Is your iPhone not Sending or receiving text Messages after iOS 16 update? Worry not, the problem seems fixable.
When your iPhone can’t send or receive text messages, you may feel cut off from friends and family. There are many reasons why your iOS 16 device may fail to send or receive text messages, including problems with the cellular network insufficient airtime, wrong settings, or simple software oversights.
If you are not able to send or receive texts in iOS 16, these troubleshooting steps can help you fix the issue. Before getting started, it’s always a good idea to test your ability to send or receive texts messages from a few different people, if possible. That could yield some clues as to what the problem might be.
Ways to fix iPhone not sending or receiving text messages in iOS 16
If your iPhone can’t send or receive text messages after iOS 16 update, follow these simple tips to fix the issue.
Check the phone number
Confirm that you are texting the right number. If you entered the number wrong or the intended recipient now has a new number, you may be prevented from sending the text.
Enable send as SMS
Most iPhone users have iMessage enabled, but some may have accidentally (or intentionally) turned off SMS support. So, make sure that your iPhone can send a message as a regular text message when iMessage isn’t available. You can do this by going to Settings app and tap on Messages. Scroll down and then turn on the toggle for Send as SMS.
Check the reception
Assuming your iPhone is indeed switched on, you should check if it’s receiving a signal. This can be done easily by looking in the status at the top of the screen. Even a single bar should indicate enough of a signal to make and receive texts messages. However, if the signal occasionally drops out so that you see “No Service” you may find that Messages don’t work.
If this is the case, you should try moving to an area or location with a stronger signal. Note that certain locations and premises — such as tunnels and underground car parks — will prevent you from receiving any signal. As such, look for places on or above ground that aren’t too remote (i.e., that aren’t out in the middle of nowhere).
Turn Off Airplane Mode
When checking the signal bar, you may instead find a symbol indicating Airplane Mode (this will usually look like a plane). If you do, this means Airplane Mode is activated and that you can’t receive any kind of communications signal. It also means you’ll have to switch it off if you want to send or receive texts messages. You can do this by taking the following steps:
Step 1: Swipe down from the top-right of the display. On older iPhones (iPhone 8 or iPhone 8 Plus), you’ll need to swipe up from the bottom of the screen.
Step 2: If the Airplane Mode symbol is orange, this means it’s on. Turn it off by tapping it so that it turns clear.
If Airplane mode is off, tap on the icon for Airplane Mode to enable it. After 30 seconds, tap on the same toggle to disable it. Now, Check if Your iOS 16 device is sending texts. It should work.
Restart Your iPhone
Even after following the above fix, if you have trouble sending or receiving texts messages in iOS 16, try restarting your device. Often times rebooting an iPhone is sufficient to remedy problems like this. You can do this by going to Settings > General > Shut Down. After a minute, turn on your iPhone and see if you can send messages. The issue will most likely be fixed.
Remove & Reinsert iPhone’s SIM Card
Similar to the perennial reboot advice you get from IT departments, it’s usually worth removing your SIM card and reinserting it again. Doing this effectively de- and reactivates the card, hopefully removing any issues that were preventing your iPhone from sending and receiving texts messages in iOS 16.
For this, you can use the ejector tool or a pin to remove the SIM card carefully. Next, slowly and with caution, rub it on a soft dry cloth and insert it back.
Update iOS
Yes, we’re starting to get a little desperate now, but updating to the latest available version of your operating system can often help in cases where your iPhone won’t send or receive texts messages in iOS 16.
- Open the Settings app and tap on General.
- Next, tap on Software Update. If you see a pending update available, tap on Download and Install.
Once the process completes, there is a strong possibility that the iPhone not sending or receiving texts in iOS 16 issue will be successfully addressed.
Update Carrier settings
If you’ve tried all of the above steps and you still can’t send or receive messages in iOS 16, you may want to update carrier settings.
To update your carrier settings, go to Settings > General > About.
If there is an update available, the option to update will appear here.
Check your phone contract/contact your carrier
One reason why your iPhone can’t send texts messages in iOS 16 might be that there’s a problem with your carrier. For example, your phone contract may be for only a limited number of texts messages per month, and you may have previously set a block on going beyond that limit (so that you’re not charged). As such, you may need to contact your carrier in order to change your monthly limit and/or block.
Much the same goes if you’re using some kind of prepaid or pay-as-you-go SIM, which limits texts in terms of how much credit you’ve purchased. Check how much credit you have left, and if you’re fresh out, buy some more if you need to send a text message.
The above causes usually prevent you from sending texts messages. However, in rare cases, your SIM can be deactivated or blocked, particularly if you’ve repeatedly failed to pay monthly bills on time. You may therefore have to contact your carrier in order to resolve any issues.
Even if you don’t have any issue with your contract or SIM, it may still be worth contacting your carrier in case there are any network outages. Alternatively, you can check sites such as Downdetector for third-party updates on network statuses.
Check for blocked numbers
If you’re expecting a text message from a particular number, but it never comes (even when the other person tells you they’re trying to text), you may want to check if you’ve previously blocked it. Blocking a number prevents that person from sending you messages, so if you want to receive texts from the number, it’s time to unblock.
You can unblock numbers by going to Settings > Phone > Blocked Contacts. Next, tap Edit in the top-right corner and tap the red Minus icon next to the number you want to block before tapping Unblock.
Unblocking a number will let that number text you again. Of course, unblocking numbers won’t achieve much if you can’t send messages.
Turn off Focus mode
As with Airplane Mode, it’s also a good idea to check whether you have Focus mode on. This shouldn’t stop you from sending texts messages, but it generally stops you from receiving them. Or, at least, it will stop you from getting texts notifications since many Focus modes only silence calls rather than disabling them completely.
You can turn off Focus mode by swiping down from the top-right corner (or up from the bottom) of the screen. Next, tap the Focus Mode icon so that it turns clear.
Reset Network Settings on iPhone
As with your SIM card, you can try resetting your network settings if you still can’t send or receive texts messages in iOS 16. This clears your phone of any stored data that might potentially interfere with its functioning. Resetting network settings can be a pain because you lose wi-fi passwords and custom DNS, but it can also be a cure-all solution for many common networking issues with iPhone, including the inability to send messages in iOS 16. You can do this by going to Settings > General > Transfer or reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network Settings. Enter your iPhone passcode and confirm.
Make Sure your iPhone’s Date and Time is correct
Not just text messages, but several applications and services won’t work properly if your iPhone is set to the wrong time zone. To check if your iPhone has the correct time and date, go to Settings app > General > Date & Time > turn on the toggle for Set Automatically.
Reset All Settings
If you’ve tried all of the above steps and you still can’t send or receive text messages in iOS 16, you may want to consider resetting all your iPhone settings. You can do this by going to Settings > General > Transfer or reset iPhone > Erase all content and settings. The consequences of this are more significant.
It will erase or return to default, all settings you have ever changed on your iPhone. This includes keyboard settings, Home Screen layout, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, VPN, Location Settings, and more. But, it won’t delete any personal data like photos, videos, apps, music, etc.
That’s all!
These are some of the ways to fix the problem of iPhone not sending or receiving texts Messages in iOS 16. I hope one of the solutions helped you out of this problem. Know of any other tricks to resolve an inability to send or receive text messages in iOS 16? Drop a comment and let us know!
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