We’ll walk you through all the steps you can take to fix your iPhone if it’s not receiving texts from Android.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- To fix an iPhone that is not receiving text messages from Android, check your cellular reception and make sure you’re not blocking the Android’s phone number.
- You should also try restarting it and checking for updates.
- If all else fails, contact your carrier for assistance.
If your iPhone isn’t receiving text messages from Android, it can feel like a big problem. After all, you could be missing out on something important. With most people communicating by text nowadays, not getting texts from Android users can be a big deal. If you’ve missed out on a text before, you know exactly what this feels like.
There are many reasons why your iPhone might not be receiving text messages from Android—from incorrect settings to poor network connection. So, try the troubleshooting steps below, and you’ll receive texts from Android again in no time!
How to fix an iPhone not receiving texts from Android
1. Toggle Airplane mode
Not getting a text you’re expecting? Perhaps you’re not getting any messages because there’s a glitch with your cellular radio or the wireless software. Turning your phone’s cellular radio off and back on again may resolve the issue. Swipe down from the top right corner of the screen to reveal the control center, then tap Airplane mode to turn it on. Wait a few seconds, then tap it again to re-enable your wireless networks.
2. Make sure you have cellular connectivity
Android Text messages are delivered through cellular service, not Wi-Fi. So in order to get text messages on your iPhone, you need a solid cellular signal. Be sure to check your wireless signal strength in the status bar at the top of the screen, and move outdoors if needed. Toggling Airplane mode can also help reestablish a solid cellular signal.
3. Doublecheck SMS and MMS options in Settings
- On your iPhone, open the Settings app,
- Scroll down and select Messages.
- Make sure Send as SMS and MMS Messaging are enabled.
Send as SMS is only important for replying to Android texts, but if the MMS Messaging isn’t enabled, you simply won’t receive any Android texts that contain media like photos.
4. Check your blocked contacts
It’s possible that the problem is relatively mundane — you might have blocked the Android contact and that’s why you’re not seeing text messages from that number. Here’s what to do:
- Open Settings.
- Tap Messages.
- Scroll down, and select Blocked Contacts.
- If you recognize any names or numbers in the list that you want to hear from again, tap Edit and then the red circle next to each entry.
- When you’re finished, tap Done.
5. Update iOS
It’s also possible that there’s a more pervasive problem with your phone, such as a software bug or incompatibility that’s preventing your iPhone from receiving Messages from Android. Check to make sure iOS is up to date and then install any available updates, if needed.
- Open Settings.
- Go into General.
- Tap Software Update.
- If an update is available, tap Update Now and follow onscreen instructions.
6. Restart your iPhone
If all else has failed so far, rebooting your iPhone might get your texting working again.
Follow these steps to restart iPhone XR, iPhone 11, iPhone 12, iPhone 13, iPhone 14, or iPhone 15:
- Press and hold both the Side button on the right side of the iPhone and any of the volume buttonson the left side. Release the buttons when you see the power off screen.
- Drag the power off slider to the right. Doing this will turn off the iPhone.
- Wait for at least 30 seconds.
- Press the Side button and release it when you see the Apple logo on the startup screen. In a few seconds, your iPhone will turn on.
Follow these steps to restart iPhone SE (2nd generation) and iPhone SE (3rd generation):
- Press and hold the Side button until you see the power off screen.
- Drag the power off slider to the right. Your iPhone is switched off now.
- Wait for at least 30 seconds.
- Press and hold the same Side button until you see the startup Apple logo.
7. Check for a carrier settings update
Carriers regularly push out network-specific settings updates meant to solve flaws or ensure compatibility. Normally you’ll be automatically prompted to install these, but if you think you missed one, you can install them manually.
- Open Settings.
- Tap General.
- Tap About. If an update is available, you should see a pop-up in a matter of seconds. It may be worth waiting a minute or two to be sure.
8. Turn Off Message Filtering
iPhones allow you to filter text messages from unknown senders. While this is off by default, you may have accidentally turned it on. If that’s the case, you could be missing text messages from Android numbers you don’t have saved on your phone.
To resolve this, turn off message filtering on your device. You can do this by following the steps below:
- Open Settings.
- Tap Messages
- disable Filter Unknown Senders. You should start receiving text messages again if it was enabled all this time.
Once you turn it off, head to the Messages app to find any unread messages that the filter hid. Filtered messages don’t get deleted. Instead, they get stored in another folder. Once you turn off Message Filtering, you’ll see them in the Messages app.
9. Reset your network settings
Sometimes, third-party apps, iOS updates, and bugs can cause your network settings to malfunction. If this happens, you might not receive text messages from Android phones.
Before contacting your carrier, you should try resetting your network settings. Some users reported that this does fix many issues related to your iPhone not receiving texts from Android.
- Open Settings.
- Go into General.
- Scroll down and tap Transfer or Reset iPhone.
- Tap Reset.
- Select Reset Network Settings and follow onscreen instructions.
10. Contact Your Carrier
If you tried the above fixes and your iPhone still isn’t receiving text messages from Android, it’s time to call your carrier. After all, there are many other ways your carrier can help you. For example, there could be a cell tower outage near you that they can inform you of, or you could have an issue with your account.
If you pay your carrier for service and aren’t receiving text messages from Android, the carrier is responsible for restoring your text messaging. The carrier can verify your plan, check for outages, and try resetting your account if necessary. You may also want to consider trying a new SIM card and see if that helps.
When calling your carrier, just let them know you aren’t receiving text messages from Android. If the carrier can’t help you, consider switching to a different network provider unless you have a carrier-locked phone.
iPhone Not Receiving Texts from Android? There Are Things You Can Do
You could miss important events or updates if your iPhone is not receiving text messages from Android phones. This can be difficult for anybody. Because of this, you’ll want to get this fixed as soon as possible. After all, you might have already missed some important messages and don’t want to miss them anymore.
Luckily, there are several things you can try before contacting your carrier. Sometimes, a simple setting can change whether you receive messages. There are also cases when resetting your network settings fixes your carrier issues, so you don’t need to call and wait.
No matter what the issue with your iPhone is, you have several steps to try, and hopefully, you can get it fixed and start receiving messages from Android again.