Sending SMS messages from iPhone to Android users over wifi

Hello jbristol11, we're here to help with send SMS messages from iPhone to Android users over Wifi.

We understand the impact not being able to send SMS messages. First, restart your device by powering it off for several seconds before powering it on again. This action helps refresh your device's connection to the network, closing the operating system, all programs, and finalizing all pending input and output operations before restarting the device.

Visit our Device Support Center to learn how to perform a soft, factory, or alternate master reset of your device. After selecting your device's make and model, choose Troubleshooting followed by Reset Device. Follow the instructions as they're presented.

Reset the network setting on your phone to start messaging over the internet again. Simply select Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings.

The network settings of your phone primarily regulate the internet or cellular connection. Your phone might have an active cellular network or Wi-Fi, but both might not be working.

Try this and let us know how it goes. Make sure to fill us in on whether your device successfully connects to a Wi-Fi signal and whether any other mobile devices you own also experiences this trend. If so, it may be related to that specific network, like your home network.

We don't want you to miss any more messages from your contacts while you're using Wi-Fi.

Thank you for visiting AT&T Community Forums!

Carlton, AT&T Community Specialist 

So the expectation is that the SMS message should travel over the wi-fi network, right? Because now, they hang up until I get to a place where I have adequate cellular signal. Our neighborhood has very poor AT&T signal and I haven't gotten anywhere with the help desk to find someone who actually owns that.

Thank you for your thoughtful answer.

Hello, @jbristol11. We know how frustrating it is to not have a strong signal when you are in your home. 

Were you able to do the steps provided above and test the android sms over Wi-Fi again?

We do have a Network Interference Program which could help you figure out what, if anything, is causing an interference with the signal in your neighborhood. 

Let us know if the steps helped!

TT, AT&T Community Specialist

The signal is bad for a good mile around us. It isn't related to a device on our immediate property. Thanks anyway. I have tried to escalate this before to no avail.

I have done what you asked and still if I want to send an attachment to an android user and I am on wifi because of your weak signal, it will not go through. I have to walk outside and send it like I am trying to act like an old school TV antenna to reach enough cellular signal and maybe it works. It works just fine when I get a little more than a mile from here in almost any direction, once I get more than a couple bars showing on my phone.

It could be a corrupted setting on your account somewhere that AT&T will need to dig deep and correct. We have the same issue last Fall when we switched to an Unlimited plan and the settings got corrupted. Support may or may not be able to help. We finally had to get someone from the Office of the President to put us in touch with a Senior Manager who's team got it fixed for us. We can send/receive texts from our Android friends via cellular or by WiFi-C (WiFi Calling) without issues. iMessage is not an issue as that goes thru Apple's servers and not AT&T.

The obvious things to check are your message settings and you may have to Reset Network Settings. Did you recently upgrade to iOS 15.6 by any chance?

My phone is on 15.6 but I have been having this issue for a while.

Our iPhones are on 15.6 as well but we are not having any issues. If iMessage works as expected then it's not the phone or Apple's servers, it's AT&T unfortunately. 

@OttoPylot How can I get in touch with a senior engineer to look at our accounts?  Neither my wife nor my phone will send SMS texts in our house I think because it still tries to send it over cellular with only 1 bar.  This leads to failed to send notifications and irregular reception of SMS texts.  Apple's iMessages work flawlessly.

This occurred on my wife's iPhone 11 Pro Max and my iPhone 11 Pro over multiple iOS versions and is currently doing the same on my iPhone 11 Pro and her iPhone 11 Pro Max both with iOS 16.

Definitely an issue that the standard rhetoric posted by AT&T to reboot, reset network settings, troubleshoot your WiFi, etc. does absolutely nothing.  It's definitely not my WiFi.  It also occurs at work when I have only 1 bar.  It seems the issue is it defaults to sending over cellular when there is barely a signal, which causes it to fail.  It doesn't prioritize sending it over WiFi.

@southerndoc  Last October we had the same issues when we switched our account from the Rollover Family Plan to the Unlimited Standard. None of the Support suggestions worked, even tho they do need to be attempted for one, just in case they work and two, to complete the Support checklist before it's escalated. However, escalation doesn't really do anything if it's a corrupted setting so that's where the Office of the President needs to get involved. iMessage will always work because that all goes thru Apple's servers, not AT&T's messaging servers.

I replied to your DM.

I just resolved this issue by enabling WiFi calling. I’m currently in the only place I’ve had this issue and it took care of the problem immediately.