iPhone not receiving texts? 10 fixes (including from Android)

Missing texts are frustrating because you often do not know they are missing until someone asks why you did not reply. The good news is that most “lost” texts are not really lost at all. They are filtered, sent to another device, blocked or delayed by a setting. Start by working out the pattern, because it points straight to the fix. Ask a friend with an iPhone and a friend with an Android phone to each send you a test message, so you can see which kind goes missing and whether it is one sender or everyone.

Whose texts are missing?

• Nobody’s texts arrive: a signal, carrier or SIM problem, or a phone setting. Start with Airplane Mode, a restart and carrier settings.
• One person’s texts are missing: they may be blocked, filtered as unknown, or their phone is sending to an old iMessage registration.
• Texts from Android phones only: SMS, MMS or RCS settings, or your number still registered to iMessage on an old iPhone.
• Only group texts are missing: MMS Messaging is off, or cellular data is off, since group texts with Android need both.
• Only verification codes are missing: short code messages are blocked or filtered. See the section below.

How to fix an iPhone not receiving texts

Texts arrive but you do not see them

Sometimes texts are there but silent. A Focus, such as Do Not Disturb, Sleep or Driving, hides notifications from anyone not on its allowed list. Check Control Center for an active Focus. A conversation can also be muted: open it, tap the name at the top, and turn off Hide Alerts. In Settings › Notifications › Messages, make sure Allow Notifications is on. If texts appear only when you open the app, that is a notification problem rather than a delivery problem.

Verification codes not arriving

• Look in the Unknown Senders and Transactions filters in Messages; codes often land there.
• Codes usually come from five or six digit short codes, which some carriers block on certain prepaid plans or when premium messaging is blocked. Ask your carrier to allow short code messages.
• Abroad, many services cannot send codes over roaming networks; use Wi-Fi Calling or an authenticator app.
• Where the service offers it, switch to an authenticator app or passkeys so you do not depend on texts at all.

Texts going to another device

In Settings › Apps › Messages › Send & Receive, make sure your phone number is ticked under “You can receive iMessages to and reply from”. If only an email address is ticked, some messages may go to that address and show up on your Mac or iPad instead. In the same menu, Text Message Forwarding controls which of your devices also receive green SMS texts. If you use Messages in iCloud, give new devices a little time to sync after you sign in.

Missing texts from one person

• Open their contact card and check the phone number is current and complete, including the area code. An old saved number means their texts show up in a separate conversation, or not at all.
• Look in Filters › Unknown Senders in case their number is not in your contacts.
• Check Settings › Apps › Phone › Blocked Contacts, since blocking a caller also blocks their texts.
• Ask them to send a test as a regular text: on their iPhone, press and hold the sent message and choose Send as Text Message. If that arrives, the problem is iMessage, not your line.

Group texts not coming through

Group conversations that include Android users are sent as MMS or RCS, and they need both MMS Messaging and Group Messaging on in Settings › Apps › Messages, plus cellular data turned on. Wi-Fi alone is not always enough for MMS. If you left a group or muted it, new messages may not notify you. If everyone else in the group sees messages you do not, ask one person to start a new group, since an old group thread can get stuck.

Texts arrive late or all at once

When signal is weak, the phone may only pick up waiting texts when it reconnects, so several arrive together. Turn on Wi-Fi Calling at home or work, which also lets SMS travel over Wi-Fi on the big US carriers. See how to turn on Wi-Fi Calling on iPhone. Low Power Mode can also delay background fetching of some messages.

Two lines on one iPhone

With dual SIM or two eSIMs, each line receives its own texts. Tap the conversation and check which line it uses, shown near the top, and make sure both lines are turned on in Settings › Cellular. If you travel with a second eSIM for data, keep your main line on so texts to your usual number still arrive.

Deregister your number from iMessage

It can take a little while to take effect. After that, iPhone users texting you will send regular texts that reach your Android phone. If you have moved back to an iPhone, simply turn iMessage on again on the new one.

Just switched carriers or phones?

After a number transfer, texts can be patchy for a short time while the old and new carriers finish the port. Restart the iPhone once the new line is active, check Settings › Cellular shows the new carrier, and turn iMessage off and on so it registers the number again. If some iPhone users still cannot reach you after a day, ask them to delete the old conversation with you and start a new one.

When it is the carrier or SIM

If you have tried everything and no texts arrive from anyone, the problem is probably on the carrier side. Check your carrier’s outage page or app, then call them: they can check that texting is active on your line, reset your account’s messaging settings, or replace a damaged SIM or eSIM. A recent plan change, number port or unpaid bill can also switch texting off without any warning on the phone. If calls are failing too, see why an iPhone is not receiving calls.