How to fix a Galaxy S8 that stopped receiving text messages [troubleshooting guide]

Today’s troubleshooting article will provide solutions that you can do if your #GalaxyS8 has suddenly stopped getting texts. The exact issue is described by one of the members of our community below. The solutions in this guide can applied to any other variation to your issue so be sure to follow them in the order provided.

Today’s problem: How to fix a Galaxy S8 that stopped receiving text messages

My Galaxy S8 has stopped receiving text messages from various contacts in my phone. I can send text messages but not receive. I have verified, from several people, after being asked why I was not responding to text messages. All other functions of the phone seem to be working fine. One of my close contacts sent several pictures, individually, that did not come through for about 8 hours. Other texts, sent from the same person, have still not come through after 30+ hours. Several other contacts sent messages 15 hours ago that are still lost in cyber space. All of these contacts see a message that the message was sending and then delivered. — Greg Ross

Solution: Hi Greg. There’s a long list of possible reasons why your Galaxy S8 no longer receive text messages. In order to narrow them down, you must follow a set of logical troubleshooting steps. Below are the steps that you can try:

Fix #1: Forced reboot

We don’t know if you’ve already tried this before you contacted us but restarting your device should be the first thing that you need to do.

  1. Press the Power button for a few seconds until the menu appears on the screen.
  2. Select Power off from the menu options.
  3. Then tap OK. Your phone will then shut down.
  4. After 30 seconds, press the Power button again until your phone powers on.

Another way to forcefully reboot your S8 is by pressing and holding the Power and Volume Down buttons simultaneously for up to 45 seconds or until the phone power cycles. This is what is usually recommended if you find your phone unresponsive or frozen. In your case, we recommend that you do force reboot as it simulates the effect of physically disconnecting the battery from the device. It usually is an effective solution to fix minor bugs, including unexplained random messaging issues.

Fix #2: Disable messaging app

There’s a big chance that the cause of your problem is caused by the text message app you’re using. So, the next troubleshooting step that you want to do is to see what happens if you disable the app. By doing this troubleshooting step, you’re basically rebooting the app itself. It’s a good way to deal with app-specific bugs and it’s definitely applicable in your case. Here’s how it’s done:

  1. Open Settings app.
  2. Tap Apps.
  3. Find your messaging app and tap it.
  4. Tap DISABLE button.
  5. Tap DISABLE to confirm.
  6. Some apps may show a message like “Replace this app with the factory version? All data will be removed.” so just press OK.

Once you’ve disabled the app, restart your S8 and update the messaging app again. Afterwards, send yourself a test message to see if it’s working now.

Fix #3: Check inboxes, other folders, or blocks

We don’t know what messaging app you’re using but whatever it is, make sure that you check all folders or inboxes for your messages. It’s possible that, for some reason, those “lost” messages are actually redirected to other folders under your messaging app.

If you have blocks in place, try to also check them to see if the numbers your not receiving messages from are included in the said list.

Fix #4: Delete old conversations

One of the common reasons why a device may fail to receive incoming texts is lack of space. This does not not necessarily mean lack of storage space in your phone’s internal memory. Even if you have GBs of free space left in your S8’s internal storage device, it’s possible that your messaging app is running out of space to accomodate more texts. Each app, like any messaging app, is allocated a certain amount of space only. If the allocated space your messaging app is running out or has already been filled up, it won’t be able to receive new SMS. To prevent this from happening, you want to ensure that you delete old conversation threads, especially those that contain photos and videos. Try to delete as many messages as possible and see if the problem returns.

Fix #5: Reseat SIM card

Many Android users in the past were able to successfully fix messaging issues by removing and reinserting their SIM card. If you haven’t tried this yet, here’s what you need to do exactly:

  1. Turn off your S8.
  2. Remove the SIM card.
  3. Wait for 19 seconds before turning the phone back on.
  4. Reinsert the SIM card.
  5. Check for the problem.

