t be able to use the app or the website, but you can only wait.
✅ Using an Outdated App
If you can’t send messages, but other functions operate properly, your app may be outdated.
Upgrade the app to the most recent version to eliminate the problem.
✅ The Recipient Blocks You
You can’t contact the recipient because they have mail settings preventing you from doing so.
In this case, POF will immediately delete your messages before the recipient receives them.
✅ Sending Generic Messages
Your message may contain forbidden words. Plenty of Fish strictly prohibits obscene language, such as sexy, bedroom, and cocky.
These are the possible reasons your POF doesn’t work. Now, let’s proceed to the solutions. You may find these helpful for you.
Quick Fixes to Why Can’t I Send Messages on POF
Before heading to more advanced solutions, ensure your device is connected to the Internet.
There are times when slow data speed can stop the message from being sent or received.
Try closing and reopening your Plenty of Fish app to refresh your connection.
Also, check for any outages in the POF servers. You may find reports from other users on social media networks like Twitter and Facebook, and you can also visit DownDetector.
If the Internet is not the problem, try the following troubleshooting steps.
1. You’re Not Mutually Matched!
As a dating app, POF doesn’t allow you to send messages to anyone you see.
You need to be matched first, which means that both of you are interested in each other.
It’s only fair that this is POF’s policy as it decreases the chance of harassment among users.
If you can’t send a message to someone, it’s likely that you are not matched.
Whether it’s on your side or theirs, a match needs to be made before the communication lines will be open.
Here’s how to match with someone on POF:
- Open POF on your device whether it’s on your browser or app.
- Swipe on the Meet Me tab to match with other members.
- Select a profile you are interested.
- Choose Match.
Note: You’ll have to wait for them to match up with you before you can send a message.
2. Switch to a Backup Internet Connection Like Mobile Data
Issues with your internet connection can also cause problems with your POF messages.
Even though the POF system is up and running, there can be issues with your overall internet connectivity.
To know that this is the cause of your POF messaging issues, you want to connect to a different internet source.
You have a few options here as you can connect to a different WiFi or use an alternate connection.
Here’s how to use an alternate internet connection for POF:
- Disconnect from your current internet like your WiFi.
- If using the app, turn on your phone’s Mobile Data.
- If you’re using POF on a different device, consider using Mobile Hotspot.
- Use a public WiFi network from a hotel, restaurant, or other establishments.
3. Make Sure Your Account is Not Flagged Or Banned
Apart from other users blocking you from sending them a message, you want to know if your account is flagged or worse, banned.
- Certain actions and behaviors can trigger POF to flag or ban your account.
If your account is flagged for inappropriate behavior POF can suspend some of your privileges like sending messages.
If you continue these behaviors, they can outright ban your account and revoke access to your account.
Here’s how to know if your POF account is flagged or banned:
- Use a different POF account to check your original one.
- Go to the POF username search page.
- Search for your username.
- If your name shows up, your profile is hidden.
- If your name doesn’t show up, POF has deleted your account.
Note: You can also tell your profile is flagged or banned by going to your messages and checking if your profile and username show up.
4. Check If Your VPN is Active, Turn it Off
Similar to other dating sites and platforms, POF is particular to your current location.
- Using a VPN can change your location and cause POF to flag your account.
They can stop you from sending messages, so you want to make sure that you switch off your VPN connections to restore your location.
Here’s how to disable your VPN connection:
- Open your VPN app to see if you’re connected or not.
- If it’s connected, disconnect from the server.
- Close the browser you use for POF.
- Relaunch the browser and log into POF.
- Check if you can send messages again.
VPN: If you’re done using POF, you can reconnect to a fast and reliable VPN service like AtlasVPN.
5. Get Rid of Temporary Bugs by Clearing POF Files
Since POF is a platform, it gives you access to their service in a variety of ways.
Their phone app is prone to a few issues that involve the software. Bugs and glitches can cause files to be corrupted.
The quickest way to deal with this is to remove POF’s temporary files to flush out any bad files that can cause your app to malfunction.
Here’s how to remove bugs and bad files from the POF app:
- On iPhone
- Open your phone’s Settings app.
- Go to General.
- Select iPhone Storage.
- Choose the POF app.
- Tap on Offload app.
- On Android
- Go to your phone’s Settings app.
- Head on to the Apps section.
- Select POF from your app list.
- Go to Storage, then tap on Clear Cache.
Note: Restart your phone after performing these steps to flush out any file remnants that can affect the performance of the POF app.
6. Avoid Your Message Getting Mistaken as Spam
If you can’t send messages on POF it’s likely that they have flagged them as spam.
They have strict guidelines when it comes to the type of messages you can send to other members.
You want to avoid any flagged words so they won’t consider your account and messages as spam.
There are also other activities you can do that can get your account flagged, so you want to avoid these at all times.
Here are the messages you want to avoid when using POF:
- Send unique First Contact messages instead of copy-pasting.
- Avoid foul and inappropriate language in your POF profile.
- Avoid sending flagged words in any message.
- Don’t continue to send messages to someone who doesn’t reply.
Note: POF has a lot of words it deems offensive in its filter, so you want to avoid it. Words as simple as “bedroom” can cause your message to be flagged.
If your POF account suffers from message issues, these are the proven solutions that you can follow to resolve the errors.
You can contact POF customer support so you can start sending messages to other members.
Read Next: Xfinity Stream App Not Working On LG TV?
Bottom Line
Why can’t I send messages on POF? If you’re still asking this question, you need to follow these solutions closely to fix this issue.
As long as your account isn’t blocked, flagged, or banned, you can easily get messaging to work.
Finn Wheatley holds a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from UCL, London. He helped small data science consultancy firms, helping large corporations to grow their data capabilities, deploy advanced machine learning-based analytics and troubleshoot tech-related issues. Check out more about him here.