iPhone 7 not receiving group texts, only individual texts, group messaging issue, other texting problems

Texting issues may not sound very serious but they can sometimes become very annoying so we bring you a new #iPhone7 troubleshooting post to address some of them. We hope you’ll find this one helpful.

If you are looking for solutions to your own #iOS issue, you can contact us by using the link provided at the bottom of this page.

When describing your issue, please be as detailed as possible so we can easily pinpoint a relevant solution. If you can, kindly include the exact error messages you are getting to give us an idea where to start. If you have already tried some troubleshooting steps before emailing us, make sure to mention them so we can skip them in our answers.

Below are specific topics we’re bringing for you today:

Problem 1: Verizon iPhone 7 cannot send MMS to Android

I recently got an iPhone 7 (Verizon) – didn’t want to make the switch, but I spilled water on my iphone 6 after 3 years and had no choice. I am now unable to send photos to my fiance, who has a new-ish Samsung Galaxy. I can send and receive texts just fine – I am only having trouble sending pictures to his android phone. I was able to send photos to him without any issues before we both got new phones. I have not tried sending photos to anyone else with an android. I restarted my phone and reset my network settings. It still does not work. Do you happen to know the solution? I am sorry if it is already on your website. — Katherine

Solution: Hi Katherine. In order to use MMS in your iPhone, you must have a text messaging plan that allows MMS. Any text message that has an attachment is automatically converted to MMS as well. Since you’re trying to send a regular text with attachment (MMS) to an Android device, which does not use iMessage, you’ll need to also have a mobile data plan. (Messages sent as an iMessage are colored blue while standard SMS/MMS are green). Mobile data connection is necessary to send and receive MMS so if you’re not receiving MMS from him as well, this must be the cause of your problem. Contact your carrier for further troubleshooting.

Keep in mind that MMS can be disabled for CDMA devices (Verizon is a CDMA network). Make sure that MMS is enabled before you contact Verizon. To do that:

  1. Open the Settings app.
  2. Tap Messages.
  3. Tap the MMS Messaging switch to turn on (in the green position)

Problem 2: iPhone 7 not receiving group texts, only individual texts, group messaging issue

I have a new AT&T iPhone 7 plus and am not receiving all text messages. For instance today I received 5 text communicating with a group and then did not receive the last 5 text sent from the group. Or for instance received an original text to a group but no replies other than from the person who sent the original text. Any assistance would be helpful. — Montymom2

Solution: Hi Montymom2. You must be part of a Group SMS. There are three types of  group messages — Group iMessage, Group MMS, and Group SMS. Here are the differences between each one:

Group iMessage are shown as blue bubbles in your Messages app. This type of group message works via Apple’s servers and not via your carrier’s. This is a convenient type of group message if all members in the group uses iMessage.

Group MMS are displayed as green bubbles and uses your carrier’s servers in transmitting messages. In this setup, every member can send and receive photos and videos, as well as see all responses from the group.

Group SMS on the other hand also appears as green text bubbles. Like group MMS, messages are sent via your carrier’s servers but all responses from every member are sent as individual SMS. Each member cannot see the responses of other members in the group.

If the group you are in have members that doesn’t use iMessage, or using non-iOS devices, the group message type is automatically converted to group SMS. This is the reason why you’re only receiving a response from one member. Unfortunately, there’s really nothing that you can do about it. If you think you can convince every member, try telling them to use third party messaging app that works in both iOS and non-iOS platforms. Examples of such apps is Facebook Messenger and Google Hangouts.

Problem 3: iPhone 7 cannot send videos

I have tried countless times to send videos I’ve recorded on my iPhone 7, to both friends & family. It does NOTHING. It does not show an error, nor does it show “message failed,” it just does nothing. Why?? What is wrong with it? — Lhornsby_1968

Solution: Hi Lhornsby_1968. There can be a number of possible reasons why you have this problem.

First of all, if you’re sending a video that goes beyond the limit of the messaging app you’re using (the limit depends on the app), the situation you’re in may occur.

Secondly, since problem description does not mention some other important details like:

  1. the messaging app you’re using
  2. whether or not you’re sending videos to iOS users or non-iOS users or both
  3. the size of the video file

you should do more research on the subject. This is a one-way street and we don’t communicate with our readers directly so our suggestions may be limited as well depending on the amount of information you provide.

If you’re trying to use the native Messages app in sending your videos, it’s possible that you may be constrained by file size limitation. If all recipients are using iPhones or iOS devices (and assuming iMessage in your device and theirs are enabled), you should be able to send a large video file of up to 220MB.

If the recipients do not use iOS devices, you must be trying to send your videos as a regular SMS/MMS, which has a very limited allowance of 1.2MB or even less.

To help you figure out the true cause of the problem, contact your carrier.

Problem 4: iPhone 7 can’t receive SMS randomly from one contact

Hi, my phone is not receiving text from one phone number but it works with everyone else that’s on my contact list. I keep having this problem month to month. And my boss is getting really annoyed because I can’t receive her text . Please help. I rebooted my phone a few times and turned off messages , LTE it’s still not working. — Jessica

Solution: Hi Jessica. If this problem comes and goes without any discernable pattern, the issue must not be on your end. It can be on the sender’s end or in one of the two carriers involved (yours and your boss’s). Unfortunately, the only thing that you can do here is to let your carrier know about it and pray that they can figure out the cause. If the issue is on the sender’s side (can be a phone issue or carrier issue), you and your carrier may be helpless. Tell your boss that you’ve already confirmed with your carrier that there’s no issue on your end so he or she can troubleshoot on her end.

 


Engage with us

If you happen to have a problem with your own iPhone, let us know about it and we will do our best to post them and their solutions  in our upcoming articles. You can use this link to contact us for assistance. We can’t guarantee an answer to every question but rest assured that we will exhaust everything on our end to help you.

Be as detailed as possible when describing your problem to help us diagnose your issue easily. If you can include error messages, popups, attempted troubleshooting steps, and circumstances leading to the problem, that would be very helpful.