iOS Help: Why can't I send or receive regular SMS text messages on my iPhone 6 or 6 Plus?

February 13, 2015

Have an iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus that is only letting you send iMessages but not regular green bubble SMS messages? If so, you aren't alone. This week our iOS help question comes from our iMore ask a question forum and deals with just that:

I have an iPhone 6 and can not send or receive regular SMS messages, I am only receiving and sending iMessages. Why isn't my regular SMS working?

This issues relates specifically to VoLTE, and seems to be affecting people that live in areas where it is being actively expanded. It's a common problem for not only iPhone owners, but Android, Windows, and BlackBerry users alike that have VoLTE capable devices. Luckily, there's a simple fix that seems to be working for most iPhone 6 and 6 Plus owners!

This how-to is part of our iOS Help feature, where every week I try and help you fix the problems you're having with your iPhones and iPads. If you have a question or need help with something iOS related that you just can't figure out, I encourage you to drop a question in our iMore forums, no registration required!

How to fix issues with regular text messages over LTE on your iPhone 6 or 6 Plus

Launch the Settings app on your iPhone.
Tap on Cellular.
Tap on Enable LTE.
Tap on Data Only.
Reboot your iPhone.

The steps above are specific to the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus but if you have a similar option on your Android or Windows smartphone that supports VoLTE, I'd assume it'd work for you as well. If you have an option, it should be somewhere in your cellular settings menu.

Hopefully this worked for you. And as always, let me know in the comments if it did or didn't. If you had this issue and found a different way of resolving it, let me know that too!