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Android Messages Say "Not Delivered" to iPhone Users? Fix It Here

Last updated: March 2026

Seeing "Not Delivered" when texting iPhone users from your Android phone is frustrating. This usually happens when you recently switched from iPhone to Android and your number is still registered with iMessage, or when RCS (Rich Communication Services) settings conflict with SMS/MMS fallback. The good news is that this problem is entirely fixable with a few settings adjustments.

Let's walk through the solutions to get your messages delivered to iPhone users reliably.

In This Guide:

  • How to enable RCS chat and automatic SMS fallback
  • How to deregister from iMessage if you switched from iPhone
  • How to toggle RCS settings to reset messaging protocols
  • Why iPhone users may still receive your messages as iMessage

Fix #1: Enable RCS and Automatic SMS Fallback in Google Messages

Open Google Messages, tap the three-dot menu, select Settings, go to "Chat features," enable "Enable chat features," and turn on "Automatically resend as text (SMS/MMS)." Google Messages uses RCS for rich messaging features, but it needs to be configured to automatically fall back to SMS/MMS when the recipient (like iPhone users) does not support RCS.

Steps:

  1. 1. Open the Google Messages app on your Android phone
  2. 2. Tap the three-dot menu in the top right corner
  3. 3. Select "Settings"
  4. 4. Tap "Chat features" or "RCS chats"
  5. 5. Make sure "Enable chat features" is turned ON
  6. 6. Scroll down and enable "Automatically resend as text (SMS/MMS)"
  7. 7. This setting ensures that if RCS fails, the message will automatically send as regular SMS
  8. 8. Go back to Settings and tap "Advanced"
  9. 9. Enable "Get SMS delivery reports" to see if messages are actually delivered
  10. 10. Restart the Messages app and try sending a message to an iPhone user

Why This Works:

RCS is Android's advanced messaging protocol that provides features like read receipts, typing indicators, and high-quality photo sharing. However, iPhones do not support RCS and use iMessage or SMS instead. When automatic resend is disabled, Google Messages tries to send via RCS, fails when the recipient does not support it, and does not retry via SMS. Enabling automatic fallback tells the app to immediately send as SMS/MMS when RCS is unavailable, ensuring delivery to all recipients regardless of their device.

Fix #2: Deregister from iMessage (If You Recently Switched from iPhone)

Go to selfsolve.apple.com in any web browser, scroll to "Deregister iMessage," enter your phone number, and follow the verification steps. If you switched from iPhone to Android and brought your phone number with you, Apple's servers may still think your number is registered with iMessage.

Steps to Deregister from iMessage:

  1. 1. Go to selfsolve.apple.com on any web browser
  2. 2. Scroll down to "Deregister iMessage"
  3. 3. Enter your phone number with country code (for US, start with +1)
  4. 4. Click "Send Code"
  5. 5. You'll receive a 6-digit verification code via SMS to your Android phone
  6. 6. Enter the code on the Apple website
  7. 7. Click "Submit" to deregister your number
  8. 8. Wait 24 hours for the change to fully propagate through Apple's servers
  9. 9. After 24 hours, iPhone users should automatically send you SMS instead of iMessage

If You Still Have Your Old iPhone:

If you still have access to your old iPhone, you can deregister more quickly:

  1. 1. Turn off iMessage: Settings > Messages > toggle iMessage OFF
  2. 2. Turn off FaceTime: Settings > FaceTime > toggle FaceTime OFF
  3. 3. Remove your SIM card from the iPhone before selling or recycling it
  4. 4. Sign out of iCloud: Settings > [Your Name] > Sign Out

Why This Works:

When you use iMessage, Apple registers your phone number with their servers. When other iPhone users message you, their phones check Apple's servers first to see if your number supports iMessage. If it's registered, they send via iMessage (blue bubbles), which only works between Apple devices. When you switch to Android without deregistering, iPhone users still send iMessages to your number, but those messages never reach your Android phone because it can't receive iMessages. Deregistering tells Apple's servers your number no longer uses iMessage, so iPhone users will automatically fall back to SMS (green bubbles), which works on all phones.

Fix #3: Toggle RCS Off and Back On

Open Google Messages, go to Settings, tap "Chat features," toggle "Enable chat features" OFF, wait 30 seconds, then toggle it back ON. Sometimes RCS chat features get stuck in a bad state.

