iOS 16 iMessage not able to send to groups with an android user in them

Biddy1204 wrote:

My husband bought new phones and I wish we hadn’t. Now we can’t include my son in group texts because he is an android user. Honestly, the whole upgrade to a new iPhone experience has been so stressful that I will think long and hard before doing it again. And then to get to the final kicker, an update to IOS 16.2 means I can’t group text with my son! Apple, you MUST fix this now!

As has been posted many times, Apple can’t fix it, because your Carrier broke it (not Apple). If your carrier is Verizon, only Verizon can fix it. The reason you can text an android user is because text (SMS) uses the voice channel. Group messaging uses MMS, and Verizon broke MMS in setting up iPhone 14’s. When you activate an iPhone 14 on Verizon their automated system does not set up MMS correctly. To fix it you need to call Verizon tech support (611 on your phone), tell the nice representative who answers that you need to speak to a senior tech to fix a problem with the provisioning of MMS on your account. This is a universal problem with the iPhone 14 provisioning by Verizon, so the tech should know how to fix it. And hopefully the 1st tier reps will eventually learn also.

RESOLVED: After speaking with Apple support, they did their tests and referred me back to Verizon. Verizon did in fact have to reload some settings that they initially sent out when IOS16 became available. So the problem IS WITH YOUR CARRIER. Call them and tell them to resync your iMessage settings.

As mentioned before I stand corrected, not an Apple issue (or a synergistic issue, but the solution is with Verizon). Follow the Finch advice. Here is the Verizon solution and those that follow it, get it resolved. Called Verizon tech support: The first tech resync’d the messaging account, nothing. Then she reset the messaging account, nothing. She then put me to level two tech support. Level two removed messaging from the account entirely and removed picture sending sms entirely from the account. She then re-added them. I then turn all sms features off in settings/messages, turned them back on and now all is working. Walk the Verizon tech(s) through this. If they are not knowledgeable, ask for level two support.

llamapple wrote:

As mentioned before I stand corrected, not an Apple issue (or a synergistic issue, but the solution is with Verizon). Follow the Finch advice. Here is the Verizon solution and those that follow it, get it resolved. Called Verizon tech support: The first tech resync’d the messaging account, nothing. Then she reset the messaging account, nothing. She then put me to level two tech support. Level two removed messaging from the account entirely and removed picture sending sms entirely from the account. She then re-added them. I then turn all sms features off in settings/messages, turned them back on and now all is working. Walk the Verizon tech(s) through this. If they are not knowledgeable, ask for level two support.

Great advice. Carriers have great difficulty hiring and retaining telephone support staff; the average longevity of a CSR is about 6 months, barely time to get trained, and the pay isn’t good either. So the first level CSRs don’t do any thinking; they have a script to follow, and if your problem cannot be solved by following a script you need to ask to be escalated to an actual technician.

I actually don’t have a problem with this business model, because probably 90% of calls can be resolved by 1st tier CSRs just following the script, leaving the more qualified techs to handle the more complex issues like this one.

Of course, the reason this problem occurs is because Verizon’s automated script for setting up a new phone enables the wrong settings. If Verizon ever gets around to fixing that then all new activations won’t have this problem.

As has been posted many times, if your carrier is Verizon, only Verizon can fix it. The reason you can text an android user is because text (SMS) uses the voice channel. Group messaging uses MMS, and Verizon broke MMS in setting up iPhone 14’s. When you activate an iPhone 14 on Verizon their automated system does not set up MMS correctly. To fix it you need to call Verizon tech support (611 on your phone), tell the nice representative who answers that you need to speak to a senior tech to fix a problem with the provisioning of MMS on your account. This is a universal problem with the iPhone 14 provisioning by Verizon, so the tech should know how to fix it. And hopefully the 1st tier reps will eventually learn also.

On top of that, MMS cannot use Wi-Fi. It requires cellular data, because your carrier doesn’t have access to your Wi-Fi network.

FIXED :: VERIZON :: “refreshed network on their end” at Tier 2 Level

New IPhone 14 max received Dec 20, group text non iPhone users or photos was issue before and after iOS16 update (completed last night).

went through all the steps off toggling SMS, turning Wi-Fi on and off, resetting network, remove and re-provision MMS on your account to resolve the problem. Online chat to Tier 2 level resolved.

This is a Verizon issue. I’m sorry that the Verizon techs you spoke to did not know how to fix it, and most Verizon techs at tier 2 now do know how. And another user found an alternation way you can do it yourself:

Log in to your Verizon account. Select "Account" at the top of the screen-"My Plan"-"Blocks." After selecting the appropriate line, select "block services"- then toggle on "block picture and video messaging." After saving, wait a minute or two then toggle it back to off. After everything saves, a phone restart may or may not be necessary.

