iPhone 7 -not receiving texts from other iPhone users till I arrive home & am connected to home wifi

Middle_Sister

This issue has only arisen in the last 2 months or so. We used to be able to receive texts from other iPhone users when we were out and about and not connected to any wifi. Neither my husband nor I have a contract. However, just lately we have noticed we are not receiving texts from other iPhone users until we are home and are connected to our home wifi. Obviously this is next to useless. 

For example, while out for coffee the other day with my 2 sisters I asked my sister who has an iPhone to send a text to me (an iPhone user) and my other sister (who has a Samsung). The message to the Samsung sister arrived straight away - I didn't receive it until I came home and was automatically connected to home wifi.

I spoke to Apple who say it is an issue with my provider - I don't believe it is.

I have googled the problem and as far as I can understand it - its because Apple, in one of the recent updates, assumes everyone is on a contract and therefore sends everything as an iMessage to other iPhone users. When we checked with my brother in law who said he had sent my husband a number of texts, we saw that the speech bubble is blue (iMessage) which means he didn't get them (even although he was at home which has completely thrown me). Surely they should have appeared as the BIL has an iPhone and so does my husband. 

When I spoke to Apple again they said if its blue its an iMessage and if its green its gone as a text. They suggested I contacted everyone I know with an iPhone and ask then to disengage the iMessage button and leave the Send as SMS green and MMS message as green.

I've gone into my Settings - wifi connected, and iMessage / Send as SMS and MMS are all green.

Should I ungreen the iMessage button and receive everything as a text? 
I have no way of knowing who owns and iPhone and who doesn't. Plus older people like me don't like changing their settings unnecessarily.

Wow.This seems longwinded but I'm hoping someone else has come across this and knows how to work round it/fix it.

Many thanks.

Sandtree

Contract is irrelevant, its a matter of if you have mobile data (both in terms of having it turned on in the device and having allowance/credit left).  Maybe those on contract are more likely to have allowance left but its fundamentally about having an internet connection not contracts.

Apple has always had it such that if a phone number is seen to be associated with iMessage it will be sent via the internet rather than SMS/MMS. Similarly there has always been a setting on the senders phone to change if to switch to SMS if iMessage is unavailable but that's under their control not yours as the receiver.

If you are saying you dont have data whilst out and about/not on wifi then yes the simplest option will be to turn off iMessage but then that means you and your friends will be charged for SMS/MMS messages if they send them off iMessage... I had a bit of a nasty bill from overseas MMS messages to a friend who'd turned off iMessage which would have otherwise have been free.

I've noticed that turn it off on all devices without disassociating your number with iMessage can take a little time to take effect and so its not good to be turning it on/off all the time.