While using your phone, you may notice unexpected SMS text messaging behavior where you can’t receive SMS messages on your iPhone 16, while you can send SMS messages. There are few things you can try if you can send but cannot these types of messages using the Messages app. There may be several likely causes that you can investigate.
It appears that this problem affects SMS messages and iMessages are not affected. iMessages only work between Apple devices. You can however receive SMS messages from any type of cellular phone such as Android phones. If you are having iMessage problems see this article.
How to fix iPhone 16 not receiving text messages issue
Try the troubleshooting steps below in the order given until your issue is fixed:
1. Check for iOS Update
First, ensure that your device is running the latest version of iOS. The iPhone 16 not receiving text messages issue could be a common problem affecting a lot of users, due to iOS software bugs. If this is the case, Apple fixes these bugs quickly. To update your iPhone, open Settings and then choose General and Software Update. Updating your iPhone will also update the Messages app since it’s a native iOS App. It’s worth a shot if you suspect you’re not receiving text messages on your iPhone 16 due to a bug in your current iOS version.
2. Toggle Airplane Mode on and back off
When I experienced this problem, turning airplane mode on and back off helped me fix the problem so you should also give it a try. Go to Settings and activate Airplane Mode. Wait about 30 seconds and then deactivate the feature.
3. Restart your iPhone
Restarting your phone can fix glitches preventing the text from coming through. Try fulling shutting off your phone, then turn it back on, verify your cellular connection, and wait a few minutes to see if your iPhone 16 start receiving text messages.
To restart your iPhone, press and hold the volume up (or down) button and the side button together until the power off slider appears on your screen. Move the slider from left to right. Wait about 30 seconds for your iPhone to completely turn off. And then press and hold the side button until you see the Apple logo.
4. Make sure you have cellular signal
One of the main reasons you’re not seeing texts on your iPhone 16 could be due to your network connection. Check the status bar to see whether you have a cellular signal by looking at the left side of the screen.
If your signal is weak or you have no signal at all, try the following:
- Make sure that you’re in an area with cellular network coverage. Go to another location and try there to get messages.
- Toggle Airplane Mode on and off. To do this, swipe down from the top-right of your iPhone screen and tap the Airplane Mode icon to turn it on. Then, wait a few seconds and tap it again to turn it off.
- Contact your carrier (Verizon, T Mobile, etc) to ensure that there are no issues with your carrier or account. Maybe you do not have enough to send/receive SMS messages.
5. Check your Focus settings
Go to Settings > Focus.
6. Check blocked contacts
If you’re not receiving texts from a particular sender, they might be on your iPhone’s blocked contacts list. You’ll need to remove them from the blocked list to get their calls and texts again. To see your blocked contacts, go to Settings > Apps > Messages. Tap Blocked Contacts, under the SMS/MMS section.
7. Make sure your iPhone has enough storage space
If you cannot receive the SMS messages containing videos or images, ensure that there’s enough space on your iPhone 16. Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage to check your storage.
8. Remove and reinsert the SIM card
If your iPhone 16 has a physical SIM, ensure that it is properly inserted. Try removing and then reinserting it. Doing so is simple. Simply locate the SIM tray, next to the tray there is a hole, insert your SIM-eject tool (when you bought your iPhone, the packaging included this tool, if you lost it you can use a paperclip) into the hole. The tray will pop up. Then you can remove the SIM card.
9. Update to the Latest Carrier Settings
Your carrier will occasionally release updates to improve call quality, data speed, and overall network stability. These updates also contain crucial fixes for bugs that might be causing network-related issues on your device, like the one you’re facing.
To download your iPhone’s latest carrier settings update, connect your iPhone to the internet and then go to Settings > General > About. If there is an update, a popup will appear. Follow the instructions to update.
10. Reset your network settings
If an issue with your iPhone 16 prevents it from connecting to cellular networks to receive text messages, resetting your network settings may fix it. Please note that doing so will erase your network-related settings such as your Wi-Fi passwords, VPN settings, etc will be permanently deleted. On your iPhone, go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network Settings.
11. Check-in with your carrier
If your iPhone 16 is still not receiving text messages, contact your carrier (Verizon, AT&T, T Mobile etc). Perhaps they are experiencing a temporary outage that may be affecting your iPhone 16 ability to receive texts. When you call them, if this is the issue, they may provide an estimated time of repair completion.
12. Contact Apple Support
If the steps above have not resolved your iPhone 16 not receiving texts issue, contact Apple support for further help.