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Why am I not getting group texts from iPhone users on Android?

By the AndroidAnswers Editorial Team · Updated

About 5 minutes · Sound & calls

Steps written for Android 16 and 17, including Samsung One UI 8 and 9, Google Pixel, and Motorola. Menu names can vary a little by model and carrier.

Illustration of a phone showing two chat bubbles, with a speech bubble on one side and a check badge on the other

Most often your phone number is still linked to iMessage, or the group chat was started before you switched phones. Turn off iMessage or deregister your number with Apple. Then check that Google Messages is your texting app, RCS chats say Connected, and mobile data is on. Finally, ask someone to start a brand new group chat.

Steps to check

Show steps for:

  1. Take your number off iMessage

    If your number is still registered with iMessage, iPhones may keep sending to a service your Android phone cannot read. Apple says this can stop RCS and SMS/MMS messages from reaching you. If you still have the iPhone: put your SIM card back in it, make sure it is on mobile data, then go to Settings → Apps → Messages and turn off iMessage, and Settings → Apps → FaceTime and turn off FaceTime. If you no longer have the iPhone, go to selfsolve.apple.com/deregister-imessage, enter your phone number, then type in the 6-digit code Apple texts you. Apple says texts should start arriving right away, though some Apple devices can take a few hours to notice.

  2. Start a brand new group chat

    A group chat that began while you were on an iPhone does not switch over by itself. Google's advice is to start a new group chat so you keep getting messages from friends with iPhones, and it can be you or one of them who starts it. To start one yourself in Google Messages, tap Start chat → Create group, pick the people, then tap Next. Use the new chat from then on, and ask everyone to stop replying in the old one.

  3. Make Google Messages your texting app

    Google's troubleshooting list starts here: keep Google Messages up to date in the Play Store and set it as your default texting app. Open Google Messages. If it asks to become your default messaging app, follow the prompts. If you normally use a different texting app, open Google Messages to see whether the missing group texts show up there.

    • Samsung Settings → Apps → Choose default apps → SMS app, then pick Google Messages. Samsung says Samsung Messages is being discontinued on Galaxy phones with Android 12 or newer and recommends switching to Google Messages.
    • Pixel Google Messages is already the texting app. Check it is updated in the Play Store.

  4. Turn on mobile data and pick group MMS

    Group texts that are not RCS chats travel as MMS, which needs mobile data. Swipe down and make sure Mobile data is on, even if you are on Wi-Fi. Then in Google Messages, tap your profile picture → Messages settings → Advanced → Group messaging, and choose Send an MMS reply to all recipients (group MMS). Google says the other choice, mass text, makes replies arrive as separate one-on-one conversations instead of one group thread.

  5. Check that RCS chats say Connected

    RCS chats are the newer style of texting that now works between Android and iPhone. In Google Messages, tap your profile picture → Messages settings → RCS chats and look at the status. Connected means it is working. Connecting means your number is being checked, so wait. If it says Trouble connecting for more than 30 minutes, tap Details → Submit feedback. If it says RCS chats are disabled by your carrier, contact your carrier. Google advises against switching RCS chats off and on to fix things, because doing that removes you from group chats.

  6. Ask the iPhone users to check one setting

    Sometimes the problem is on the iPhone side. Apple says iPhones on iOS 18 or later can send RCS, which is switched on in Settings → Apps → Messages → RCS Messaging. For group texts sent as MMS, the iPhone needs MMS Messaging turned on in its Messages settings. If an iPhone user cannot find that option, Apple suggests checking with their carrier, because some plans do not support group MMS.

  7. If the group still splits or stays silent

    Google says a group can briefly split into one-on-one chats when one member loses their RCS connection, and it usually comes back together when they reconnect. If nothing arrives at all, restart your phone, then check with your carrier. Google also suggests resetting the APN (the phone's mobile data settings) to default from your phone's Settings app. For general texting problems, see text messages not sending.

    • Samsung On older Galaxy phones still using Samsung Messages: open the group chat, tap More options (three dots), and make sure Group conversation is turned on.

Normal vs. not

Usually normal

A group that splits into separate chats for a short time and then joins back up, or needing to start a new group once after you switch from an iPhone.

Worth a closer look

No texts at all from any iPhone user days after you turned off or deregistered iMessage. Restart the phone and contact your carrier.

What people are saying

Common questions

Why can I send to the group but not get replies?
That pattern often means your number is still linked to iMessage, so iPhones in the group keep sending there. Turn off iMessage on the old iPhone, or use Apple's deregister page, then start a new group chat.
Should I turn RCS chats off and on again?
Google advises against it, because switching RCS chats off and on removes you from group chats. Check the status first, and only turn it off if you are moving to a phone or app without RCS.
Do I have to start every old group over?
For groups that began on your iPhone, yes. Google suggests starting a new group chat with your iPhone friends. Groups you start on your Android phone should keep working.

Sources we checked

Menu names can differ by phone brand and Android version. See our editorial policy for how we check steps.