The first thing to do is separate two worlds: the carrier network and the phone's messaging app. If calls work but no text goes in or out, the phone's registration on the network may be stuck, and Solution 1 usually clears it in two minutes. If texts reach some contacts and fail for others, or if the send button turned into a chat icon, the problem is in the app: see Solutions 3, 4 and 6. When nothing has arrived for days and the phone's storage is nearly full, jump to Solution 7. To settle once and for all whether the SIM or the handset is at fault, run the swap test in Solution 2 before changing any setting.
What causes this problem
- The phone's registration on the carrier network got stuck after a trip, a signal drop or Airplane mode, and the SMS service went down even though calls kept working.
- The app you read messages in is not set as the default SMS app, so it shows the old threads but never receives or sends anything new.
- The message centre number (SMSC) was wiped or left on an old value after a SIM swap or a change of carrier.
- RCS or chat features are on and failing: the message stays stuck on 'sending' and never falls back to plain SMS.
- The phone's storage is full, and Android needs free space to save every message that arrives.
- The SIM is loose, has dirty contacts, is damaged, or the line has been suspended by the carrier.
- Write down the exact symptom: can you not send, not receive, or neither? And does it happen with every contact or just one? Each combination leads to a different fix.
- Confirm that calls work and that there is signal in the status bar. If calls fail too, the problem is the line or the coverage, not messaging.
- On a prepaid line, check that there is credit and that the plan is active. Many carriers cut off texting before they cut off calls.
- Be aware that clearing the messaging app's data deletes the conversations stored on the phone. Before you get to that step, screenshot anything that matters.
- Keep the SIM tray tool or a paper clip handy, in case you need to run the swap test.
Solutions, in the order to try them
1Force the phone to register on the network again
The SMS service relies on a registration with the carrier network that is separate from the one used for calls and data. When that registration hangs, you keep calling and browsing normally, but no message goes in or out. Forcing the phone to reconnect from scratch fixes most cases, and it takes two minutes.
- Turn Airplane mode on, wait around 30 seconds and turn it off. Try sending a test message to your own number.
- If that does not do it, power the phone off completely, wait a few seconds and turn it back on. On some handsets a restart is not the same as a full power-off.
- In the mobile network settings, check that the network mode is set to automatic and not locked to one specific generation. In a weak-signal area, forcing a newer generation can knock out SMS.
- After it comes back, give the signal time to settle before judging the result. Held-up messages sometimes all arrive at once.
2Work out whether the SIM or the handset is at fault
This swap test answers the most expensive question in the whole process and saves hours of pointless configuration. The idea is to change one variable at a time: if your SIM fails in another phone, the problem is the SIM or the line, and no handset setting will help. If another SIM works in your phone, your SIM is the culprit.
- Power both phones off before opening the SIM tray.
- Put your SIM in another phone and send a test message. If it fails the same way, the cause is the SIM or the line: call the carrier and ask for a replacement SIM, which is usually free.
- Put someone else's SIM in your phone. If that SIM sends and receives normally, yours is faulty.
- If your SIM works in another handset and another SIM fails in yours, the problem is the phone: move on to the next solutions.
- On a dual-SIM phone, also check which SIM is selected for messaging in the SIM settings.
3Set your messaging app as the default SMS app
Android hands incoming messages to one app only, whichever is marked as the default for SMS. If you installed another messaging app at some point, or an update changed that choice, the app you open every day shows only the old history and never receives anything new. It is the most common cause when calls work and the SIM is fine.
- Open the phone's Settings and search for 'default apps' in the Settings search box.
- Find the SMS app or messaging app option.
- Select the app you actually use. If it is already selected, switch to another one, confirm, then switch back: that forces the system to redo the registration.
- Send a test message to your own number and see which app it lands in.
4Clear the messaging app's cache
The messaging app keeps a cache with indexes of your threads. When that cache goes bad, the app crashes on opening, shows blank messages or refuses to send without explaining why. Clearing the cache deletes no conversations and is safe, unlike clearing the data.
