Let me preface by saying 80% of the time, voice activated text messaging works fine with Sync 4. (NOT using Android Auto & I don't have an Apple device)
I'm using a Galaxy S24 Ultra connected via Bluetooth/wirelessly.
I also DO NOT have an activated modem but this issue persisted even when I did and voice to text continued to work even once I didn't.

Now to my issue... there are times when I push the button on the steering wheel to send a voice text... I say "send XXXXX a text"... and I get this error message:
"I can only send a message when connectivity is available, please try again later"

When it works, after I say "send XXXXX a message"... she says: "Do you want to send XXXXX a message?" I say "yes" and she says "What would you like the message to say?"... I speak the message... she says "do you want to send a message saying (whatever I spoke) and then sends the message once I confirm.

What I'm trying to find out does that error message above mean connectivity between the phone and the truck... or the phone and the cellular network?

Reason being, there are locations that I sometimes cannot send a voice text (and get the above message) but other times in those exact same exact locations, I can.
When I can't send a text, all other functions of hands free work perfectly and I've never noticed any other hands free commands not work.
Last night I went through an area and voice to text worked spot on. On the way back home, I got the error message every try.

Please don't chastise and say I should be using Android Auto. I know that is an option but I'd simply like to know why there are times Ford's voice activated text messages work perfectly and other times I get the dreaded "I can only send a message when connectivity is available, please try again later" message.

Also this method has NOTHING to do with the 15 or so preloaded responses to texts. This is voice to text.
Sync 4 is up to date.

Anybody know for sure what the "I can only send a message when connectivity is available, please try again later" really means?
2 hours with a gal reading off a paper from Ford support was futile.

 

Pretty sure it means the truck is having issues connecting to your phone. It might be playing music or whatever but it is not seeing the other functions of the phone. Since you seem to have an Android I would suggest using Android Auto and see if that makes things better.

FWIW, I use CarPlay and do not have that connectivity issue with my FIL's truck or with my Ram, 99.9% of the time. I also don't have to wait on the vehicle to repeat EVERYTHING I say to me, I tell siri to message someone, they ask what I want to say, and when she starts to repeat it I have the option to reach over and press the big blue 'send' button to cut her off. Makes messages go in half the time.

There is ONE place, a mile stretch of road just north of town, where for some reason the bluetooth/wireless CarPlay will momentarily disconnect/reconnect (cell service on my phone does NOT change, I've watched it), but that is the ONLY place I've ever run into it and I've driven all over the midwest. What's odd is it is a stretch of field with like 3 houses along the road, so it's odd that it does it in that area, it makes me think someone along there has something that is disrupting electronics. But that's a different story.

 

Sounds like your bluetooth isnt always connected between phone and truck. Wifi is only used if using android auto.

 

Which is why I'm trying to find out for sure.
I've even deleted my device and re-paired (several times) and when I can't send a message (and get the error) I can immediately try "find directions to XXXX" and that works flawlessly or "play song XXXX" and that works perfectly.

 

I would try using Android Auto and see if it fixes the problem. Bluetooth can get funky sometimes, in my last truck it didn't have CarPlay/Android Auto, and there were times where the music would be playing, but I couldn't do any commands because it claimed it wasn't connected. After a bit it would reconnect and function as intended.

That said, every now and then even CarPlay acts up (though not as often as Bluetooth) and claims 'the CarPlay device is not available.' That usually goes away within 30 seconds, instead of minutes like Bluetooth.