HT204270: Get help if you can’t receive text messages from an iPhone

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kathyfromsmyrna

Q: Why after years sending iMessages to my daughter whom has iPhone 6 and myself iPhone 4 can I not now send her an iMessage. No changes not blocked and no problem with any other contact. Help help help please

I Have never had a problem until a few days ago. My daughter and I text all day off and on and when I had not received any messages from her, later we figured out it was due to my phone. After awhile I started get the undeliverable ! But she got nothing saying I had not got her messages.  So we have checked and it's not blocked nor was I. She has a Iphone 6 and I have a IPhone 4.  She is the only contact I can not receive iMessages from. Does anyone know why or what would cause this. I have reset my phone and bad as I hated to I have deleted my messages from her which went back along ways. Can anyone help me please. Please

iPhone 4, iOS 7, No problem with other contacts

Posted on Mar 24, 2016 6:26 PM

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Q: Why after years sending iMessages to my daughter whom has iPhone 6 and myself iPhone 4 can I not now send her an iMessage. No chan ... more

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  • by ChrisJ4203,

    ChrisJ4203 ChrisJ4203 Mar 24, 2016 6:19 PM in response to kathyfromsmyrna
    Level 9 (57,056 points)
    iPhone
    Mar 24, 2016 6:19 PM in response to kathyfromsmyrna

    If you go into Settings>Messages, is iMessage fully activated? Are you able to send/receive iMessages from other iOS users? When you say that you reset your phone, what exactly did you do? What other troubleshooting have you tried?

  • by kathyfromsmyrna,Helpful

    kathyfromsmyrna kathyfromsmyrna Mar 28, 2016 11:37 AM in response to ChrisJ4203
    Level 1 (10 points)
    iPhone
    Mar 28, 2016 11:37 AM in response to ChrisJ4203

    First thank you for trying to help. I mean when I say reset that only done the holding down of off/on button and home button till phone resets.  Yes to your question of only contact. I seem to receive every one else'a with no problem. Also one of her friends put me in a group text yesterday and because it was from another iPhone I could see what she said but she still could not see anything I replied. We both checked the block list and neither one of us has a problem texting or receiving iMessages from others. Also the one thing she thinks it may be is she did update her iPhone 6 IOS 9.3. Other than this I have checked settings and turned off and on and just have no ideal what could have happen. But any information you think may work, we both appreciate it very much.

  • by ChrisJ4203,Solvedanswer

    ChrisJ4203 ChrisJ4203 Mar 28, 2016 11:37 AM in response to kathyfromsmyrna
    Level 9 (57,056 points)
    iPhone
    Mar 28, 2016 11:37 AM in response to kathyfromsmyrna

    The act of updating iOS alone would not break iMessage, however both of you need to make sure that iMessage is working on both ends. Since you are receiving from others, then it seems it would be. However, check your Send & Receive. Make sure that your number is checked. Does your daughter share an Apple ID with you by chance? Have her check her Settings>iMessage and ensure that it is activated, and that she also check Send & Receive to see that her number is checked. If anything else is checked, and you do share an Apple ID, it could change things.

  • by Atmoverse,

    Atmoverse Atmoverse Apr 4, 2016 9:02 PM in response to ChrisJ4203
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Apr 4, 2016 9:02 PM in response to ChrisJ4203

    I found the answer on another page on this site.  At least it workd for me and some other people as well.

     

    This has to be done on the phone that is not receiving messages from another iphone.
    1. Settings -> Messaging.  Turn off imessaging.
    2. Settings -> iCloud.  Scroll down to the bottom and sign out.  (You will get asked questions about retaining data.  The answer are up to you but will not affect this fix.)
    3. Sign back in with the same iCLoud/AppleID account.
    4. Turn on iMessaging if it is not already.

    The effect was instantaneous.


    Had three separate instance of important messages never coming through.  Including people ticked that I was ignoring them when I never received the messages.

  • by randifrommn,

    randifrommn randifrommn May 10, 2016 12:54 PM in response to Atmoverse
    Level 1 (4 points)
    May 10, 2016 12:54 PM in response to Atmoverse

    This did not help me. Followed your instructions exactly and am still getting sms.

  • by sjr234,

    sjr234 sjr234 May 29, 2016 7:30 AM in response to randifrommn
    Level 1 (4 points)
    May 29, 2016 7:30 AM in response to randifrommn

    I was having the same problem and here is what I did:

     

    1. I opened iMessage;

    2. I clicked "Messages" for the dropdown menu;

    3. I clicked on "Preferences";

    4. I clicked on the account I wanted to use (in my case it was the icloud account);

    5. I found the password was empty;

    5. I re-entered my password;

    6. SUCCESS!!

     

    I hope this helps.

     

    SR

  • by Mel Magree,

    Mel Magree Mel Magree Aug 31, 2016 6:52 PM in response to kathyfromsmyrna
    Level 1 (24 points)
    iPhone
    Aug 31, 2016 6:52 PM in response to kathyfromsmyrna

    This is a side issue to the larger problem, but I found out that one should be careful when turning off Settings>Message.

     

    I turned off iMessage as part of a plan to avoid interruptions in a podcast while driving.  I couldn't turn it back on!  I got a message that I needed to have cellular data on or a wi-fi connection.  I did have cellular data on.  I could read newspapers.  I could receive email.  But I couldn't turn iMessage back on without that half-true message.

     

    Fortunately, I was going to a place with public wi-fi.  Poof!  iMessage was back on.  But I did lose my ID or something and had to send a message to my wife to which she could respond.

     

    Has Apple been infiltrated by gremlins who change messages and code just before a new version or update is available?