- Press and hold the messaging app icon and open its app info, or go to Settings and find the app in the application list.
- Open Storage and tap Clear cache.
- Close everything, open the messaging app and test.
- Only if the problem persists, go back and use Clear data or Clear storage. That deletes the conversations stored on the phone, so take your screenshots first.
5Check the message centre number
The message centre, or SMSC, is the carrier server number every text passes through before reaching its destination. It comes configured on the SIM, but it can be wiped by an app, by a restored backup or by a carrier change with number portability. Without it, the phone receives messages normally but can never send. It is the classic explanation for receiving but not sending.
- Open the messaging app, go into its settings and look for an advanced settings or SMS section.
- Look for an item called message centre, service centre or SMSC. On some handsets that item lives in the system's mobile network settings instead.
- If the field is empty, that is your problem. Do not make a number up: call the carrier or check its official site and ask for the message centre number for your region.
- If there is a number there, write it down before you change it, so you can go back.
- Once filled in, restart the phone and test sending.
6Turn off RCS or chat features and test as plain SMS
RCS, which many apps call chat features, is the modern system that brings read receipts and sending over data. It works well, but when your number's registration with that service fails, messages sit on 'sending' forever without falling back to SMS. Turning the feature off deletes nothing and makes everything go out as traditional SMS, which is dumber and more reliable.
- Open the messaging app and go into its settings.
- Find the chat features, RCS or advanced messaging section.
- Turn the feature off and wait for the app to confirm it has left the service. That can take a few minutes.
- Restart the phone and send a test message. If it goes out now, the RCS registration was the problem.
- If you want the feature back, turn it on again after a few days. The fresh registration usually works.
7Free up storage on the phone
Android needs free space to write every message that arrives. With storage at the limit, the phone receives the text from the network and drops it at the moment of saving, with no warning at all. The symptom is quite distinctive: nothing has come in for days, but you can still send.
- Check how much free space is left in the phone's storage settings. Under 1 GB free is already reason to suspect this.
- Delete videos and photos already backed up to the cloud, and clear the cache of your largest apps.
- Inside the messaging app, delete old threads full of photos and videos. Messages with attachments take up far more room than text.
- Restart the phone after freeing space and test.
8Review blocks, the spam filter and line restrictions
If the problem happens with one contact only, or only with messages from companies and banks, it is rarely a technical fault. It is an active block, a spam filter swallowing the message, or a commercial-SMS blocking service you enabled with the carrier and forgot about.
- In the messaging app, open the blocked numbers list and check whether the contact is there.
- Look for the spam or filtered messages folder inside the app itself. The message is often sitting there rather than lost.
- Temporarily turn off the app's automatic spam filter and ask the person to send again.
- If it is only company messages and verification codes that never arrive, call the carrier and ask whether third-party SMS blocking is active on your line.
9Reset the network settings
This is the last step before calling the carrier. The reset wipes everything the phone has stored about connections and forces the system to rebuild the mobile network configuration from scratch, which clears cases where some old setting became inconsistent. It does not delete photos, apps or messages, but it removes saved Wi-Fi passwords and undoes Bluetooth pairings, so have those passwords written down first.
- Write down the passwords of the Wi-Fi networks you use often.
- In Settings, search for 'reset' and choose the option to reset network, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth settings.
- Confirm, let the phone restart and reconnect to Wi-Fi.
- Test sending and receiving a text.
- If it still does not work, call the carrier, ask them to reprovision the line and check that the SMS service is enabled on your plan.
Applies to
| System | Status |
|---|---|
| Android 12 to 15 | Confirmed |
| Android 10 and 11 | Confirmed |
| Samsung, Xiaomi, Motorola and other brands | Each maker renames Settings screens; use the Settings search box instead of the literal path |
Menu names can change slightly between versions. If a step above does not match what you see on screen, the official support page from the manufacturer has the most current wording for your version.
Frequently asked questions
Last checked: Jun 17, 2026 · We review this guide whenever the manufacturer changes the process.