Sent vs Delivered – Difference Between Sent and Delivered on Messenger

The difference between sent and delivered on messenger is that sent means that the message has been uploaded to the messaging network, whereas delivered means that it has been downloaded by the messaging network and is ready for viewing by the recipient.

The number of mobile phone users has grown remarkably over the past decades. The desire to stay connected has also led to the growth in the number of social networks.

Whether you are using an email or social media app, two words that are popular are “sent” and “delivered.” Understanding the terms delivered vs sent and sent vs delivered is a crucial part of using almost all modern technology in or away from Facebook messenger.

Unfortunately, this has left those who are not tech-savvy to ask, “What is the difference between sent and delivered?” The variations are glaring when you know the finer details about these different statuses, yet one can easily be mistaken for another, especially if you’re new to digital messaging and social media in general.

Emails usually tell you when your messages are sent, but not when they are delivered. However, most chat apps have a way of indicating when your message has either been uploaded to the central messaging server (sent) or has been downloaded by your intended recipient (delivered.)

If you are still trying to figure out the difference between sent and delivered or you are looking for some easy ways to identify the two with a few useful examples, this post will answer all of your questions.

Definition of Delivered – What Does Delivered Mean on Messenger?

The definition of delivered is: “To provide something as promised or expected.”

When we’re trying to decipher delivered vs sent, specifically on messenger, ‘delivered’ simply means that the message successfully reached its destination. This can also be explained as the movement of a note or piece of information from the server to the receiver.

When the status reads as delivered, this indicates that your intended recipient has successfully downloaded the information you sent across to their target device. It does not mean that they’ve opened and seen it, as this relates to another separate status known as “seen.”

Understanding the different messenger sent vs delivered icons is also a crucial part of grasping how the platform works. You’ll also be able to tell the difference between messenger sent vs delivered statuses using the recipients profile picture icon. This is displayed on the app to highlight that the recipient has opened the message. This icon image actually replaces the ‘seen’ status on some apps and messaging platforms.

The profile picture read receipt accompanies the ‘delivered,’ ‘sent,’ and ‘seen’ statuses that some versions use and is another imperative part of the sent vs delivered messenger system.

On some platforms, you will only see the delivered sign if the receiver allows ‘Message Receive Receipt.’ It is also important to note that when a text is marked as delivered, it doesn’t mean that the receiver has read them. In Whatsapp, for instance, read texts have blue double ticks under them.

Definition of Sent – What Does Sent Mean on Messenger?

The definition of sent is: “Sent is a word used to define conveying or delivering something.”

When a text or messenger message is marked as sent, it means that it was successfully moved to the server of the platform currently being used. It is from this server that it goes to the recipient. All messaging platforms will tell you whether your message has been sent or not and this is a standard part of the sent vs delivered messenger system on Facebook.

To help you understand the full delivered vs sent messenger picture, let us compare it to what happens in an offline mail. ’Sent’ is when you give the post office the envelope containing your letter. On the other hand, ‘delivered’ is when the post office hands the envelope to the receiver.

The difference in this example of course is that once delivered, you don’t know at precisely what time the delivery occurred or get any live confirmation that it arrived with the recipient unless you’re using electronic tracking.

The electronic tracking systems used by some mail and courier companies is just an elaborate version of the delivered vs sent messenger system. They all revolve around the same fundamental principles.

What Is the main Difference Between Sent and Delivered?

Basis of Comparison	Delivered	Sent
Meaning	Movement of text from server to recipient	Movement of text from sender to server
Notification	You will get a notification only when receiver turns on ‘Message Receive Receipt’	You will always get notification for sent text
Success	Text will only deliver if the receiver is connected to the server	Text will only send if the sender is connected to the server

We’ll now dive into some of the most common questions about this subject in an FAQ section so that you can finally summarize the difference between sent and delivered in messenger at a quick glance.

Delivered and Sent Difference – FAQ

Here are the most frequently asked questions about the messenger delivered vs sent comparison:

Please help, what is the difference between sent and delivered on messenger?

The difference between these two terms is that when a messenger message reads as ‘sent,’ it has been uploaded to the Facebook server ready for the recipient to download and view.

A ‘delivered’ message, however, relates to a message that has been downloaded by the recipient’s target device and is ready for viewing.

When it says delivered in messenger, does this mean that the person has seen it?

When a message reads as delivered in messenger, this does not necessarily mean that the person has seen it. It simply means that your message has been downloaded by their target device ready for viewing whenever they wish.

You will get a ‘read” or ‘seen’ receipt when they have opened and read the message. This is the difference between sent and delivered on messenger. It’s worth noting that if the recipient reads the message in their lock screen status window, it may not show as being ‘read’ or ‘seen.’

So What Is Delivered and Sent? – Conclusion

You now finally know that facebook messenger sent vs delivered are two completely separate statuses indicating completely different things about what the current status of your digital message is.

In summary, it is possible to receive a ‘sent’ notification but the text will not necessarily have delivered. Thus, a sender needs a connection to the server to send a text while the receiver needs to be connected to the server to have the text delivered.

If you ever get stuck when trying to summarize the variations between sent vs delivered in the future, simply come back to our quick reference table or definitions for a refresher.