Cannot Receive Unsolicited Texts in Thailand from U.S. on iPhone 16

I live in Thailand & am serviced by AIS, a Thailand carrier. I recently upgraded my iPhone 13 to an iPhone 16 I bought in the U.S. Prior to upgrading, I could receive texts from the U.S. without any problems. After the upgrade, however, I am limited to only texts responding to my texts. E.g., if I text my sister in NC, she can respond to me & I'll get it. However, if I try signing in to my U.S. bank or many governmental accounts, I cannot receive their one-time multi-authentication codes sent to my phone. My spouse has the same exact problem.


Is this a bug in iPhone 16 or a carrier issue? Please help if you can.

iPhone 16 Pro Max, iOS 26

Posted on Mar 7, 2026 7:38 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Mar 8, 2026 12:05 AM

You may not have an SMS plan (Domestic & International) enabled by your carrier for the SIM/eSIM that you use on your device. Apple Inc. does not provide SMS services.



For OTPs (One-Time Passwords): one-time multi-authentication codes

  • How they’re usually sent: OTPs are often sent via SMS.
  • Requirement: Because they rely on SMS, you do need an active SMS plan on your SIM card to receive them. If your SIM isn’t active or your plan doesn’t support SMS, you won’t get the OTP.
  • Other delivery methods: Sometimes, OTPs can also be sent through emailpush notifications, or authentication apps, but SMS is the most common.


For Verification Codes: one-time multi-authentication codes

  • How they’re sent: Verification codes can be sent through multiple channels:
    • SMS (requiring an SMS plan)
    • Email (no SMS plan needed)
    • App-based authenticators like Google Authenticator or Microsoft Authenticator (no SMS plan needed)
    • Push notifications to a trusted device (no SMS plan needed)
  • Requirement: Verification codes don’t always require an SMS plan, since they can be delivered through other internet-based methods.


In short:

  • If the verification code is sent by SMS, you need an SMS plan.
  • If it’s sent by email, app, or push notification: No SMS plan required.


Add the email account that you use for Amazon and Microsoft.



Which email account are you referring to? Google, iCloud, AOL, Exchange, Outlook, Yahoo or any Other (Refer to the pic )below




  1. Is this your corporate iPhone? Then please contact the system administrator of your corporate
  2. If it is your personal device, in that case, do you have any profile installed by your corporate/organisation/enterprise/School Management?
    1. Erase the profile added by you If you have installed a profile on your own --> Install or remove configuration profiles on iPhone - Apple ...
    2. Or please contact the system administrator of the organisation who provided the profile to you



The iOS version itself doesn’t directly affect whether you receive OTPs or verification codes. But there are a few exceptions and features related to iOS that can come into play:


  • Auto-fill for OTPs:
    • iOS 12 and later: iOS introduced the feature where OTPs sent via SMS automatically appear as suggestions above the keyboard. This makes it faster to enter them, but it doesn’t affect receiving the SMS itself.
  • Verification Codes in Passwords:
    • iOS 15 and later: You can set up Verification Codes (like 2FA codes) directly in the built-in Passwords section in Settings. These codes are generated through an authenticator-like method and don’t rely on SMS at all.
  • Apple ID Verification Codes:
    • When signing into an Apple device, Apple sends a Verification Code to a trusted Apple device via iCloud Push Notification. This doesn’t need an SMS plan — it just requires internet access and an updated iOS version for compatibility.


1 reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Mar 8, 2026 12:05 AM in response to udonjoe

You may not have an SMS plan (Domestic & International) enabled by your carrier for the SIM/eSIM that you use on your device. Apple Inc. does not provide SMS services.



For OTPs (One-Time Passwords): one-time multi-authentication codes

  • How they’re usually sent: OTPs are often sent via SMS.
  • Requirement: Because they rely on SMS, you do need an active SMS plan on your SIM card to receive them. If your SIM isn’t active or your plan doesn’t support SMS, you won’t get the OTP.
  • Other delivery methods: Sometimes, OTPs can also be sent through emailpush notifications, or authentication apps, but SMS is the most common.


For Verification Codes: one-time multi-authentication codes

  • How they’re sent: Verification codes can be sent through multiple channels:
    • SMS (requiring an SMS plan)
    • Email (no SMS plan needed)
    • App-based authenticators like Google Authenticator or Microsoft Authenticator (no SMS plan needed)
    • Push notifications to a trusted device (no SMS plan needed)
  • Requirement: Verification codes don’t always require an SMS plan, since they can be delivered through other internet-based methods.


In short:

  • If the verification code is sent by SMS, you need an SMS plan.
  • If it’s sent by email, app, or push notification: No SMS plan required.


Add the email account that you use for Amazon and Microsoft.



Which email account are you referring to? Google, iCloud, AOL, Exchange, Outlook, Yahoo or any Other (Refer to the pic )below




  1. Is this your corporate iPhone? Then please contact the system administrator of your corporate
  2. If it is your personal device, in that case, do you have any profile installed by your corporate/organisation/enterprise/School Management?
    1. Erase the profile added by you If you have installed a profile on your own --> Install or remove configuration profiles on iPhone - Apple ...
    2. Or please contact the system administrator of the organisation who provided the profile to you



The iOS version itself doesn’t directly affect whether you receive OTPs or verification codes. But there are a few exceptions and features related to iOS that can come into play:


  • Auto-fill for OTPs:
    • iOS 12 and later: iOS introduced the feature where OTPs sent via SMS automatically appear as suggestions above the keyboard. This makes it faster to enter them, but it doesn’t affect receiving the SMS itself.
  • Verification Codes in Passwords:
    • iOS 15 and later: You can set up Verification Codes (like 2FA codes) directly in the built-in Passwords section in Settings. These codes are generated through an authenticator-like method and don’t rely on SMS at all.
  • Apple ID Verification Codes:
    • When signing into an Apple device, Apple sends a Verification Code to a trusted Apple device via iCloud Push Notification. This doesn’t need an SMS plan — it just requires internet access and an updated iOS version for compatibility.


Cannot Receive Unsolicited Texts in Thailand from U.S. on iPhone 16

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