This seems to reprovision sms/mms without having to call in.

I was able to get this resolved with Verizon tech support by them resetting my txt related hooks… here is what the person stated from Verizon

“

Our tier 2 support which is the department i am in, have to reset/sync the sms and the mms features on the network, that is what has been resolving this issue

”

this immediately resolved my issue.

After reading this full thread, I too was convinced this was an Apple iOS issue... however, after trying EVERYTHING, I logged into my Verizon account and navigated to the following Account --> Mobile --> My Plan --> Blocks --> Block Services --> Messaging --> Block Picture and Video Messaging

Block Picture and Video Messaging was not toggled on, in my case, but I toggled it on and then off, and this appears to have fixed my issue.

Sharing in the hope it helps others.

This was the fix! Thanks!

Log in to your Verizon account. Select "Account" at the top of the screen-"My Plan"-"Blocks." After selecting the appropriate line, select "block services"- then toggle on "block picture and video messaging." After saving, wait a minute or two then toggle it back to off. After everything saves, a phone restart may or may not be necessary.

This seems to reprovision sms/mms without having to call in.

Verizon was WRONG. It is a known problem, but it is a known VERIZON problem. First, there is no one in any Verizon store who has any technical knowledge; they are all just sales people. Verizon fired their field technicians several years ago and replaced them with minimally trained sales people. And the first tier people you get when you call Verizon are no better. You must escalate to tier 2 when you call. They know how to fix it. They must remove and re-provision MMS on your account to resolve the problem.

See this post from further on in the thread for confirmation→iOS 16 iMessage not able to send to group… - Apple Community

Go to Settings/Messages. Do you see a switch for MMS? If not, it’s still a Verizon problem. Escalate to a higher level of support. Sometimes they need to re-provision your account.

If you do see the switch is it on?

I stand corrected. I followed your instructions. First tech resync’d the account, nothing. Then reset the account, nothing. Then put me to level two tech support. Level two removed messaging from the account and picture sending sms from the account and then re-added them. I then turn all sms features off in messages, turned them back on and now all is working. Thanks for the post.

I had the same issue and had to contact my carrier (Verizon) to resolve. I just wanted to give a little more information that I received from tech support, which may help someone else with a similar issue.

The newer phones use different a network technology behind the scenes. So when I upgraded from an iPhone SE to iPhone 14 my line was switched over to the upgraded network. In this process some of the network features were not properly enabled. The technician had to resync the billing account (what I pay for) with the network account (what features I can actually use). In particular there was a CDMA feature and an MMS feature that had not been switched on, so I was unable to send/receive group messages. Once those were activated everything works as it should.

Hope this helps.

cshe wrote:

It was my VPN, updated it and reconfigured it, still wouldn’t send a mix group text. Disabled it and the texts sent no issues.

VPN frequently creates more problems than it solves. But one important fact is that when you install VPN it configures itself to the specific hardware, iOS version and network that the phone uses. If any of those change it can break the VPN. So any time you change any of these you need to delete the VPN app and profile, restart your phone then add them back (if you still want to use VPN) so it can configure itself to the new environment.

Something to think about→Don't use VPN - GITHUB

There are two legitimate purposes for using VPN:

• To allow access to a private network such as a school or business when you are not on site. 
• To allow access outside of a country with a repressive government that has restricted Internet access. (This has suddenly become more important)

Any other use is risky, and can lead to problems like the one discussed in this thread. VPN disguises your location by making you appear to be somewhere else in the world. But you usually can’t control that “somewhere else”, and if it is in a location that an app isn’t approved for the app won’t work. Plus the fact that the provider of the VPN knows everything about you and your location, as well as what sites you access through the VPN. So you are totally dependent on the VPN provider’s honesty. As a start, if the VPN is free, DON’T USE IT. The provider has to make money somehow, and if you aren’t paying them then they are selling your private data to make money. But even those that charge can’t necessarily be trusted. For example, a few years ago Avast was caught selling user browsing data. They claim they have stopped doing so. 

You don’t really need VPN when using public Wi-Fi, because all communications between your device and the servers it accesses are end-to-end encrypted.

If you want VPN for privacy about the sites you visit, that’s not a good choice as discussed; instead you should download and use the TOR browser.

With iOS 15.2 and later for iOS/iPadOS and MacOS Monterey 12.2 and later Apple now has iCloud+ Private Relay, which is not VPN, but provides a safer browsing environment than VPN, and it doesn't spy on you→About iCloud Private Relay - Apple Support