Android smartphone not receiving messages from an iPhone? Here are a few fixes

Apple’s iPhones and Android smartphones have been notorious for a lack of compatibility between the two. Things have only recently begun to improve in terms of data transfer and sharing between the two – whether it is contacts, pictures and videos, music, or anything else.

However, one area which still hasn’t received adequate attention is messaging between the two devices. More particularly, Android devices being unable to receive messages from iPhones. Well, worry not, for this is where we step in. Here are a few quick fixes to your Android devices being unable to receive messages from an iPhone.

5 quick fixes to an Android device being unable to receive texts from an iPhone

In case your Android smartphone is unable to receive texts from an iPhone, there are a few easy tips and tricks to troubleshoot and/or fix the same, both software-related as well as carrier-related.

1. Keep your Android device and its messaging app updated

Chances are, you may not have checked your device for updates in a while, and hence may be using an outdated version of apps such as Google Messages. Updating your device’s software along with all its apps should likely fix any compatibility issues it may be facing.

2. Review the numbers you’ve blocked

Now, it is entirely possible that you may have blocked someone from messaging or calling you by accident. To ensure this isn’t the reason your Android device is unable to receive texts, review your blocked contacts list to ensure you’ve not accidentally blocked anyone you may be expecting to hear from.

3. Double-check the SMS and MMS options on the sender’s iPhone

The issue due to which your Android device is unable to receive messages from iPhones, may not necessarily always lie on your device. It could also be due to the SMS and MMS messaging options being turned off on the sender’s iPhone. If the same is turned off, messages can only be sent out over iMessage, which is proprietary to Apple’s devices, and therefore, any messages one may try and send to an Android user will never get delivered. Therefore, always ensure anyone you’re expecting to hear from, has SMS and MMS turned on, on their iPhone.

4. Delete your number from iMessage

Let’s say you are an Android user who’s just switched over from an iPhone, and your new device is unable to receive messages. In such a case, ensure that your number isn’t still linked to iMessage, since texts may be getting delivered from it instead of SMS/MMS. In such a case, if you still have access to your iPhone, head to the Settings app, and from there, to the option that says ‘Messages.’ Here, turn off iMessage, and disable FaceTime as well. In case you don’t have access to your iPhone anymore though, you’ll have to use Apple’s Deregister iMessage web tool for the same.

5. Reset your device’s network settings

Remember, this method should always be a last resort. While this method will more than likely fix your Android being unable to receive texts, it will also cause it to forget all its Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections, and require you to log into them again. However, this is a problem peculiar to older Android devices, as smartphones running on more recent versions come with an option to reset your networks while keeping your Bluetooth and Wi-Fi pairings intact.