Texts still going to your lost iPhone? Here's how to fix it.
You replaced the lost iPhone with an Android or another non-Apple phone, and some friends' messages never show up. The usual cause is iMessage. Their iPhones still think your number belongs to the old iPhone and keep sending to it. Apple has an online fix that works even when you no longer have the phone. If your replacement is another iPhone, skip it, as the steps below explain.
Get your number working on the phone you're using now
If your number now lives on a new SIM or eSIM in a replacement phone, other people's iPhones can still send iMessages to the old phone until that is cleared. Get the number working on the new phone first, by calling your carrier from another phone if you need to. If you haven't done this yet, our number guide walks through it.
Deregister iMessage online
This step is for people whose number is now on a non-Apple phone, which is the case Apple's page describes. If your replacement is an iPhone, don't deregister, because that would switch iMessage off for the number you just set up. Sign in with your Apple Account on the new iPhone instead and check that iMessage is on in its Messages settings. For a non-Apple phone, Apple's support page says that if you no longer have your iPhone, you can deregister iMessage from Apple's online deregistration page, at selfsolve.apple.com/deregister-imessage. You choose your country, enter your phone number, and Apple sends a 6-digit confirmation code to that number, which you then enter on the same page. Because the code is a text, do this after the number is working on a phone you hold.
Give it a few hours
Apple's page says you should be able to receive text messages right away, but it might take a few hours for some Apple devices to recognize that you're no longer using iMessage. If one friend's messages are still missing after a day, ask them to resend.
Know what moves and what doesn't
Per Apple, text messages to your phone number arrive as RCS or SMS/MMS on your phone after deregistration, while iMessages sent to your Apple Account still reach your other Apple devices. Messages that already went to the old phone while it was missing generally don't follow you, so ask people to resend anything important.
Lock the lost one so it can't answer for you
If the old iPhone is still switched on and online, someone holding it may still be able to see incoming messages that pop up on the lock screen. Mark it as lost in Find My, which can put your contact number on the screen and lock it. If it is gone for good, you can also remove it from your Apple Account. The lost phone guide covers the full sequence.
Don't be silent while iMessage sorts itself out.
If you set up MobileyMe on your phone before you lost it, you can sign in to MobileyMe on another phone, a spare or one you borrow, and your backed-up contacts are there. Messages you send from the app arrive from a MobileyMe line, not from your normal number, so tell people it's you. Calls you place from the app show your number, on the carriers we have tested. On iPhone, with call forwarding on through a US carrier, an incoming call to your number can ring the signed-in iPhone.
When your own phone is back, sign out of the borrowed one. Signing out removes your MobileyMe data from that phone. MobileyMe is free to download on the App Store and Google Play, and it works with US and Canadian numbers only.
Set it up on the phone you have now.
Phone already gone? Finish the steps above. When your replacement arrives, set this up so you're ready next time.
Get the app →On a computer? Scan this with your phone's camera to get the app.
Questions people ask
Why do my texts go missing after I lose my iPhone?
iMessage ties your number to an iPhone. Other iPhones may keep sending to the old device until your number is deregistered from iMessage, which is why some messages seem to vanish while others arrive.
Can I deregister iMessage if I don't have the phone anymore?
Yes, if your number is now on a non-Apple phone. Apple's support page describes an online deregistration page for exactly that case. If your replacement is an iPhone, don't deregister. On the deregistration page you enter your number and a 6-digit code that Apple texts to it.
How long does it take to work?
Apple's page says texts should arrive right away, but some Apple devices can take a few hours to recognize that you are no longer on iMessage.
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