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Help Android: Intermittently don't receive/send texts

C

coyote2

Member
The majority of the time no issue, but at other times hours or days pass without receiving/sending texts. Then all the texts sent to me over those hours or days all appear at once. Rebooting sometimes results in them all appearing at once.

Measures tried:
  • Remove/replace SIM while phone off
  • Network Reset
  • Change Access Point
  • Delete Google Messages Cache and Storage
  • Replacement SIM
This isn't related to that I have poor cellular reception at home, since periods can't receive/send texts include times I have excellent cellular reception elsewhere, and at other times am at home having no problem receiving/sending texts over WiFi.

The phone manufacturer now suggests a Hard Factory Reset. Here seeking advice please given how much work that will be (particularly given that I have carpal tunnel).
 
The last time I remember reading about a problem like this happening was about 10 years ago and it was a T-Mobile issue in a certain area of Illinois

You could certainly try a factory reset to see if it does any good.

I think it's a carrier issue.
 
AugieTN said:
The last time I remember reading about a problem like this happening was about 10 years ago and it was a T-Mobile issue in a certain area of Illinois

You could certainly try a factory reset to see if it does any good.

I think it's a carrier issue.
Click to expand...

I've suspected it was a carrier issue all along; they haven't been the slightest bit receptive to that idea.

I guess I could change carriers and see if that helps.
 
ocnbrze said:
are the people you are sending or receiving these text messages, are they crapple users? sometimes android and crapple do not mix when it comes to text messages and imessages.
Click to expand...
I don't think that's it. During the text-less periods I also don't get texts that aren't from iPhones. Sometimes I realize that I'm in a text-less period because I try sending verification code texts from multiple banks and none arrive. Then I try sending myself a text from a Google.Voice account, and it doesn't arrive either (when I'm not in a text-less period, I do get all texts).
 
curious......have you tried a factory reset......which is different then a hard reset?

a factory reset is done from your phone's settings. a hard reset is done via recovery mode which also will trip Google's FRP(factory reset protection). a hard reset is a much deeper wipe than a factory reset. but, it will also trip FRP and you will need your google account info that was originally used to setup the phone.....so make sure you have that info before performing a hard reset. a factory reset you don't need this info.

Edit: either one should fix your issue. If not then I would contact your carrier.
 
Last edited:
A.
While changing carriers would be best, since it's an intermittent problem I'd need to test for like a week, and optimally have my same phone number. Would moving a number to a new carrier *temporarily* be feasible?

B.
Alternatively (or perhaps first) I could try what my carrier suggested, moving the SIM to a different phone (I have an old Moto G7 that is painfully slow but I suffered that until a year ago, I could stand another week.

Does it make sense to try B. first?
ocnbrze said:
curious......have you tried a factory reset......which is different then a hard reset?

a factory reset is done from your phone's settings. a hard reset is done via recovery mode which also will trip Google's FRP(factory reset protection). a hard reset is a much deeper wipe than a factory reset. but, it will also trip FRP and you will need your google account info that was originally used to setup the phone.....so make sure you have that info before performing a hard reset. a factory reset you don't need this info.

Edit: either one should fix your issue. If not then I would contact your carrier.
Click to expand...
I haven't done either; in fact I meant to ask in my OP which I should do. But I figured I can google to learn when to try Factory vs Hard. Since Factory should fix it, are there benefits to that vs. Hard?
 
A trial with a different carrier will give you a different number

B Trying the SIM in another phone make the most sense to try first. If your Moto G7 is slow, do a factory reset on it before using it
 
AugieTN said:
A trial with a different carrier will give you a different number
Click to expand...
And that would be unacceptable, which is why I asked about temporarily porting my number to the new carrier.
AugieTN said:
B Trying the SIM in another phone make the most sense to try first. If your Moto G7 is slow, do a factory reset on it before using it
Click to expand...
That would be too much for me to do, I'd just settle for it's slowness.
 
Using a different carrier could show you your phone is fine. Just tell the people you text to help you out and send you a text every day to the new number for a week or 10 days, how ever long the test period is.

Doing a factory reset on your Moto is simple. Go to SETTINGS - then SYSTEM - then ADVANCED - then RESET OPTION, - then ERASE ALL DATA
In about 20 minutes the factory reset will be done.
 
AugieTN said:
Using a different carrier could show you your phone is fine. Just tell the people you text to help you out and send you a text every day to the new number for a week or 10 days, how ever long the test period is.
Click to expand...
The periods that I go text-dark are most often just hours, so I will have to do the testing myself...
AugieTN said:
Doing a factory reset on your Moto is simple. Go to SETTINGS - then SYSTEM - then ADVANCED - then RESET OPTION, - then ERASE ALL DATA
In about 20 minutes the factory reset will be done
Click to expand...
Sure that part is easy, but post-Reset I'd have to do a bunch of setup I presume (and my time and--thanks to carpal tunnel--my available hand-use, is very limited).

I just thought of a new plan: I both:

Move my SIM to the old phone, and use it as is for a week.

I put a trial with a new carrier on my new phone, and every hour or so text from my Google Voice number (and maybe bank verification codes) to my new carrier number.

This seems less problematic if not quite as effective than porting my number back and forth to/from the new carrier.
 
I had issues with Motorola phones using Google Messages saying 'failed to send' and not getting them until a restart.

Lately I have issues with Samsung phones saying 'currently unable to send message, it will be sent automatically when service is available' while I'm getting four bars of 5G, can make/receive calls and use data fine. A reboot also fixes it but it will happen again. It's something I've come to have to accept. Either some background service for SMS is crashing or it updates PRL in the background and gets hung up at the cellular end. I never have figured out what causes it.

Sometimes I can receive but not send, or send but not receive. This does NOT happen if using RCS/Chat, or apps such as Facebook Messenger or Whatsapp; it's specifically an SMS issue.
 
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