Not receiving text messages (iPhone or Android)? Causes and fixes, in order
You can send, but nothing comes in, or one person's texts vanish, or login codes never arrive. Which of those it is tells you where to look.
First, find the pattern
| What happens | Most likely cause | Go to |
|---|---|---|
| No texts from anyone, calls also missing | Signal, airplane mode, SIM or network problem | Step 1 |
| No texts from anyone, calls fine | Storage full, default SMS app, Wi-Fi Calling / VoLTE glitch, message centre number | Steps 1-3 |
| Nothing from one person | Blocked or filtered, iMessage still registered, their phone | Step 4 |
| Texts from iPhones missing after switching to Android | Number still registered with iMessage | Step 5 |
| Verification codes / bank codes missing | Spam filter, short-code block, throttling, wrong number on account | Step 6 |
| Texts arrive hours late, in bursts | Phone dropping off the network (weak signal, aggressive battery saver), or the sender's side | Steps 1 and 3 |
1. The basics that fix most cases
- Restart the phone and toggle airplane mode on for ten seconds and off. This re-registers with the network.
- Check signal and the SIM. If calls also fail, take the SIM out and reseat it, or try it in another phone. With an eSIM, check the line is turned on and set as the default for messages.
- Free some storage. Both iPhone and Android can stop accepting new messages when storage is nearly full. Delete old threads with big videos, or set messages to auto-delete after a year.
- Update the phone and, if offered, the carrier settings (iPhone: Settings > General > About shows a prompt if there is one).
2. Android: check the default messaging app
Only one app can receive SMS. If you installed a second messaging app or restored a backup, open Settings > Apps > Default apps > SMS app and choose the one you use. Also check that app's notifications aren't turned off, which looks like "not receiving" when the texts are actually there.
3. Wi-Fi Calling, VoLTE and network settings
Texts can travel over Wi-Fi Calling or 4G voice (VoLTE). A glitch in either can stop delivery while everything else works. Turn Wi-Fi Calling off and on, and if that doesn't help, reset network settings (iPhone: Settings > General > Transfer or Reset > Reset > Reset Network Settings; Android: Settings > System > Reset options > Reset Wi-Fi, mobile and Bluetooth). You'll need to re-enter Wi-Fi passwords. On some Android phones the message centre number (SMSC) can be wrong after a SIM swap; your network's help pages list the right one, or their support can push it.
4. Nothing from one person
- Blocked by mistake? iPhone: Settings > Apps > Messages > Blocked Contacts. Android Messages: menu > Spam & blocked.
- Filtered, not missing. iPhone "Filter Unknown Senders" puts texts from people not in your contacts in a separate list; Android may put them in Spam. Look there first.
- It's their side. If their message shows "Sent" but never "Delivered", see sent but not delivered. Ask them to restart too, and to check they're texting the right number (an old number saved in a contact is common).
5. Switched from iPhone to Android?
iPhones remember that your number used iMessage and keep sending blue-bubble messages to it, which an Android phone never receives. Turn off iMessage before moving the SIM if you can. If you've already switched, use Apple's Deregister iMessage page (search "deregister iMessage"): enter your number, type the code it texts you, and texts from iPhones should arrive as SMS or RCS within a few hours. Friends with an old blue thread can delete it and start a new one to speed it up.
6. Verification codes that never arrive
- Request once and wait a minute or two. Many services throttle or block a number after several quick requests.
- Check the number on the account, including the country code.
- Spam and unknown-sender filters often catch codes. Check those folders.
- Short codes and premium SMS. Codes often come from short numbers. Some plans, business lines and parental controls block these; ask your network to lift the block.
- Abroad? Codes usually still arrive on your home SIM while roaming, but not if the SIM is turned off for a travel eSIM. Keep the home line on with data roaming off.
- Prefer an authenticator app or passkey where the service offers one: it doesn't depend on texts at all.
Still nothing?
Contact your network and ask them to check the line for SMS barring, a stuck registration or an IMS/VoLTE provisioning fault; a fresh SIM or eSIM profile fixes the stubborn cases. Curious how a text actually finds your phone? There's an interactive lesson on how a text finds a phone.
Related
Sent but not delivered · SMS vs MMS vs RCS vs iMessage · Why a text splits into several · SMS character counter
Questions
Why can I send texts but not receive them?
Most often storage is nearly full, another app is the default SMS app (Android), a Wi-Fi Calling or VoLTE glitch, or the number is still registered with iMessage after a switch to Android. Restart, free space, check the default app, toggle Wi-Fi Calling and reset network settings.
Why am I not getting texts from one person?
Check you haven't blocked them and that their texts aren't filtered into Spam or Unknown Senders. If they have an iPhone and you moved to Android, deregister your number from iMessage.
Why am I not receiving verification codes?
Spam filters, a block on short codes on your plan, throttling after repeated requests, or a wrong number on the account. Request once, wait two minutes and check the filtered folders.
How do I stop iPhones sending me iMessages after switching to Android?
Use Apple's Deregister iMessage page with your phone number, or turn off iMessage on the old iPhone before removing the SIM.
Will resetting network settings delete my messages?
No. It removes saved Wi-Fi networks, Bluetooth pairings and VPN settings, not texts or photos.
Published .