There can be a number of texting problems. If your new Galaxy S10 can’t receive texts from iPhones, learn what to do about it by following our suggestions below.
How to fix Galaxy S10 can’t receive texts from iPhones
Is your Galaxy S10 having a problem gettings texts from iOS devices? If you don’t know what to do or where to start your troubleshooting steps, follow this guide. One of them should help you determine why your S10 can’t receive texts from iPhones.
Can’t receive texts from iPhones fix #1: Are you an Android convert?
One of the common reasons why an Android device appear not to be getting texts is not obvious at all. This can occur if a previously iOS user forgets to properly prepare her account for Android. Apple uses its exclusive messaging service called iMessage for its iOS devices. If you were a previous iPhone user and you continue to use the same number after getting your new Samsung, it’s possible that text messages for that number are being forwarded to your old iMessage account. This means that those texts are not being forwarded to your carrier as they are kept in Apple’s servers only. You must deactivate your iMessage account first in order for those texts to be converted and forwarded to your carrier’s system. If you have no idea how to go about this, below are things that you must do:
If you still have your iPhone with you, you can easily deactivate iMessage by doing these steps:
- Put the SIM card you transferred from your iPhone back into your iPhone.
- Make sure that you’re connected to a cellular data network (such as 3G or LTE).
- Tap Settings > Messages and turn off iMessage.
- Tap Settings > FaceTime and turn off FaceTime.
If you no longer have your iPhone with you, you can deregister your phone number by doing it online. Try to follow the instructions in this link.
Once you’ve successfully deactivated iMessage, your phone number will then be removed from iMessage services. This will tell your network that incoming messages should now be treated as regular messages, even if they come from iOS devices like iPhones. The deregistration is not instantaneous so you may have to wait for several hours for it to take effect.
Can’t receive texts from iPhones fix #2: Delete old conversation threads
If you were never an iPhone or iOS user, then the first troubleshooting step that you must do is to check if you simply consumed all storage space for incoming messages. To do that is simple. What you want to do is to delete old threads from your messaging app and see if your S10 starts receiving new texts. If you have plenty of old conversation threads that have MMS or attachments with them, it’s possible that the app may have run out of space to keep new messages. Try to delete old threads and see what happens next.
Can’t receive texts from iPhones fix #3: Force close messaging app
Another possible solution for this problem is to restart the app. There are two ways to do this.
Method 1: Close an app using Recent Apps key
- On your screen, tap the Recent Apps soft key (the one with three vertical lines on the left of the Home button).
- Once the Recent Apps screen is shown, swipe left or right to look for the app. It should be here if you managed to run it previously.
- Then, swipe up on the app to close it. This should force close it. If it’s not there, simply tap the Close All app to also restart all apps.
Method 2: Close an app using App Info menu
Another way to force close an app is by going within the app’s settings itself. It’s a longer way compared to the first method above but it’s equally effective. You want to use this method if you plan on doing other troubleshooting for the said app like clearing its cache or data. Here’s how it’s done:
- Open Settings app.
- Tap Apps.
- Tap the More settings icon (three-dot icon, upper right).
- Tap Show system apps.
- Find and tap the app.
- Tap Force Stop.
Can’t receive texts from iPhones fix #4: Clear messaging app cache
Deleting the cache is one of the direct ways to troubleshoot a problem app. It’s usually effective in fixing minor bugs caused by outdated cache or temporary files. It can be done safely without losing any user-related content in the app. Here’s how it’s done:
- Go to the Home screen.
- Tap Apps icon.
- Open Settings app.
- Tap Apps.
- If you’re looking for a system or default app, tap on More settings at the upper right (three-dot icon).
- Select Show system apps.
- Find and tap the appropriate app.
- Tap Storage.
- Tap Clear Cache button.
- Restart the device and check for the problem.
Can’t receive texts from iPhones fix #5: Reset messaging app
Should nothing happen after clearing an app’s cache, the next good thing that you can do is to clear the app’s data. Unlike the previous procedure, this one might delete important information or data within the app. For example, if you’re trying to address an issue with a messaging app, clearing its data will delete all your messages. For games, doing this may delete your progress. If you don’t want to lose important stuff, be sure to back them up ahead of time.
- Go to the Home screen.
- Tap Apps icon.
- Open Settings app.
- Tap Apps.
- If you’re looking for a system or default app, tap on More settings at the upper right (three-dot icon).
- Select Show system apps.
- Find and tap the appropriate app.
- Tap Storage.
- Tap Clear Data button.
- Restart the device and check for the problem.
Can’t receive texts from iPhones fix #6: Update app
Installing updates may seem unrelated to the issue but it’s actually one of the important troubleshooting steps that you can do. Some bugs in apps are only fixable by changing codes. If the cause why your S10 can’t receive texts from iPhones is due to a known bug, Samsung may already be aware of it and has released an update for it. Make sure that you install any available update for the messaging app in question. And to minimize the chances of other bugs from developing, you also want to update the rest of your apps if you haven’t yet.
