iPhone not receiving group texts? Don’t worry. This guide will show you 7 simple and efficient methods to fix the iPhone not receiving group messages problem, supports iPhone 12/11/XS (Max)/XR/X/8/7/6.
iPhone Messages Tips & Tricks
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Toggle off iMessage (or FaceTime, if that's what's not working). Go to Wi-Fi in the Settings app and toggle Wi-Fi off and back on. Wait a few minutes, then toggle iMessage back on. Tap Send & Receive. You see this message because the recipient cannot accept iMessages because the recipient does not have an iPhone or does not have iMessage enabled. To give more background, iMessage is Apple’s messaging service. And iMessage can only be sent to another iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac. If you receive messages on one device but not the other If you have an iPhone and another iOS device, like an iPad, your iMessage settings might be set to receive and start messages from your Apple ID instead of your phone number. To check if your phone number is set to send and receive messages, go to Settings Messages, and tap Send & Receive.
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iPhone Group Messaging Tips
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Group messaging is one of the basic yet useful functionalities of any iOS device. That is why having your iPhone not receiving group texts is a frustrating experience.
But don’t worry about that too much. In the following guide, six effective solutions that proved to be useful will be offered to help you fix the iPhone 11/XS (Max)/XR/X/8/7/6 not receiving group messages problem effortlessly.
Basics of Group Messages in iPhone
Depending on your settings, the type of network connection, and your carrier plan, your device will either send a group text as a group iMessage, a group MMS or a group SMS message. Hence, there are different reasons why you fail to receive group messages on iPhone.
Your iPhone may not be getting group texts due to this functionality simply being turned off. Or you may have selected to hide notifications for group messages, which makes you believe you do not get group texts at all. If you have left a group conversation, you will not receive text and multimedia messages from members of that group either.
Whatever the reason for your iPhone not receiving group texts might be, you can restore it to normal operation using one of the fixes in the below sections.
7 Methods to Fix: iPhone 11/XS (Max)/XR/X/8/7/6 Not Receiving Group Texts
Method 1. Check If the Group Messaging Is Enabled
You should know that your iPhone, by default, sends group messages as MMS messages not an SMS message. But in order to be able to send and receive group messages, you need this functionality activated. If one or more of your contacts are not receiving group messages on their iPhone, then you should first check if you have activated group messages on your device.
- Go to Settings and select Messages.
- Find the SMS/MMS section and tap on Group Messaging to activate.
- Tap again to switch off and on Group Messaging.
If you don’t see an option to turn on MMS Messaging or Group Messaging on your iPhone, it means that your carrier might not support this feature. So you need to check with your carrier or follow Method 6 to fix the message not delivered.
Method 2. Check If You Have Left a Group (Re-join)
You definitely must be a member of a group conversation if you are to get group texts. That is why you need to check if you are still a member of a group if your iPhone is not receiving group texts.
- Go to Messages and tap on the Group Message > Check if you see a message that reads “You left the conversation”.
- If yes, then you have left the conversation or someone had removed you from the group message > Ask someone in the group to add you back (This is the only way to re-join a group).
Anyone in a group iMessage can add someone from the conversation: Tap the group conversation that you want to add someone to > Tap the top of the conversation > Tap “i” and click on Add Contact > Enter the contact information for the person you want to add > Finally tap Done.
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However, if one of the users in the group is using a non-Apple device, you can’t add anyone. Then, you need to follow the next method to start a new group message.
Method 3. Delete Conversation and Start New Group Message
If your iPhone is not getting group texts and no group member is available to add you back to the group, you can try another fix. Sometimes you can restart group messages by deleting the conversation and starting a new group message.
Delete Conversation:
- Go to Messages and select the conversation you want to delete.
- Swipe left over the conversation.
- Tap on Delete.
Start a New Group Message:
- Go to Messages and tap the New Message icon (on the top-right corner) to start a new message.
- Enter the phone numbers or email addresses of contacts (or tap “+” button to add existed contacts).
- Type your message, then tap Up arrow to send.
Just in case that you mistakenly remove the valuable messages while deleting the unwanted conversations, the guide about how to recover deleted messages on iPhone are offered here.
Method 4. Link the Phone Number to Apple ID
In a scenario where your iPhone is not receiving group texts while you are still being able to get group messages on another iOS device, it is worth checking whether your phone receives messages using your phone number or via your Apple ID.
- Go to Settings and select Messages > Check if iMessage is active > Tap on Send & Receive option.
- Tap on “Use your Apple ID for iMessage” > Sign in using the Apple ID you are using on other devices > Select both your phone number and Apple ID in the “You can be reached” section.
Fix: iPhone Not Receiving Group Texts – Link to Apple ID
Once you have completed the above steps, you should go to Settings and select FaceTime there. Repeat the same steps to link your Apple ID and iPhone number and start receiving group messages using both methods.
Method 5. Check Group Message Notifications
iOS enables you to hide message alerts without leaving a conversation, which might make you think that your iPhone is not getting group texts. Here are the steps to check whether the group message notification switched on:
- Open Messages and tap on a group conversation > Tap on the Info icon.
- Turn off the Hide Alerts function. If the Hide Alerts is active, you can see a Moon icon appears next to the conversation.
Method 6. Carrier Settings and iOS Software Updates
Anyway, an iPhone will not receive group texts if the sender’s carrier has put a limit on the number of group messages one can send. Certain telecoms may limit your group messaging to some 10 conversation members. Also, an update or a faulty update by your carrier or Apple may result in not receiving group messages on your iPhone.
Some carriers may also prevent you from sending MMS messages. If you constantly get an alert “Not Delivered” for a message, you may need to do the following steps:
- Check the network connection.
- Tap on the Info icon and choose Try Again.
- If you are unable to send the message repeatedly, tap on the Info icon.
- Tap on Send as Text Message.
Method 7. Restart Your iPhone
Restarting your iPhone when not receiving group texts is another fix that yields results on many occasions. You can restart your iPhone using the physical buttons as shown below.
Restart iPhone X or Later:
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Hold both the Side button and Volume button > Drag the slider to switch off the iPhone > Hold the Side button again, Wait for the Apple logo to appear.
Restart iPhone 8 or Earlier:
Hold the Top or Side button, Wait for the slider to appear > Drag the slider to switch off the iPhone > Hold the Top or Side button until you see the Apple logo.
The Bottom Line
Usually, you will be able to restore an iPhone not receiving group messages to normal operation by applying one of the above tips. Nonetheless, your iPhone may not be receiving group texts due to carrier or network issues, so do not be too fast to reset to factory settings if you are experiencing continuous problems with a specific conversation. Instead, try one of the fixes first. And if you have any other tips that can fix “not getting texts on iPhone” issue, leave your comment below and share with us.
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