iPhone Can't Send Pictures Through Text to Android [ ✓ Solved ]

It is frustrating when your iPhone won’t send pictures to Android in a world of memes and image texts. According to some iPhone users, the images they send to Android users through text usually fail to send. This can be annoying, especially if you can’t figure out what’s causing this issue.

Can't Send Pictures Through Text From iPhone to Android

Read on to learn why you can’t send pictures through text on your iPhone to Android. We’ll also discuss possible solutions to fixing the problem and alternative ways of sending messages to Android. Let’s get right into it!

Why Can’t You Send Pictures Through Text on iPhone to Android?

An iPhone can’t send picture through text messages to Android because of compatibility issues. All captured images on iPhones are saved in the HEIC or HEIF format, while Androids mostly use JPEG, PNG, AVIF, and WebP. Additionally, the iPhone uses iMessage. Meanwhile, Android devices use SMS or MMS to send texts, which creates another compatibility issue.

HEIC stands for High-Efficiency Image Container and provides an image’s raw format without any post-processing. It is an updated version of HEIF or High-Efficiency Image Format, which is better quality than JPEG while using less space.

iPhones use this image format, which is not compatible with Android devices. This is why you can’t send pictures through text on your iPhone to Android.

Learn more about what to do If You Can’t Send or Receive Messages on Your iPhone or iPad.

How to Fix an iPhone That Can’t Send Picture Messages to Android

iPhone users usually receive an error saying “Message Failed to Send”, “Cannot Send Message”, or “Not Delivered” when sending photo messages to Android. You may also find the “Add Photo/Media” option unresponsive when attaching an image to your text message.

These are some ways to fix an iPhone that won’t send pictures to Android:

1. Enable iPhone’s MMS

The first thing you can do if you can’t send pictures through text on your iPhone to Android is to switch from SMS to MMS.

Quite often, iPhones come with MMS enabled. But if not, you can manually turn it on in your device’s settings.

These are the steps to turn on MMS on iPhone:

Step 1. Go to “Settings”.
Step 2. Scroll down and tap “Messages”.
Step 3. Toggle on “MMS Messaging”.

This automatically enables MMS, allowing you to send Multimedia Messages on your iPhone. You can follow the same steps if you need to disable MMS.

2. Use Mobile Data

iPhones generally use iMessage to send texts to an Android device over the internet. An unstable internet connection may hinder picture messages from being transmitted to Android. You can enable cellular data to combat connectivity issues.

Here are the steps to turn on cellular data:

Step 1. Open “Settings”.
Step 2. Tap on “Cellular”.
Step 3. Toggle on “Cellular Data”.

Alternatively, you can quickly turn on cellular data from the control center by swiping down from the top right side and tapping the “Cellular Data” icon.

3. Force Stop Messages

Sometimes, a glitch in the Messages app can cause it to malfunction, thus not sending MMS. Force-stopping and restarting the app can help refresh its features.

Here are the steps to force stop messages to fix any glitches on the app:

Step 1. Swipe up from the home screen to open the multitasking panel.
Step 2. Swipe up the Messaging app.

The Messaging app will automatically quit. To re-open it, locate the app on your phone and tap to open it.

4. Clear Cache

Clearing the cache will help improve the performance of your iPhone. It also helps free up some space, thus opening up the storage. You can do this through the offload app option or resetting the cache on the next start.

Method 1. Offload App

Here are steps to follow to offload an app:

Step 1. Go to “Settings”.
Step 2. Tap “General”.
Step 3. Press “iPhone Storage”.
Step 4. Select messages and tap to open.
Step 5. Tap on “Offload App”.
Step 6. Confirm by pressing “Offload App” again to clear the cache.

Method 2: Reset Cache on Next Launch

Step 1. Go to “Settings”.
Step 2. Tap the “Messages app”. and scroll down.
Step 3. Toggle “Reset Cache on Next Launch”.

After that, launch it from the home screen to clear the cache.

Also read 3 ways to clear App cache on iPhone.

5. Reset Your Network

Sometimes, resetting your internet connection to default settings can resolve issues with your iPhone not sending picture texts to Android. You can fix misconfigured settings and outdated or corrupted drivers by resetting your network.

These are the steps to reset the network on your iPhone:

Step 1. Open “Settings”.
Step 2. Tap “General”.
Step 3. Choose “Reset”.
Step 4. Tap “Reset Network Settings”.

Enter your passcode to initiate the process, then tap “Reset Network Settings” to finish it.

6. Update iOS

Sometimes, you can’t send pictures through text on your iPhone to Android because you missed some crucial iOS updates.

Important! Remember to back up your important data to avoid losing crucial information. Also, make sure you have a strong internet connection and your iPhone is connected to a power source.

Here are the steps to update your iOS:

Step 1. Open “Settings”.
Step 2. Tap “General”.
Step 3. Press “Software Update”.
Step 4. Tap “Download and Install”.
Step 5. Enter “Passcode” and press “Agree”.

