Android Hangouts not receiving SMS or MMS text messages from either Android or Apple devices

Solution: Android Google Hangouts client not receiving SMS or MMS text messages from Apple or Android devices. You can send messages, but not receive.

Symptoms:

• Android does not receive SMS or MMS messages using Google Hangouts.
• The phone's native SMS app behaves the same as Hangouts, it does not show messages.
• Android can successfully send SMS and MMS messages.
• The people sending the SMS messages do not see errors; the message appears to send properly.  

At first I thought this was an Apple to Android problem, thinking only Apple messages were not arriving.  But later discovered all messages (Apple and Android) were failing to arrive.  More accurately, my local Android client was not retrieving or receiving the messages; the sending parties were sending them correctly.


Likely Solution:

This solution worked on my phone (4.4.4) and I am using Google Hangouts.  These settings are not available on the phone's native SMS application.

Google Hangouts

1.  On the Android device, open Google Hangouts.
2.  Click the System Menu (the "hamburger" 3-bar menu icon) from within Hangouts main screen.
3.  Choose "Settings"

4.  Choose "SMS" from the menu
5.  Choose "Default SMS Messaging Account"

6.  Change from "your userid@gmail.com" to "SMS only account"

Testing:

Have your Apple or Android friends send either an SMS or MMS message.  All should be well.  Note: You cannot receive MMS messages while talking on the phone.