Cannot send or receive SMS texts when connected to Wi-fi

I have an iphone 15 plus. Since the latest update (I'm on iOS 17.5.1), I have been unable to send or receive text messages to/from Android phone users when I'm connected to any wi-fi network. If I try to send a text to an individual with an android phone or to a group chat with an android user in it, I get the red exclamation point error and the "Not Delivered" message. The only way to send the message is to disconnect from wi-fi. When I just use my carrier services (I have t-mobile), I can send or receive these messages with no issue. I have no problems with iMessages. They go to/from other iphone users whether I'm connected to wi-fi or not. The bad combo seems to be non-iphone users and wi-fi together.

I've checked my settings and I have both SMS and MMS messaging enabled. I also have Wi-fi calling enabled. I've tried turning my phone off/on and that doesn't work either. Any ideas?

iPhone 6, iOS 9

Posted on Jul 2, 2024 1:04 PM

Top-ranking reply

Lawrence Finch

Community+ 2026

Level 10

231,632 points

Posted on Jul 2, 2024 1:15 PM

SMS always uses the cellular network, it never uses Wi-Fi. So you must have a cellular network connection, and must have cellular data turned on (for MMS “picture” messages). It should not be necessary to turn off Wi-Fi if your cellular network is connected and cellular data is on.

A couple of things to check:

Do you use VPN? If so, delete the VPN profile in Settings/General/VPN & Device Management/VPN. Don't just turn it off; delete the profile.

Reset network settings:

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.

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Cannot send or receive SMS texts when connected to Wi-fi

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