Google Pixel 2 can’t send to and receive SMS from one contact, other texting issues

Hello and welcome to today’s troubleshooting article for the #GooglePixel2. We’ve chosen to address some texting issues on this device as more and more similar cases have reached us recently. We hope to address more Pixel 2 issues in the coming weeks so watch out for them.

If you are looking for solutions to your own #Android issue, you can contact us by using the link provided at the bottom of this page.

When describing your issue, please be as detailed as possible so we can easily pinpoint a relevant solution. If you can, kindly include the exact error messages you are getting to give us an idea where to start. If you have already tried some troubleshooting steps before emailing us, make sure to mention them so we can skip them in our answers.

Problem 1: Google Pixel 2 can’t receive text and emails from credit company

Just bought a Google Pixel 2. Noticed that I cannot receive incoming security verification code texts from my credit union—nor could I receive verification e-mails from them. Phoned the credit union and they sent 2-3 texts to me while I was on the line with them which I never received. The attendant (who owns an iPhone) sent me a test text and that came through just fine. Is there a setting on my Pixel 2 which I need to adjust/modify? Is my Pixel 2 blocking messages that come from these kind of automated systems, and if so, what adjustments can I make so that I can receive these texts/e-mails? (I do own an iPad Mini and have slid the iMessage button to the “off” position. I did the same thing on my iPhone prior to syncing them. My Pixel 2 is currently set to the default text message receiving program. Thanks! — Mark K. Orozco

Solution: Hi Mark. If you’re saying that your Pixel 2 device is unable to receive both text and emails from the same company, the problem may lie on their end. Their system may not have your correct information so whatever they’re sending do not reach you at all. Make sure to contact them and let the person you’ll be talking to spell out your number and the letters in your email address.

If your credit union has both information right but their messages remain undelivered, try to check your device for any possible blocks you may have created. For example, you want to make sure that your messaging app is not blocking their number or any unknown number. Do the same for your email.

If everything appears in order, contact your carrier to see if their network is blocking messages from this company.

Problem 2: Google Pixel 2 can’t send and receive MMS

I can’t send pictures or receive pictures on my text. I soft reset, I master reset, I contacted my carrier. They said it’s the pixel as it doesn’t support all of LTE bands and other features cause it’s not an AT&T phone. It’s happening to my Pixel 2 and my wife’s Pixel 2 phone too. drop calls and loss of internet connection. My carrier said to get an AT&T phone. What should I do. — Juan

Solution: Hi Juan. If you’re saying that you are in AT&T network but using a non-AT&T device, then the representative you talked to before is most probably right. MMS, a text message with attachment, needs cellular data in order to work. Your phone must also be compatible with your network’s system in order to send and receive MMS. Even if you manage to make mobile data work on your device, that’s just 50% of the requirements. You still need to have a compatible device. Compatibility is determined by your carrier so make sure to talk to AT&T again where the problem lies exactly. If they’ll say that your Pixel 2 can’t work with their system, you’re out of luck. Network compatibility is determined by a device’s radio. If it’s not equipped to handle the frequency of AT&T, you’ll not be able to change that at all. And then there’s the software/app compatibility part. In order for MMS to work with AT&T’s system, the messaging app in your device must be able to recognize and send compatible messages. If this part of the chain is broken, MMS will not work at all.

Problem 3: Google Pixel 2 photo is sent separately from body of the MMS

Samsung Google Pixel 2. When I create a text message to a recipient  and attach a photo, the message sends automatically in a separate text message, not the one I originally created. If I begin from my photos and select the photo and click share via text message, it asks for a existing contact or new contact. I am usually selecting existing contact and once the contact is selected the only option is to send. I don’t get the chance to add any text to the message. The only way I have found around this is to create a new text message don’t add a recipient attach a photo and add the text then add the recipient last and click send. Any help you can provide with this issue would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance. — Tom

Solution: Hi Tom. Did you change anything in your phone before noticing this problem? If nothing was changed at all — no update, no new app installed, no network/settings modifications — there may be an app bug causing the issue. To fix the problem, consider wiping the messaging app’s cache and data.

  1. Open Settings app.
  2. Tap Apps & Notifications.
  3. Tap See All Apps.
  4. Locate and tap to select the Messaging app you want to clear cache and data from.
  5. Tap Storage.
  6. Tap Clear Data.

Remember, clearing your messaging app’s data will erase your messages. Make sure to back them up first before attempting to clear the app’s data.

If this problem has been there ever since,it’s possible that your Google Pixel 2 may not be fully compatible with your carrier’s system, or that the messaging app itself is running an old version. Make sure to install updates for both apps and Android to see if that fix the issue.

Otherwise, consider doing a full factory reset to bring all app and software settings back to their defaults. If you haven’t tried it yet, here’s how:

  1. Create a backup of your important files.
  2. Power off your device completely.
  3. Press and hold the Power and Volume Down buttons simultaneously until the bootloader mode (represented by an Android with Start on it) appears. Release both buttons at once when you see this image.
  4. Use the Volume buttons to highlight or select Recovery mode from the given option.
  5. Press the Power button to confirm selection.
  6. The device will then flash the Google start screen briefly and then restarts in Recovery mode.
  7. If prompted with an image of a broken Android bot with No Command label on the screen, press and hold the Power button, and press the Volume Up button once then release the Power button.
  8. Select Wipe data/factory reset option from the Android Recovery screen. Use the Volume buttons to select the option.
  9. Select Yes.
  10. Wait until the factory data reset process is finished. It can take several minutes depending on the amount of data there is to reset.
  11. Select Reboot system now then wait for your device to boot up completely.
  12. Finally, proceed to initial activation and setup.

Remember, factory reset can also deal with app or software bug that may have caused MMS feature to behave erratically. If the problem remains after doing our suggestions above, especially after a factory reset, there’s either coding issue behind it, or your phone has an isolated error that we’re not aware of. Either case, we suggest that you let your carrier know about it since it involves their system as well.

Problem 4: Google Pixel 2 can’t send to and receive SMS from one contact

I am having an issue with sending and receiving text messages some contacts, one for sure. When it started I had a Pixel 2 phone with Tracfone. This is the main contact I use and suddenly I could not send picture messages any more but could receive from them. Multiple calls to tech support with Tracfone and turning off phone, resetting phone, removing SIM card, turning off wi fi, all kinds of attempts to fix to no avail. Then after one call to them, was no longer able to send or receive ANY messages from this contact. Even got a different phone and changed number. Finally quit and switched carriers and got a Samsung Amp2 from them but am still having the same issue. Contact says number is not blocked on their end. Help please! — Hornz

Solution: Hi Hornz. Sending and receiving SMS/MMS involves multiple parties — your device, your carrier, your contact’s device, and his/her carrier. Any of these points in the communication chain can be the cause of the problem so if your carrier has assured you that your account is not blocked from sending and receiving messages from this person, then the issue must be out of your hands already. Try to contact that person using another platform (like thru his social media account) and tell him/her that the issue is either on his/her device or his/her carrier. You can’t obviously contact his/her carrier to fix the issue on his/her behalf so the problem may only be fixed once it’s taken care of from that side.

 


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