Match the symptom, then work through the safe checks.
1. What best matches what you observe?
2. Complete only the checks that are safe for you.
Show stop conditions
- Emergency or account-security messages are not arriving
- The SIM or eSIM shows No Service or SOS for a prolonged period
Likely causes
- The sender is blocked or filtered
- iMessage or SMS routing is not active for the correct number
- Carrier, SIM, or eSIM service is unavailable
- Focus, unknown-sender filtering, or storage obscures messages
Quick checks, in order
Ask whether calls and messages from other people arrive
This identifies one-sender versus all-message trouble.
Check signal, airplane mode, and the active line
Dual-SIM devices can use different numbers.
Review blocked contacts and message filtering
Check Unknown Senders and recently deleted messages.
Contact the carrier for SMS failure
Apple cannot repair a carrier-side SMS routing problem.
Which messages are missing?
Check blocking, their number format, and whether the thread uses iMessage or SMS.
Carrier, SIM, line, or SMS provisioning is likely.
Check Apple ID, Send & Receive addresses, data access, and iMessage activation.
Stop and get qualified help when
- Emergency or account-security messages are not arriving
- The SIM or eSIM shows No Service or SOS for a prolonged period
Official support and model manuals
Use the full model number from the rating label. The manufacturer manual is the deciding reference when codes differ by region or product family.
Frequently asked questions
Can Focus mode hide messages?
It can silence notifications, but messages should still appear in the Messages app unless filtering or another issue is involved.
Why do texts go to an old iPhone?
iMessage may still be registered to the same Apple ID or number on another device.