Can’t receive texts from iPhones fix #7: Install carrier updates
For carrier-branded phones, system updates are inevitable. If your S10 is from your carrier, what you need to do is to simply confirm any notifications for updates as they come. However, if your S10 is the international or global version (usually purchased from retailers or Samsung store), you can manually check for updates by going under Settings > Software update.
Can’t receive texts from iPhones fix #8: Reset network settings
Like any other network troubles, this issue may be resolved by resetting the network settings on your device. A bug in your phone’s network configuration may also be causing the problem. Make sure to include reset network settings in your list of troubleshooting to keep network settings in top shape. Here’s how you do that:
- From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
- Tap General Management > Reset > Reset network settings.
- Tap Reset settings.
- If you have set up a PIN, enter it.
- Tap Reset settings. Once complete a confirmation window will appear.
Can’t receive texts from iPhones fix #9: Check on Safe Mode
Not all apps are created equal. Sometimes, a poorly coded app may interfere with Android OS and cause problems. To see if one of the downloaded apps is the reason why your S10 can’t receive texts from iPhones, restart the device to safe mode. When on safe mode, all third party apps are blocked. If group messaging works on safe mode only, it means that one of the apps is the reason for the problem. To check if that’s the case, restart the phone to safe mode. Here’s how to do that:
- Press and hold the Power button until the Power off window appears then release.
- Touch and hold Power off until the Safe mode prompt appears then release.
- To confirm, tap Safe mode.
- The process may take up to 30 seconds to complete.
- Upon reboot, “Safe mode” appears in the lower-left of the home screen.
Don’t forget: safe mode blocks third party apps but it won’t tell you which of them is the real cause. If you think that there’s a rogue third party app in the system, you must identify it. Here’s what you need to do exactly:
- Boot to safe mode.
- Check for the problem.
- Once you’ve confirmed that a third party app is to blame, you can start uninstalling apps individually. We suggest that you begin with the most recent ones you added.
- After you uninstall an app, restart the phone to normal mode and check for the problem.
- If your S10 is still problematic, repeat steps 1-4.
Can’t receive texts from iPhones fix #10: Reset app preferences
Some apps, including including any messaging app, requires default system apps in order to work. Sometimes, these default apps may be turned off by other apps or after some system changes like after an update. To ensure that all default apps are enabled again, you can do these steps:
- Open Settings app.
- Tap Apps.
- Tap on More settings at the upper right (three-dot icon).
- Select Reset app preferences.
- Restart your S10 and check for the problem.
Can’t receive texts from iPhones fix #11: Factory reset
Factory reset should be considered if none of the solutions above has worked so far. Make sure to back your personal data up to avoid losing important files.
Below are the two ways to factory reset your S10:
Method 1: How to hard reset on Samsung Galaxy S10 via Settings Menu
This is the easiest way to wipe your Galaxy S10. all you have to do is to go under Settings menu and follow the steps below. We recommend this method if you have no trouble going under Settings.
- Create a backup of your personal data and remove your Google account.
- Open Settings app.
- Scroll to and tap General management.
- Tap Reset.
- Select Factory data reset from the given options.
- Read the information then tap Reset to continue.
- Tap Delete All to confirm action.
Method 2: How to hard reset on Samsung Galaxy S10 using hardware buttons
If your case is that the phone is not booting up, or it boots but Settings menu is inaccessible, this method can be helpful. First, you need to boot the device to Recovery Mode. Once you successfully access Recovery, that’s the time that you begin proper master reset procedure. It may take some tries for you before you can access Recovery so be patient and simply try again.
- If possible, create a backup of your personal data ahead of time. If your problem prevents you from doing that, then simply skip this step.
- Also, you want to make sure that you remove your Google account. If your problem prevents you from doing that, then simply skip this step.
- Turn off the device. This is important. If you can’t turn it off, you’ll never be able to boot to Recovery Mode. If you are not able to shut the device off regularly via the Power button, wait until the phone’s battery is drained. Then, charge the phone for 30 minutes before booting to Recovery Mode.
- Press and hold the Volume Up button and the Bixby button at the same time.
- While still holding the Volume Up and Bixby keys, press and hold the Power button.
- The Recovery screen menu will now appear. When you see this, release the buttons.
- Use the Volume Down button until you are highlighting ‘Wipe data/factory reset.’
- Press the Power button to select ‘Wipe data/factory reset.’
- Use Volume Down to highlight Yes.
- Press the Power button to confirm factory reset.
Can’t receive texts from iPhones fix #12: Contact network operator
The most likely reason for the problem is a software bug or app glitch so factory reset should help. However, in case there’s no change after wiping the phone, the most likely cause is network related. Make sure to get help from your network operator to fix the problem.