I don't get half my text messages, when will you fix this?

[codingjeremy]

I recently found out I am not getting a significant amount of text messages from friends. I had no idea, one of my friend's asked why I was so sporadic in responding to texts. She showed me and I was floored that I never received about half the messages she sent. This has real social impact for people. I have no idea how many other messages I haven't been receiving from business contacts and friends.

This seems to be a reoccurring problem since January (this is one of about 10 threads):

https://community.verizonwireless.com/thread/926395?start=20&tstart=0

I have a stock (no verizon apps, so I don't use Messages+) Android Nexus 5X that with the latest updates. I use the stock messenger app from Google. I am not moving over from an iPhone, so that pretty much eliminates the issues you outlined in the other threads.

You also recommend resetting the device and/or disabling/reenabling the SIM card in the other threads, but all the other threads say that only temporarily work.

By the way, for anyone reading, this seems to be a problem with any Android device. The list in the threads include Motorola phones, Nexus phones, the pixel phone, and Samsung phones.

It is insane to me that I lose text messages when I never had this issue 10 years ago. It seems like regardless of the device, the texts go from the senders phones to your servers, so you should have a copy of them and can send them back when you don't get verification they were received by the phone.

Has this been escalated? I don't plan on factory resetting my phone again if this is only a temporary solution. What can be done?

[alicias_vzw]

codingjeremy,

Help is here for you! I’m sorry to read that you’re not receiving many texts. This is definitely not the experience we want for anyone to have. Thank you for all the details you have provided. Let’s figure this out. Have you been able to confirm with other people that you have not received their texts or is it just exclusive to the one person you have asked? With having the Nexus 5X (a non-VZW) device, we cannot guarantee that all service will work on our network. I know you mentioned that with looking at other threads on this issue it is not device specific, but when it is a non-VZW device, we have to dig deeper into the trouble you’re having. With me saying this, it does not mean we aren’t able to help you; we just want to set the correct expectations. When did you notice that this problem started? (A few days ago? A few weeks ago?) Around this time, had you downloaded any new apps or updated your phone?

AliciaS_VZW

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[lukevinyl]

The main reason this happens is because Apple users don't select the "Send as SMS" setting in their phone which means the messages only go through iMessage to other Apple users.... Is your friend by chance an Apple user???

[codingjeremy]

@alicias_vzw - I have hard time accepting that this might be a non-VZW device issue when Verizon sees the same issue across several different Android models (below are just some of them I found):

S5 - https://community.verizonwireless.com/message/1547292#1547292

Droid Turbo 2: https://community.verizonwireless.com/message/1547276#1547276

Nexus 5 - https://community.verizonwireless.com/message/1547275#1547275

When did you notice that this problem started?

I don't know how many texts I haven't received. It was pointed out to me that I hadn't responded to some texts from a week before, so I guess a couple weeks at this point. I did not download any new messaging apps to my phone at that time (nor any standard apps).

Honestly, I can't verify how many of my contacts have sent me texts that I haven't received but could impact my business contacts. It didn't seem like any of the other threads were resolved with official VZW android devices, so I'm a bit at a loss.

The only solutions for them was factory reset and checking with contacts if they got texts (where it might work again for a couple weeks/months), but I don't think those folks take into consideration texts they aren't getting from other contacts (social or business) which could be causing harm to their social contacts or businesses.

I write Android apps for a living, so I am not unfamilar with the deeper workings of the OS.

That said, for me, it is unacceptable that I am not getting random texts, and if the only solution is factory reset and check with the contacts that have told me they aren't getting texts, that now they do... I don't think that helps a lot.

@lukevinyl - Thanks for the possible solution. While one of the the users was an iphone user, I don't think this is the issue. She showed me the conversation and it would randomly not send through some of the messages (without her changing any settings) even though she got acknowledgement it was sent.

[sprmankalel]

You keep mentioning that this is having an impact on social and business aspects of your life.

I am just wondering why you would blame this on Verizon. First you ARE admittedly using a non-VZW device. That means, Verizon hasn't certified it for connectivity to the network and cannot easily rule the device out as the possible cause. Second, if I sent a text to any of my friends and they didn't respond after 2 days, I would start to get worried and use another function of my phone and CALL them. Seems that your friends don't. is that a good thing? What if you were unconscious in a hospital? As far as business, I use texting in my job but, again, if I send someone a text and they don't respond, I call them.

I am not saying that there isn't an issue but why does it HAVE to be on Verizon's end?  Are you experiencing these issues while you are inside a building or all the time?

[NEUROTICVIOLET]

This isn't helpful at all. If people are paying for the ability to send and receive text messages, it's fair for them to reach out to their provider when that functionality stops working.

It sounds like he has been troubleshooting, and this is the next step. Jumping in with how you don't need to receive all your text messages because of the way you and your friends communicate is beyond useless information.

[codingjeremy]

@sprmankalel - Just to clarify, the times it did happen (that I am even aware of) was between active conversations, that is, the sender (not me) would initiate several conversation with me via text only to have me never respond (because I never received them).

These folks aren't a best friend I talk with every day, just parents of children my kids know inviting me to events for the kids (that I would have like to have attended), so it took courage for them to ask why I wasn't attending these events. I'm not really sure it's relevant to my problem whether I have bad friends or not, but that should at least show the social impact.

In addition, if you are bidding a job (let's say a fence or construction) that is done more in detail on text, if I get a question from a potential client and then I ignore it (because I never got it), they move on to the next bidder (and it looks very unprofessional for me). That should show the impact on a business (this does happen).

@NEUROTICVIOLET - thanks! I agree.

[sprmankalel]

If you have done all troubleshooting, did that troubleshooting include using a phone certified by Verizon Wireless to work on the network?

Texting was never meant to be the form of communication that we have made it. My point was that if people were picking up the phone and calling, at least a voicemail could be left and you would be able to respond instead of missing communications.

[codingjeremy]

Oh, yes, I see. Life would be easier if folks used voice, but the world seems to be going more and more to messaging/texting instead.

Unfortunately, I don't have a Verizon Wireless certified phone. I bought the Nexus 5X because I wanted a phone that didn't come with any of the extra apps phone carriers provide (and don't let you uninstall). I also wanted updates to the OS quickly, and because Google runs the nexus program, I get them very fast which keeps my phone running fast. I've been using Nexus type phones for the last 7 years without issues like this, i.e., losing SMS texts. Granted, some of them were with other carriers but I have had this phone on Verizon for awhile and I never had someone tell me I wasn't getting SMS messages, so I feel like this is more of a recent issue. That said, I can't fully know how many SMS texts I haven't been getting.

I'm not sure the phone is completely at fault, as there are several other certified verizon android phones that are seeing the same issue (outlined in my earlier reply), so I will probably avoid spending money on another phone unless those issues are resolved.

I was hoping one of those threads would have a good solution, but it doesn't seem like the problem was fixed for any of them. They final solution on most of them was to factory reset the phone, and for the folks that did it, they said the problem came back after three months or so. 😕

[sprmankalel]

Maybe try getting a new SIM card.