A terminal triggering method, wherein the method is implemented by a terminal, and the method comprises: receiving, from a mobility management entity, a trigger request message sent by a server to the terminal, where the trigger request message carries application information of an application that needs to be triggered; determining, according to the trigger request message, the need to set up a data connection with the server; determining whether a data connection is unable to be set up with the server; sending indicating information to the server by using the mobility management entity in a case where the terminal determines that a data connection is unable to be set up with the server, so that the server suspends sending a subsequent trigger request message to the terminal; responding to the trigger request message in a case where the terminal determines that a data connection is able to be set up with the server; wherein the determining that a data connection is unable to be set up with the server specifically comprises: having a case where the terminal needs to set up a data connection with the server, and a back off timer associated with an access point name is running on the terminal; and in this case, both: determining whether the application triggered by the trigger request message uses the access point name; and in a case where the application triggered by the trigger request message uses the access point name, determining, by the terminal, that a data connection is unable to be set up with the server. receiving, from a mobility management entity, a trigger request message sent by a server to the terminal, where the trigger request message carries application information of an application that needs to be triggered; determining, according to the trigger request message, the need to set up a data connection with the server; determining whether a data connection is unable to be set up with the server; sending indicating information to the server by using the mobility management entity in a case where the terminal determines that a data connection is unable to be set up with the server, so that the server suspends sending a subsequent trigger request message to the terminal; responding to the trigger request message in a case where the terminal determines that a data connection is able to be set up with the server; wherein the determining that a data connection is unable to be set up with the server specifically comprises: having a case where the terminal needs to set up a data connection with the server, and a back off timer associated with an access point name is running on the terminal; and in this case, both: determining whether the application triggered by the trigger request message uses the access point name; and having a case where the terminal needs to set up a data connection with the server, and a back off timer associated with an access point name is running on the terminal; and in this case, both: determining whether the application triggered by the trigger request message uses the access point name; and in a case where the application triggered by the trigger request message uses the access point name, determining, by the terminal, that a data connection is unable to be set up with the server.