My iPhone is not receiving sms messages from other iPhones

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My iPhone is not receiving sms messages from other iPhones

Basically the title. Just switched from Android to iPhone, and excited to use iMessage. I do not have unlimited data from my cellular company, so I keep it off by default. When I go out and don’t have my WiFi or cellular data on, I am able to send sms messages, receive phone calls, and send/receive sms messages from Android users. I know my cellular service is working fine. However, I am not receiving sms messages from iPhone users. When I return to WiFi, I receive a bunch of iMessages that were sent during the time my WiFi was off. How do I solve this issue? I want to be able to receive sms messages from iPhone users while my WiFi and cellular data are disconnected.

iPhone 14 Pro

Posted on Dec 26, 2022 1:59 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

new-iPhone-user12 Author

Level 1

4 points

Dec 28, 2022 8:19 AM in response to Jeff_W.

Hi Jeff,

Thank you for the response. Just to clarify, my SMS messages were working fine with my cellular data off. As stated above, with cellular data off, I was able to send SMS messages and receive SMS messages (for example from Android phones). I now understand, however, that iMessages (so essentially any texts from another iPhone, since most iPhone users use iMessage instead of SMS) specifically can only be received with a WiFi or cellular data connection.

In case anyone else who does not have unlimited cellular data has this issue, I will share my workaround. I leave cellular data on (otherwise I will not receive iMessages until I connect to WiFi), but turn off the cellular data permissions for all my other apps, so that I do not go over my data limit with my cellular provider.

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Answer 2

Jeff_W.

Community Specialist

Dec 28, 2022 8:09 AM in response to new-iPhone-user12

Hi there new-iPhone-user12,

This is expected behavior. You won't be able to send or receive any messages while your iPhone isn't connected to either cellular data or Wi-Fi. You need a network connection to send and receive messages or make and receive phone calls. Specifically, to send SMS or MMS messages, cellular data must be turned on.

In the Settings app, tap Cellular. Make sure that your phone line is turned on. If you use multiple SIMs, make sure that the phone number you want to use is selected and turned on.

This information is from the related article that you viewed prior to posting: If you can't send or receive messages on your iPhone or iPad

Take care.

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My iPhone is not receiving sms messages from other iPhones

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