why are people who use their cell phones able to use the extra lives friends send to them but I can

Strange, It's definitely not something exclusive for mobile platform. So do you received messages with lives but can't use them, or as in you don't get the messages at all?

I send and receive lives in the game but I only ever get to use 5 at a time. I read somewhere that people not using mobile devices could not use the extra lives. I guess I need to research it more. I know if I don't use the extra moves during the session I received them I also lose those, I just figured that out lol