So your iPhone won’t send pictures to Android and it’s driving you crazy. It’s a frustrating situation that many users, including myself, have experienced before. But don’t worry, the steps in this guide will show you how to fix the “iPhone not sending pictures to Android” problem.
Before we get into the instructions, there are a few things that you need to know. When you use the Messages app to send a text message from an Apple device to another Apple device, you’re using iMessage. These messages are encrypted and appear in blue text bubbles.
On the other hand, if you send a text message from an Apple device to an Android phone, you’re using the standard SMS/MMS protocol. These messages appear in green text bubbles and are not encrypted.
Now that you have an idea of how iMessage works, let’s get your iPhone to send pictures to Android phones again.
Fixing iPhone Not Sending Pictures to Android
Sending image attachments is a pretty standard feature of iMessage. But sometimes things can go wrong, and this could be one of the common iMessage problems.
When you experience this problem, you may receive a message that either says “Message Failed To Send,” “Cannot Send Message,” or simply “Not Delivered” when you attempt to send an attached picture file.
You may not even be able to attach an image as the attachment button is greyed out and inaccessible. Whatever the case might be, the steps in this guide will help you fix your iPhone not sending pictures to Android problems.
1. Check if iMessage Is Enabled
While this is unlikely to be the problem unless you’ve changed your messages settings, however, it’s always good to cover first.
Since we’re dealing with a problem specifically in sending SMS messages, you’ll want to confirm that SMS messaging is enabled. Here’s how:
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap on the Messages section.
- Verify that both iMessages and Send as SMS options are active (enabled).
Still can’t send pictures to Android? Move on to the next step. We’ve got more fixes for you to try.
2. Restart Your iPhone
Sometimes the catch-all solution of restarting your iPhone is all that it really takes to fix most issues.
To restart your iPhone, follow the steps below.
- For iPhone X or later, press and hold either volume button and the side button until the power off slider appears on the screen.
- If you own an iPhone SE (2nd generation), 8, 7, or 6, press and hold the side button until you see the power off slider.
- For iPhone SE (1st generation), 5, or earlier, press and hold the top button until the power off slider appears.
Drag the slider all the way to the right, then wait 30 seconds for your device to completely shut off. After you’ve restarted your iPhone, try again to send a picture to an Android phone.
If this does not work, you may need to make sure that your iPhone is running the latest iOS version.
3. Update iOS Version
It’s also possible that an outdated iOS version has problems with sending pictures to Android phones. And a newer version might fix it if it’s something that has been corrected with a more recent update.
Since it’s important to update your phone, another potential fix is to verify that your iPhone is running the latest iOS version.
Follow the step below to update your iPhone:
- Make sure to plug in your iPhone to power and connect to the internet with Wi-Fi.
- Next, go to Settings > General, then tap Software Update.
- If there’s a new update available, you’ll see it there.
- Tap Download and Install to install the new update.
The new update may prompt an automatic restart of your device. After the restart, check if the issue has been fixed.
4. Restart iMessage
Sometimes the problem is with the Messages app itself. This often can be fixed by simply shutting down restarting the app, rather than the device itself.
This is a simple process to do. Here’s how:
- Head over to the Settings app.
- Tap on Message.
- Deactivate the iMessage option.
- Then re-enable it after about 30 seconds.
Try sending a picture again to an Android phone to see if the problem has been fixed. If it’s still not working, we’re moving to our next troubleshooting tip.
5. Check for Carrier Updates
Carrier updates can fix many of your phone problems such as voicemail, messaging, and network issues.
On your iPhone, check for any available carrier updates. If there are Carrier Settings Update, go ahead and install them. Here is how:
- Tap Settings > General > About.
- If there is an update, a popup will appear saying “New settings are available. Would you like to update them now“.
- Tap the Update button to do the carrier update.
- If you don’t see a popup, you’re good to go.
If the carrier updates didn’t solve the problem, you’re going to try resetting your network settings.
6. Reset Network Settings
Next, you’re going to reset the network settings on your iPhone. Keep in mind by doing this you will reset your Wi-Fi networks and passwords, cellular settings, and VPN.
And, of course, this will reset the MMS settings to make sure they’re working properly. The steps below will show you how.
- Go to Settings
- Tap General
- Select Transfer or Reset iPhone
- Tap Reset
- From the popup menu, select Reset Network Settings and follow the onscreen instruction. You may need to enter your password in order to reset your network settings.
Wrap-Up: iPhone Not Sending Pictures to Android
We hope the fixes in this guide can help you fix your iPhone not sending pictures to Android problems. If none of these tips worked, you might need to contact your carrier or book a Genius appointment at your nearest Apple store.
Please use the comment section below for any comments, concerns, or further tips.
THANK YOU!!!!!! I followed each step and finally had to reset my network settings on my brand new iPhone 13 pro max. It WORKED!!!!! I appreciate you so much!
Hey Christina, you’re welcome. Glad you found it helpful!
That’s what phone I have I’m going through each step now so I pray it works for me too!
I tried everything on this list with the exception of resetting the network settings, to no avail. But when I enabled Low Quality Image Mode (General > Settings > Messages), it worked.
This worked for me too.
Thank you sooo much. This saved me from having to go to the store. The reset was what did it.
Hey Crystal, you’re welcome. Glad you found it helpful!
Thank you! It was driving me crazy. It was my SMS setting.
Hey Lhill, you’re welcome. Glad I could help!