Fix #6: Clear cache and data

Apps use a set of temporary files and other stuff to work efficiently. Sometimes, an app cache may get outdated or corrupted causing app behavior issues. To ensure that app’s you’re having issues with right now have good cache, you must clear their current ones first. Here’s how to do that:

  1. Open Settings app.
  2. Tap Apps.
  3. Tap on More settings at the upper right (three-dot icon).
  4. Select Show system apps.
  5. Find and tap your app.
  6. Tap Storage.
  7. Tap Clear Cache button.
  8. Restart your S8 and check for the problem.

How to clear app data

Should wiping the cache of both apps won’t work, the next step would be to clear their data. This procedure will return an app to its factory state so be sure to back your text messages ahead of time. Once you’ve backed everything up, follow the steps below to clear the data of each app:

  1. Open Settings app.
  2. Tap Apps.
  3. Tap on More settings at the upper right (three-dot icon).
  4. Select Show system apps.
  5. Find and tap your app.
  6. Tap Storage.
  7. Tap Clear Data button.
  8. Restart your S8 and check for the problem.

Fix #7: Reset network settings

Some messaging issues may not be caused by the messaging app itself but by inefficient or incorrect cellular network configuration. To minimize the chance of this situation from developing, make sure to also reset your network settings.

To reset network settings of your S8:

  1. Open Settings app.
  2. Tap General management.
  3. Tap Reset.
  4. Tap Reset Network settings.
  5. Tap RESET SETTINGS button to confirm.
  6. Restart your S8 and check for the problem.

Fix #8: Replace SIM card

Should resetting of network settings won’t result to a fix, you can also try to see if you have a SIM card issue by replacing it. If you have another compatible phone to try, insert the current SIM card you have and see if you receive messages on that phone or not. If you’ll have the same problem, get a different SIM card.

Fix #9: Use another messaging app

As mentioned above, the problem might lie on the messaging app itself so it’s also a good idea if you can use a different one. There are many good messaging apps that you can try in the Play Store but we recommend any of these:

  • Pulse
  • Textra
  • Mood Messenger
  • Android Messages

Fix #10: Observe on Safe mode

Some third party apps may not work properly and cause interference with Android. To check if you have such an app right now, you can restart your S8 to safe mode. In this mode, only pre-installed apps will be running so it’s a good way to know if you have a bad app situation. If you’ll receive messages on safe mode but not on normal mode, that should tell you that you’ve installed a bad app.

To restart your device to safe mode:

  1. Turn the device off.
  2. Press and hold the Power key past the model name screen.
  3. When “SAMSUNG” appears on the screen, release the Power key.
  4. Immediately after releasing the Power key, press and hold the Volume down key.
  5. Continue to hold the Volume down key until the device finishes restarting.
  6. Safe mode will display in the bottom left corner of the screen.
  7. Release the Volume down key when you see Safe Mode.

Now, let your phone run in safe mode and check for the problem. If your S8 works normally, you can bet one of your apps must be to blame.

To identify which of your apps is causing the trouble, you should boot the phone back to safe mode and follow these steps:

  1. Boot to safe mode.
  2. Check for the problem.
  3. Once you’ve confirmed that a third party app is to blame, you can start uninstalling apps individually. We suggest that you begin with the most recent ones you added.
  4. After you uninstall an app, restart the phone to normal mode and check for the problem.
  5. If your S8 is still problematic, repeat steps 1-4.

Can’t receive texts from iPhones?

If you happen to be having issues getting messages from iPhone users only, it’s possible that their messages may be sent in the form of iMessage and not of regular texts. This situation can occur if you switch from iPhone to Android and transferred your SIM card to your Android device

without properly deactivating iMessage. Messages sent to your phone number from contacts using iOS devices will be sent as iMessage so you’ll never get them at all. If you want to know how to properly deregister your iMessage, follow this official instructions from Apple.

Contact network operator

If all our suggestions won’t fix your problem at all at this point, you must work with your network operator to figure out a fix. The problem might not be in your phone but on their system. There may be a network outage going on, or your account may need to be reconfigured. Because you’re having trouble with their service, it’s their responsibility to help you in this case.


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