Once the iOS is updated, your phone restarts. Key in your passcode to access your iPhone.

Read more on how to update your iPhone or iPad on the Apple Support page.

7. Reset Your iPhone

Sometimes, you cannot send pictures through text from iPhone to Android because of some bug on iMessage. Fortunately, you can get rid this bug by resetting your device.

Important! Resetting your iPhone will erase all your data. Before starting the process, back up your device to restore it later. Make sure you have your password to Apple ID and passcode or face ID to access the device.

Below are steps to reset your iPhone:

Step 1. Open “Settings”.
Step 2. Select your name at the top of the screen.
Step 3. Scroll down and tap “Sign Out”.
Step 4. Enter your password.
Step 5. Select “Turn Off”.

You can find this at the top right corner. You can choose to have a copy of your data from the device.
Step 6. Press “Sign Out” at the top corner.

Confirm sign-out. This might take a couple of seconds. Once the process is complete, the top of the settings will display “Sign in to your iPhone” instead of your name.
Step 7. Scroll down and tap “General”.
Step 8. Press “Transfer or Reset iPhone”.
Step 9. Select “Erase All Content and Settings”. Confirm by selecting “Continue.”
Step 10. Enter “Passcode”.
Step 11. Tap “Erase iPhone”.

Once complete, set up your device like a brand-new iPhone.

More on Apple Support.

iPhone users can use alternative messaging apps like Whatsapp or convert an image to a zip file to send images to Android users. You can also use file-sharing apps like Photosync, Photo Transfer, or Dropbox. Another way is to use cloud storage and share the link with an Android user.

Here is a more detailed explanation of how to send pictures from iPhone to Android in detail:

1. Use Alternative Messaging Apps

Messaging apps are a less costly way to send photos from iPhone to Android than MMS. The most common apps include Whatsapp, Messenger and Telegram.

You can also use social media platforms like Instagram. You can find all these apps in the App Store. The best part is most of these only require an active internet connection to transfer photos.

When using WhatsApp, you can send a photo as a document by following the steps below:

Step 1. Open “Photos Album”.
Step 2. Select an image.
Step 3. Long press the image to open sharing options.
Step 4. Tap “Save to Files”.
Step 5. Go to “Whatsapp”.
Step 6. Choose the conversation of the person you want to send an image to.
Step 7. Tap the “+” button.
Step 8. Press “Document”.
Step 9. Search for the image document and send it.

Related Post: 5 Solutions to AirDrop Failed to Save Item

Since you cannot use AirDrop to send photos from iPhone to Android, you can download file-sharing apps. These can also be used to transfer videos wirelessly.

Below is an in-depth look at file-sharing apps:

PhotoSync.
This app can transfer and save unlimited files between mobile devices and PCs. However, you must pay for the premium version to unlock full functionality.
Photo Transfer.
You can automatically convert HEIC to JPEG using Photo Transfer to send images to any device.
Dropbox.
It can work as a file transfer app and get up to 2GB of free storage using Dropbox. Users can view file formats not supported by their devices. Dropbox also has paid packages for individuals and teams.
Dr. Fone.
This is a mobile solution you can use to send photos and perform many other functionalities. Unfortunately, it’s a paid app starting at $79.95 a year.

3. Convert to a Zip File

Another way you can send pictures through text on your iPhone to Android is by converting the images to a zip file. Afterward, transfer the zip file to Android through email messaging.

Here are the steps to convert images to a zip file:

Step 1. Open “Files Folder”.
Step 2. Select “On My iPhone”.
Step 3. Create a folder by pressing the three buttons at the top right corner.
Step 4. Go to “Photo Albums”.
Step 5. Select the photos you want.
Step 6. Tap the upward arrow at the bottom left of the screen to enable sharing.
Step 7. Press “Save to Files”.
Step 8. Choose the folder you had created earlier
Step 9. Go back to the “Files Folder”.
Step 10. Long press and select “Compress”.

The folder will automatically compress to a zip file. You can then share it via email.

4. Use Cloud Storage

Below are simple steps to upload and share photos on cloud storage without compromising quality:

Step 1. Open the “Photos” app.
Step 2. Select the images to share.
Step 3. Press the “Share” button.

This is the up arrow at the bottom left side.
Step 4. Tap “Copy iCloud Link”.

Whoever you send the link to can open and view the images.

Read more about how to set up and use iCloud Photos on Apple Support.

You Can Send Photos From iPhone to Android

You can’t send pictures through text on your iPhone to Android mainly because of compatibility issues. Clear the cache, turn on MMS, switch to cellular data, or force-stop the messages app to fix this.

You can also update iOS. However, most updates occur automatically. Performing a reset should be the last option since you risk losing all your data.

Remember, there are other ways to send photos, like messaging and sharing apps or zipping them up and sending them through email. If you don’t want to lose quality, opt for cloud sharing.

In This Article

iPhone Can’t Send Pictures Through Text to Android [ ✓ Solved ]

Why Can’t You Send Pictures Through Text on iPhone to Android?