Do you like to stay connected to your friends and colleagues? If yes, a simple text message is the best thing to get the message across, however, have you noticed that many times, you receive a notification that says, ‘Download to View the Message’? Have you ever wondered why do I have to download text messages?
There may be multiple answers to this question, so let’s try and find out what they are!
Table of Contents
Top Reasons You Have to Download Text Messages
Auto-retrieve is Disabled
In some cases, when the auto-retrieve is not enabled, your phone may not download the text messages automatically. For this, you change the settings and enable it.
- Open the ‘Messaging App’.
- Go to the ‘Settings’.
- Scroll down and go to ‘Auto-retrieval’.
- Here, you can check if auto-retrieval is enabled. If it is not, tap on it and see if you still get the notification to download the messages.
Interesting Read: Wrong Number Showing on Text Messages? Here’s What You Need to Do?
Not Sufficient Mobile Data
Another possible reason for receiving this notification is issues with your mobile data. Either your monthly data is finished, or you have crossed the limit, you will not receive text messages. One has to understand that MMS or picture texts and group texts require mobile data, hence, if you have a minimum of 5GB data and you’ve already exceeded the limit, you might not be able to download the message.
For this, you can switch to a higher mobile data plan or use reliable Wi-Fi.
Issue of MMS
When multiple images and long text messages are received in groups, they are difficult to download and are converted to MMS. This is done especially when the message has images, attachments, etc. To counteract this, a super-speed mobile data plan is a must so that you can easily download the message.
Ways to Fix MMS Not Downloading on Android & iPhone
If you are thinking, why do I have to download text messages, we’ve already mentioned that cellular connection, disabled auto download/auto-retrieval option, and group messages are the main culprit. However, you can resolve this issue in different ways.
Restart Your Phone
To fix any issue, restarting your phone is one of the basic steps. This will refresh the system and fix any minor problems, which may hinder downloading messages on your phone. To restart your phone, press the power button until you see the menu with different options. Choose to restart your phone and see if the problem persists.
Check Your Cellular Connection
To receive group text messages, you need to have a stable connection on your phone. Check if your Wi-Fi is working properly or if mobile data packs are sufficient. Check the settings to ensure that your Wi-Fi and mobile data are enabled. To be sure, open a browser and see if the internet is working on your phone.
Disable Auto Retrieval Settings
Most of the time, when your phone’s auto-retrieval settings are disabled, it is impossible to download the text messages. If this is the case, go to your phone’s settings and enable them. This will allow your phone to download the messages without any issues.
- Open your phone and go to ‘Messages’.
- Go to the ‘Menu’ and choose ‘Settings’.
- Tap on ‘Auto retrieve’ and enable it.
Delete Old Messages
In the case your inbox is full of old messages, your phone may not download new text messages. Hence, delete old messages and make some space for new ones. So free the storage space on your phone so that it can accommodate new messages.
Clear Cache and Data
If you have a lot of apps on your phone, you are bound to eat up your data. When cache files are corrupt, it is difficult to download messages on your phone. To clear the cache,
- Go to ‘Settings’ and tap on ‘Apps.
- Now, go to ‘Storage’, here you’ll see two options –
- Clear cache and clear data.
- Click on the options.
To confirm, check again if you can download text messages on your phone.
Uninstall Apps
In some cases, due to third-party apps, you may find it difficult to download the text messages. To resolve this issue, you can boot your phone to safe mode. By doing this, you can disable third-party apps. To confirm whether these apps were the culprit, try downloading the text message and they are easy to download, it means these apps were the reason behind this problem.
Ending Notes
If you often face difficulty in downloading text messages on your phone, instead of immediately contacting your service provider, try finding the main reasons so that you can resolve it on your own. The top 3 reasons that make it difficult to download text messages on your phone are images with MMS, issues with cellular connections, and auto retrieval settings.
Whether you have an Android phone or an iPhone, you can resolve it by enabling the auto retrieval settings in your phone. You can also switch to a seamless cellular network. Apart from this, you can use other ways like deleting old messages, clearing caches, restarting your phone, and uninstalling third-party apps.
