The cause of the delayed or missing texts on Android can be your device, the message application or the network itself. Any one of these can cause conflict or stop functioning altogether. In short, you need to try all the troubleshooting steps listed below in order to fix the root cause of the issue.
Here, we will discuss the possible causes of your Android Smartphone being unable to receive texts, and what you can try and do to fix that.
Fix Phone Not Receiving Texts on Android
1. Increase the Text Message Storage Limit
By default, the messaging app on android puts a limit on the number of text messages it stores. Even though you may not be using the Vanilla Android operating system (or stock android firmware), most android smartphone manufacturers do not change this setting in their customized operating system firmware.
Fix Phone Not Receiving Texts on Android 1. Increase the Text Message Storage Limit 2. Check the network connectivity 3. Check your Network Plan 4. Free up Storage on your Phone 5. Install Configuration Settings 6. Uninstall any third-party Messaging App 7. Update Phone Firmware
Open the messages app on your Android smartphone. Click on the menu button or the icon with three vertical dots on it then tap on Settings.
Even though this menu may differ from device to device, you can browse a bit to navigate to Settings. Find a settings option that relates to deleting older messages or storage settings.
Change the number of maximum messages that will be saved (default is 1000 or 5000) and increase that limit.
You can also delete older or non-relevant messages to create more space for incoming messages. If the storage limit for the messages were the issue, this would fix it, and now you will be able to receive new messages on your Android smartphone.
2. Check the network connectivity
The network connection can be at fault if you are unable to receive any text messages on your Android phone. You can check if that is the problem by inserting another SIM card in the same Android smartphone without altering any settings and trying to send & receive text messages. To make sure that the SIM is connected to a network,
Check the signal strength. It is indicated on the top left or right side of the screen in the notification bar.
Try and check if incoming & outgoing calls can be made without any issues. Contact your network provider to resolve any such issues. Also, make sure the SIM has been activated and is inserted in the correct SIM slot (4G SIM should be inserted in the 4G enabled slot, preferably slot 1 in dual SIM mobiles).
Make sure the location of your Android phone is sorted so that the SIM has good coverage of the network.
3. Check your Network Plan
If you don’t have any active plan which includes SMS quota or if your balance is low then you will be able unable to send or receive text message on your Android phone through that particular SIM. Also, if the connection is post-paid and there is an outstanding on your post-paid account, you will have to pay your bills in order to resume the services. To check the balance and payment-related information, log into the network provider’s website, and monitor your account details. Alternatively, you can try calling the network provider’s customer care service to do the same. Also Read: Fix Can’t Send Or Receive Text Messages On Android
4. Free up Storage on your Phone
If the storage space on your Android smartphone is running out, services like emails and messages will stop working. These services require free space to store the information about incoming messages, and hence will not work when the storage is full. To free up the storage on your android smartphone, Follow the Steps:
Open Settings of your Smartphone.
In the Settings menu, Go to Apps/Manage Apps or Search for Apps in the Search bar of settings and tap to open.
In the Apps/Manage Apps menu, select the unwanted apps you want to uninstall or if you only want to clear some data of the app.
Now, select options as required, if you want to Uninstall then tap on uninstall, or if you want to keep the app but clear the data then tap on Clear data option.
A Configuration popup will prompt, click on OK to proceed.
5. Install Configuration Settings
Every network needs to be configured in order to work on a device. Although the settings are applied automatically when you insert a new SIM in an Android smartphone, the settings may get overwritten during a SIM swap or updates.
- In the app drawer, look for an app with name SIM1 or your network carrier name. Open that app.
- There would be an option to request for Configuration Settings. Request the settings and install them when you receive them. When you receive them, you will be able to access them through the notification in the notification panel.
6. Uninstall any third-party Messaging App
If you have installed any third-party application for messaging or set an app like messenger as your default app for messaging, uninstall them.
Go to the Settings app. You can open it through tapping on its icon in the app drawer or by tapping on the settings icon in the notification panel.
Go to installed apps. Tap on the app you wish to uninstall. This will open the page with the app details.
Click on Uninstall at the bottom of the screen. Repeat the same process for all the third-party apps you may have installed for text messaging.
Now use the stock messaging app for sending messages and see if this fixed your problem. Recommended: 3 Ways to Check for Updates on your Android Phone
7. Update Phone Firmware
If your Android smartphone is running older firmware, it might be possible that the Android security patch might be outdated and no longer supported by the network carrier. To ensure connectivity, update the firmware on your android smartphone.
Go to the Settings app by tapping the settings icon in the notification area or by tapping on its icon in the app drawer.
Scroll down to locate About phone. Check the security patch date.
Search in the settings app for Update Center or Software Update then tap on Check for updates. Wait a few moments till the updates are downloaded and installed.
Recommended: How To Manually Update Android To Latest Version 4. Once the updates have been installed, try sending messages now. This concludes our list of remedies for android phones unable to send or receive texts. If you are running an older phone and the support for it has been discontinued, it might be possible that the only solution is to change your phone and buy something new. Also, make sure that the roaming packs and settings have been enabled if you are outside the locale you have activated the plan on your carrier. If the network bands supported by your android device do not include the one used by your SIM card, you might need to change SIM cards.
