How To Receive Text From Android To Iphone

iPhones are one of the most popular smartphones on the market today, and communicating between iPhones has never been easier with iMessage. However, some users have noticed issues with messaging android phones. This article therefore aims to help you re-establish two-way messaging between your iPhone and an android phone so you can communicate with all your contacts seamlessly.

iPhones can send/receive messages from any phone. Messages between iPhone and Android use the cellular network, instead of WiFi. Therefore cellular data must be on and you need a strong signal. You could also check your iPhone's settings, including Do Not Disturb, notifications and message settings.

Girl in pink tank top texting on an iPhone

In some cases, you might be able to send and receive messages from an Android phone, but are not notified. You can learn more about all of these issues below.

Can iPhone Send/Receive Text To/From Android

The Apple iPhone is capable of sending and receiving messages from any phone, including an Android phone. This is because all phones are connected to a cellular network via their sim card, regardless of the manufacturer.

However, Apple has integrated a function into the iPhone where two iPhones can send messages to one another over WiFi. This is known as 'iMessage'.

Sending messages using WiFi means you are not charged for using your cellular service, where users would traditionally be charged per SMS. Instead, you are charged for uploading data in the form of text. The maximum data usage for a plain text message is only 140bytes, or 0.00014MB.

If you want to send messages over WiFi from an iPhone to an Android phone, you will need to use a different messaging app that you can download on both phones. Unless you have this system set up and use this app to send and receive messages from the Android phone, normal messages will be sent over the cellular network.

One way you can differentiate these is the colour of the message. Messages that have been sent and received via iMessage will be blue. Messages from an Android phone, which use the cell network, will be green.

You cannot send or receive blue messages from an Android phone because iMessage cannot be used on that phone. Therefore the primary reason that messages fail between an Android phone and an iPhone is that the cellular service is disabled or unavailable. I will explain this in more detail below.

There are a number of reasons for the cellular network to be compromised or for the message to fail. Below are some general troubleshooting tips that help most situations. Further below are more specific solutions to your problems.

Restart your iPhone

Surprisingly not many people reset their iPhone, unless they have installed an update. This is something that can allow small errors to occur over time, affecting the function of the phone. To restart your iPhone, follow the steps below.

Step 1: Press the 'Volume Up' button, followed by the 'Volume Down' button quickly.

Step 2: Press and hold down both the 'Sleep/Wake' (side) button until the Apple logo appears.

For the iPhone 7, you only need to press and hold the 'Sleep/Wake' button with the 'Volume Down' button until you see the Apple logo. For anything older than that, it is the 'Sleep/Wake' button and the 'Home' button.

Always keep in mind, as a last resort, that you can return your iPhone to its factory settings. This will erase all downloaded content, so should only be done if absolutely necessary. A factory reset is usually very effective in clearing errors from the system, and can be found through the pathway below.

Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content

Update your iPhone

Updating your iPhone will allow the new software to clear any bugs from the previous software that may have been causing the issue. This is why you should regularly install updates on your phone. To update the iOS (operating system), follow the pathway below.

Settings > general > Software update

You can also try updating the Message app that comes integrated into the phone. This can be done following the steps below.

Step 1: Open the Apple Store app.

Step 2: Select 'Updates'.

Step 3: Select 'Update All', or choose to update the Message app only.

Check your Storage Space

Although messages use barely any storage space, you still might not have enough space to send and receive them, particularly picture messages. You can check your storage space through the pathway below. You will also find a number of ways to clear space in these settings.

Settings > General > iPhone storage

Reset Network Settings

Some people have had success through resetting their network settings. This erases the iPhone's memory of your chosen network connection and corresponding password. This can be done through the pathway below.

Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings

Check Messaging Settings

The settings for your iPhone's Messages app can play a big role in blocking incoming messages or preventing you from sending messages. These settings are found under 'Settings', and then 'Messages'. The following settings should be toggled 'On' to enable all message functions.

· iMessage

· Send as SMS

· MMS messages

· Group messaging (if available)

iPhone Not Sending Text to Android

Some iPhones will not be able to send messages to Android phones, but can still receive them. In that case, the failed message will have the red exclamation mark (!), which says 'not delivered'. Tap this symbol to resend the message.

When this happens, you should first check that you have the correct phone number for your contact. Even changing the number to include your country's dialling code can help. For example, in the US, you will need to at '+1' to the start of the mobile number.

You should also check that your phone will use cellular data when iMessage does not work. This setting can be found through the pathway below. Turning cellular/mobile data on will particularly affect sending picture messages (MMS) or group messages.

Settings > Mobile > Mobile Data > On

iPhone Not Receiving Text from Android

Woman shook while holding smartphone indoors

The other alternative is that your iPhone is not receiving messages from any Android phone. If the messages are coming through but you are not being notified, you should refer to the information in the next section.

Check your Cell Network

As I mentioned earlier, being connected to your cell network is crucial in receiving messages from any phone other than an iPhone because the messages cannot travel over WiFi. Therefore, if all other troubleshooting methods are not working, it is likely a problem with your cellular provider.

You can check the status of your cell network in the top right corner of your iPhone's screen, next to the battery and WiFi icons. The network icon should show four bars when you have a good signal.

If there are less than four bars, it may take a while for messages to come through. If there are no bars, but you see 'SMS only', you have no cell coverage at all and will not receive any messages other than those over WiFi.

Reasons for this to occur include the following.

· You are too far away from the nearest cell tower

· Your cell network provider is experiencing issues

· The signal is being blocked or weakened by a barrier or interference (if you are in a basement, for example)

iPhone Not Notifying Me a Text from Android

When you are still getting messages, but you are not receiving notifications, this is almost always to do with the iPhone's settings.

Notification Settings

First you should check that you have allowed message notifications, by following the pathway below. Within these same settings, you should also see the subheading 'Alerts'. Make sure all three alerts are checked, including 'Lock Screen, 'Notification Centre' and 'Banners'.

Settings > Notifications > Messages > Allow notifications > On

Do Not Disturb

You should also check whether you have enabled 'Do Not Disturb'. This is a feature that prevents notifications from coming through, usually so you're not woken up from sleep. The 'Do Not Disturb' function is found under 'Settings'.

You can also apply this setting to specific phone numbers, which will display as a crescent moon beside their name in Messages. If this is the issue, you need to disable this feature individually for those messages where you don't receive a notification. Follow the steps below to do this.

Step 1: Open the message from your contact.

Step 2: Select the 'Info' (i) button. You may need to first press their name.

Step 3: Disable 'Hide Alerts' or 'Do Not Disturb'.

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