Question Verizon Iphone cannot send or receive group text messages with Android users

[tah4934]

First of all, HELP!!! Anyone, I am desperate for a fix to this problem!

Problem Summary:

8 phones lines on my plan and just upgraded all of them from an old legacy plan to Unlimited Plus. After the upgrade, one of the iPhone cannot send or receive text messages properly and consistently to/from Android users in a group chat. The iPhone can text with a single android users, no problem. However, if there is a group chat and at least one android user in it, there is a problem. It is not that the messages fail, they are simply not delivered to ALL recipients on the text thread. I feel this has something to do with RCS vs SMS, but when I turn RCS off, they receive the messages but when they respond to me, I do not receive them back. When I turn RCS back on, then those response text messages all get delivered. Strange and screwed up!

Keep in mind, this is only impacted one iPhone line on the account. Not seeing the problem with the others. Read on for steps that have been taken so far.

Troubleshooting so far:

First call to Verizon (30 min): Ran some basic tests on the iPhone with the problem (SE 2nd Generation iOS 18.1.1) and saw no problems. Reset network settings, restart phone, toggle RCS off and on....blah blah blah. Said it was a device problem and sent me to Apple support.

Call to apple support (2 hours): Ran a bunch of diagnostics on my phone and found no problems. Captured logs and created a ticket. Said it is likely a Verizon issue.

Second call to Verizon (3 hours): Ran same test as first call and insisted on my doing Reset all Settings. Did that and nothing worked. Had me restart my phone about 10 times. Told me sorry this was the highest level of support they could give (don't think so), and told me my phone is too old so I need to upgrade it.

Trip to the Verizon store to upgrade to iPhone 16 (3 hours): Purchased the iPhone 16 and activated it, transferred everything over. Did not fix the problem. Did a factory reset on the iPhone 16 and reactivated it without transferring settings and apps from the old phone. Still did not work. Verizon store rep said this action proved it is a Version backend issue with configuration/provisioning/setup of that line. We then deactivated and reactivated the line with Verizon two times. It is not an apple issue, device or setting problem on the device because we switched to a brand new device (iOS 18.1.1). Verizon tech support with the store rep created and "NRB" (?) ticket.

Third call to Verizon tech support (2 hours): Nothing new, just some unqualified rep having me restart the phone, check settings, and reset things. Nothing worked.

At this point the store rep and I are convinced it is a Verizon backend issue with this line, but we cannot reach anyone at Verizon tech support who is capable or fixing this. Now I know Verizon has some smart Engineers, and this problem has to be fixable. I know people have reported some issues with iPhone to android texting, but if this was a prevalent problem, it would make national news!!!! Keep in mind when you respond that these android texts are not an issue with the other 5 iPhone on my account, nor are my friends with iPhone having problems texting the same android users.

I am going to have to take my account with 8 lines to T-Mobile if this does not get fixed. Anyone technical out there that might know what action Verizon needs to take to fix this? How can I get Verizon to put some knowledgeable Engineer on the problem to fix it?

 

[VidJunky]

Welcome to Android Central forum. Have you also posted this question on our sister site, imore.com, where iPhone users help answer questions? It might help.

It sounds like you have more than one iPhone on your plan and it works correctly. Forgive me if I don't know much about iPhone, so I may ask obvious questions or make obvious suggestions.

In the meantime, have you gone through the settings of the working device and compared them to the problem device?

Still comparing apples to apples, are both phones using the same app for messaging? In a search I did online it talks about the Android and the Apple using compatible messaging apps but if one phone gets it and one does not, and both iPhones are using the same app, it seems unlikely that the Android app would be the issue.

Now more specific to the issue at hand. It sounds like you've done some testing, which is awesome, so let's look at your results.

When you say that the messages don't send if there is an android in the mix, does the person who owns that android matter? What I mean is if your thread includes 2 other iPhones and Bob's android, the message doesn't send, but if we replace Bob with Sue, it will work?

Along those same lines, when it comes to receiving messages, the same primus, if it's from Bob, no message, but if it's Sue, there is no issue?

What about unsaved contacts? Replacing Bob and Sue with some unsaved number?

With Android things like this can happen if there's a "bad" app, for lack of a better way to put it, installed that is using some resource or accessing something at the same time as this other thing is going on, but I think Apple is even more sandboxed than Android. Making this unlikely, but does Apple have anything akin to "safe mode"?

I saw that you mentioned resetting the phone settings, but what about a straight up factory reset?

As for what can Big Red do, I know with unlocked phones I've taken to Verizon they've had to reset something to do with my messaging in the account. If everything above checks out, I think you're right it comes down to something on their end. I wonder what would happen if you switched SIM cards with one of the working iPhones?

I just have more questions than answers on this one.

 

[SyCoREAPER]

100% Verizon issue with everything tried. They are idiots and short of a miracle you will never get it fixed.
Small chance it's iOS 18 with how broken it apparently is.

@VidJunky suggestion with the SIM is a good idea unless Apple removed SIM cards too. Don't keep up with their crappy hardware. If they still have SIM cards, I'd first have Verizon provision a new one for that line. Who knows what's going on over there and again, small chance, but who knows if the IMEI is getting botched with the phone number. Putting another family members SIM might mess up theirs but it's worth a try.

Try turning off iMessage with RCS on and see if it is conflicting.

If none of that works, nobody here will be able to help you as it's an iPhone and/or Verizon issue, not Android.

 

[VidJunky]

I hate to feel like I'm turning someone away, while some of the members here cross over to imore.com, I feel @SyCoREAPER maybe right in saying, we're probably not the best equipped to answer this question. There someone may have experienced this issue.

Best wishes.

Update, well they say these things listen to everything we say and track what we do, is this that realization?

After leaving I opened my news feed and what was the first article, issues with RSC between iphone and Android. If it's working on one device and none of the others this may mean nothing but it is weird this would be the first thing I come across...

Google’s RCS Nightmare—Why You Need A New App

It’s all suddenly gone wrong for Google Messages—here’s what you need to do.

www.forbes.com

Just saying.

 

[tah4934]

Factory resets, purchase of new iphone, provision of new esim. All that has been done. But this still points to a Verizon issue with my specific line and here is why:

1) Everyone else who has an iphone can send/receive text messages successfully to these android users, but I cannot. Remember, this is only in a group chat when one android phone is present. Does not matter who it is, no one will get my RCS message.

2) If I turn off RCS and it reverts to SMS, then my messages are successfully delivered, but I cannot get any responses. As soon as I turn RCS back on, the responses flood in all at once.

It is terrible how incompetent Verizon is with their technical support. They have wasted so much of my time, and my money (by telling me it was my old phone and I needed to buy a new one). There has to be smart engineers at Verizon who listen to my troubleshooting and the patterns I have found, and that will point them to the problem. Everything can be fixed. Something is out of sync with my line in their system.