Android not receiving texts from iPhone? How to fix it

Why do iPhone texts not reach your Android phone?

When someone with an iPhone texts a number, their phone first asks Apple whether that number uses iMessage. If Apple says yes, the message goes out as a blue iMessage over the internet, and never as a text to your Android. When you move your SIM to an Android phone, Apple may still think your number belongs to an iPhone for days or weeks. The sender sees a message that says Delivered or nothing at all, and you see nothing. That is the main reason texts go missing after a switch.

Check the signs that iMessage is the cause

• The problem started soon after you switched from an iPhone.
• Only iPhone users are affected, and Android friends reach you normally.
• The sender sees blue bubbles when texting you, or a Delivered status with no reply.
• Group chats with iPhone users are silent for you.

Deregister iMessage with the old iPhone

If you still have the iPhone, this is the cleanest path. Put your SIM card back in the iPhone and make sure it has a signal. Open Settings › Apps › Messages (or Settings › Messages) and turn off iMessage. Then open FaceTime and turn it off too. If you do not turn off both, your number can stay linked. Wait a few minutes, then move the SIM to your Android and send yourself a test from another phone.

Deregister iMessage without an iPhone

Apple provides a web page for this. Go to selfsolve.apple.com/deregister-imessage in a browser, choose the country and enter your phone number. Apple sends a confirmation code by text to your Android. Type the code in the page and submit. Make sure the phone has a good signal first, because the code comes as a normal text. You may need to wait up to a day, and ask your friends to restart their iPhones, so that they check iMessage again.

RCS and Google Messages on Android

Once your number is free, make Google Messages your default SMS app in Settings › Apps › Choose default apps. Open it, tap your profile picture › Messages settings › RCS chats and turn it on. RCS lets Android and iPhone users send each other richer messages on newer iOS versions, but plain SMS works too. If you use Samsung Messages, check its chat settings. Do not keep more than one app trying to handle texts.

Group chats, blocked numbers and spam filters

Group chats with iPhone users may use iMessage groups that you cannot join, so ask someone to start a new group that includes you. Check your blocked numbers in the Messages app settings, and look in the Spam and blocked folder, since a message from an unknown number can end up there. Also check whether Do not disturb or a data limit is hiding message alerts, which can feel like missing texts even when they arrived.

What the iPhone sender can do

If you cannot wait for Apple to update, the sender can force the message as a text. In Messages on the iPhone, they can turn off iMessage under Settings › Apps › Messages › iMessage, which makes every message go out as SMS, or tap the blue message, choose Send as Text Message when it fails. Deleting the thread and starting a new one can also help. See sending as SMS from iPhone for the steps.

How to confirm the fix worked

Do not wait for a stranger to text you by accident. Ask a friend with an iPhone to send a short message and tell you what color the bubble is on their screen. A green bubble means their phone now treats your number as a normal text contact, and the message should reach you within seconds. A blue bubble means Apple still lists your number on iMessage, so give it more time. If you have two iPhone friends, test with both, since each phone refreshes its own record. It also helps if the sender restarts the iPhone, or toggles Airplane mode, after you deregister.

Dual SIM, eSIM and secondary numbers

If your Android phone uses an eSIM, a second line or a work number, make sure the number people text is the one set for messages. Open Settings › Connections › SIM manager (Samsung) or Settings › Network & internet › SIMs (Pixel) and check which SIM is preferred for SMS. Some phones ask which SIM to use every time, and a wrong choice means replies go out from a different number than the one the iPhone user knows. If you moved your number to a new eSIM recently, also confirm with your carrier that texting is active on that line.

Missing verification codes and why it matters

The biggest risk of this problem is not a missed chat. It is a missed code from your bank, a delivery company or an account you want to sign in to. Most of these codes come from short codes, not from iPhones, so they usually arrive even when iMessage is the problem. If they do not arrive either, the issue is probably your SIM, signal, a blocked sender or a carrier setting, not iMessage. In that case call your carrier, ask them to check that short code messages are allowed, and look at your spam and blocked folders in the Messages app.

Is it worth keeping an iPhone for iMessage?

Some people keep an old iPhone on Wi-Fi so it does not take messages, but that does not help here, since Apple links your number, not your device. The simple answer is to deregister and move on. If you still use iMessage for an Apple Account email address, that part can stay, because it is separate from your phone number. Only the number on your Android phone needs to be released.

Why Apple does not always update fast

Apple's records of which numbers use iMessage are cached on each iPhone, so a friend's phone may keep sending iMessages for a while even after you deregister. This is why the same message can reach you from one friend and not from another. Ask the sender to open the conversation, and if it shows a blue bubble, start a new message to your number. Time, a restart on their side or sending as a text message from the sender's phone usually settles it.

It has been days and it is still failing

1. Ask your carrier to confirm that your SIM is active and not set to block texts.
2. Check that your Android phone is not in Airplane mode and has a signal.
3. Test with a friend who has a different Android phone to see if the problem is only with iPhones.
4. If you are keeping an iPhone as well, make sure the same number is not active on both.

If you are in the middle of a switch, read the guide to moving from iPhone to Android to make sure you did not leave other things behind. For the opposite problem, see texts not arriving on iPhone. If you switched carriers at the same time, ask about plans that include Wi-Fi calling, as it also helps with weak indoor coverage.