Messages not received on celular, only wifi

I only receive messages sent by other iPhones when I am on wifi. I have a data plan, and have Cellular Data turned on, but messages still wait until I have wifi before being delivered. Traditional text messages work as expected.


What gives?

iPhone 8, iOS 16

Posted on Sep 4, 2023 12:51 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Sep 11, 2023 7:19 AM

Go to Settings/General/About and wait for 30 seconds (for a carrier update). If nothing happens and you aren’t prompted to install a carrier update go to plan B:


Open Settings

  • Tap General
  • Tap Transfer or Reset Phone
  • Tap  Reset
  • Tap Reset Network Settings


This will erase all Wi-Fi passwords, but will not result in any other data loss.

3 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Sep 11, 2023 7:19 AM in response to padams35

Go to Settings/General/About and wait for 30 seconds (for a carrier update). If nothing happens and you aren’t prompted to install a carrier update go to plan B:


Open Settings

  • Tap General
  • Tap Transfer or Reset Phone
  • Tap  Reset
  • Tap Reset Network Settings


This will erase all Wi-Fi passwords, but will not result in any other data loss.

Sep 11, 2023 4:51 AM in response to Lawrence Finch

No VPN. However on further investigation I've found that all cellular data has stopped working while Messages has stopped receiving iPhone messages. Attempting to use Safari or toggle Cellular data off/back_on generates a message: "Could not activate cellular data network."


Powering off and restarting the iPhone resolves the error for about a week, after which Messages/Safari/etc stop reliable working and require rebooting the phone, again.

This thread has been closed by the system or the community team. You may vote for any posts you find helpful, or search the Community for additional answers.

Messages not received on celular, only wifi

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.