Steps:

  1. 1. Open Google Messages app
  2. 2. Tap the three-dot menu > Settings
  3. 3. Tap "Chat features"
  4. 4. Toggle "Enable chat features" to OFF
  5. 5. Wait 30 seconds
  6. 6. Toggle "Enable chat features" back to ON
  7. 7. Wait for the status to show "Connected" or "Chat features are available"
  8. 8. Make sure "Automatically resend as text (SMS/MMS)" is still enabled
  9. 9. Try sending a message to the iPhone user again

Why This Works:

RCS requires a connection to Google's Jibe servers. Sometimes this connection becomes stale or gets stuck in an error state, causing messages to fail silently. Toggling RCS off completely disconnects from the servers, and toggling it back on establishes a fresh connection. This clears any temporary glitches and ensures RCS settings are properly synchronized with Google's servers.

Fix #4: Clear Google Messages App Cache and Data

Go to Settings, Apps, find "Messages" or "Google Messages," tap "Storage & cache," then clear cache and clear data. Corrupted cache or data in the Messages app can cause delivery failures.

Steps:

  1. 1. Go to Settings > Apps
  2. 2. Find and tap "Messages" or "Google Messages"
  3. 3. Tap "Storage & cache"
  4. 4. First, tap "Clear cache"
  5. 5. Then tap "Clear data" or "Clear storage"
  6. 6. Confirm the action
  7. 7. Open Google Messages and set it as your default SMS app again if prompted
  8. 8. Go through the RCS setup again (it will re-enable automatically)
  9. 9. Make sure to enable "Automatically resend as text" again
  10. 10. Your message history should still be intact (stored in Android's SMS database, not the app)

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • ✗Don't assume your messages are being blocked: iPhone users are not blocking you. This is almost always a technical issue with iMessage registration or RCS settings.
  • ✗Don't forget the 24-hour wait after deregistering iMessage: Apple's servers need time to update. Messages may still fail during this period.
  • ✗Don't use multiple messaging apps: Stick with Google Messages for consistency. Using multiple SMS apps can cause conflicts.
  • ✗Don't skip enabling automatic resend: This is the most important setting. Without it, RCS failures will not retry as SMS.

How to Prevent This Problem

  • ✓Always deregister iMessage before switching to Android: Do this while you still have your iPhone to avoid delivery issues.
  • ✓Keep Google Messages updated: Updates often fix messaging bugs and improve RCS reliability.
  • ✓Verify RCS status regularly: Open Messages > Settings > Chat features and make sure it says "Connected".
  • ✓Tell iPhone contacts you switched: Ask them to delete your old message thread and start a new one so their phone re-checks your messaging capabilities.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why do my messages to iPhone users say not delivered but Android users receive them fine?

This is the classic sign that your number is still registered with iMessage. iPhone users' phones are trying to send you messages via iMessage (blue bubbles) instead of SMS (green bubbles), but your Android phone can't receive iMessages. Android users don't have this issue because they never try to use iMessage in the first place. You need to deregister from iMessage at selfsolve.apple.com to fix this.

How long does it take for iMessage deregistration to work?

Apple says to allow up to 24 hours for deregistration to fully propagate through their servers worldwide. In practice, many users see improvement within a few hours. However, iPhone users may need to delete old message threads with you and start new conversations for their phones to recognize you are no longer using iMessage. The change is not instant because Apple's servers cache device information globally.

What is RCS and why does it cause messaging problems?

RCS (Rich Communication Services) is a modern messaging protocol that replaces traditional SMS with features like read receipts, typing indicators, and high-quality media sharing. It's like iMessage for Android. The problem is that iPhones do not support RCS, so when your Android phone tries to send an RCS message to an iPhone, it fails. You need to enable the "Automatically resend as text" setting so failed RCS messages immediately retry as regular SMS that iPhones can receive.

Can iPhone users see when I've read their messages?

No, not when messaging between Android and iPhone. Read receipts only work with RCS (Android to Android) or iMessage (iPhone to iPhone). When iPhone users text your Android phone, they send SMS, which does not support read receipts. They will only see "Delivered" confirmation if you have SMS delivery reports enabled, but they cannot see when you actually opened or read the message.

Do I need to tell everyone I switched from iPhone to Android?

Not everyone, but it helps to tell frequent iPhone contacts. Ask them to delete your old message thread and start a new conversation. This forces their iPhone to re-check whether your number still uses iMessage. If you properly deregistered from iMessage, their phone will automatically switch to sending you SMS (green bubbles) instead of iMessage (blue bubbles). This simple step can prevent a lot of delivery problems.