How to fix a Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro 2019 smartphone that cannot send/receive text (SMS) messages [Troubleshooting Guide]

Today’s SMS messaging technology is becoming so advanced and yet simple to use. App developers are making sure that even the most novice smartphone user won’t find it hard to manage text or SMS messages. Aside from the stock messaging application, there are also other messaging platforms users can download and install on their respective devices as they would prefer. But regardless of the messaging platform in use, there are certain factors that would make it fail to work.

Among the underlying causes include but not limited to faulty updates, errant applications, malicious software, viruses, invalid settings, network problems, and account-related issues. These are generally software-related attributes and therefore possible to deal with. Highlighted below are some simple procedures and generic solutions to a relevant issue on the Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro 2018 smartphone. Read on to find out what to do if one day, you just couldn’t get to send or receive an SMS or text message on your J7 Pro device.

For owners who are looking for a solution to a different problem, drop by our troubleshooting page for we have already addressed some of the most common problems with this device. Browse through the page to find issues that are similar with yours and use the solutions we suggested. If they don’t work or if you need further assistance don’t hesitate to contact us by filling up our Android issues questionnaire.

How to troubleshoot Galaxy J7 Pro 2018 that can’t send / receive text messages

Before you start troubleshooting software errors on your Galaxy J7 Pro, check and ensure that your device is getting a good signal. If you’re signal indicator shows nothing or you’re seeing network errors like No service or No network, then you’re dealing with a network problem. And that’s what you need to resolve first. In that case, you can try resetting your network settings to restore the default settings or original network configurations and then enable necessary options accordingly. If the network is good but you still cannot send or receive SMS or text messages on your Galaxy J7 Pro 2018 smartphone, then try the following simple solutions.

First solution: Force close messaging app then restart.

Errant apps are usually remedied by forcing it to close. The app may be glitching and is therefore unable to function. In that case, you’ll need to force close it then restart. Here’s how:

Tap the Recent Apps icon on the bottom left corner of the phone.
Scroll to and select the messaging app from the app previews.
Swipe left or right to close the selected app.

You can also close all other app previews to clear background apps and prevent them from causing conflict with other apps.

Second solution: Clear cache or reset your messaging app.

Cache files that are corrupted can also cause your messaging app to act up at some point. To clear this out, clear cache on your messaging app. If that won’t work, clear data to reset the erase all saved data on the messaging app and restore the app to its default or original state. Here’s how:

Tap the Apps icon from any Home screen.
Tap Settings.
Tap Apps.
Tap to select the messaging app from the default list or navigate to Menu-> Show system apps to show all preinstalled apps including Messages.
Tap Storage.
Tap CLEAR CACHE. This command will clear temporary files and data that are stored as cache on your messaging app.
To reset the messaging app to its default settings or original state, tap CLEAR DATA. This will delete all saved information on the application. This can be the key solution if corrupted data the problem is triggered by corrupted app data.
Tap CLEAR to confirm.

Restart your phone then launch the messaging app to see if the problem is fixed.

Third solution: Delete old and unnecessary messages.

Deleting old messages is necessary to free up space and allow new messages to come in. Unless you’ve set your device to automatically delete old messages when the message limit is reached, you’ve got to do it manually. The process of deleting text messages or SMS may vary depending on the messaging platform or app in use. The following steps will show you how to delete text messages or SMS on the stock Messages app:

Tap the Messages app icon from any Home screen.
To delete an individual message, touch and hold the message you wish to delete then tap the option to delete message.
To delete an individual message in a conversation, expand the conversation to view individual messages, then touch and hold the message you want to delete.
To delete an entire conversation, touch and hold the conversation, verify the conversation, and mark the Select All box.
Once you’re done selecting all unwanted messages, tap Delete twice to delete them.

Quit and restart the Messages app and then try to create a sample SMS message to send and receive.

Fourth solution: Update your messaging app/phone software.

If you are using a different messaging app, then try to check for any pending updates for that app and if there is, install the update. App updates also offer fix patches to get rid of any bugs that might have caused trouble on the application. It may be the required solution if malware or bugs are halting you from sending text or SMS messages on your Galaxy J7 Pro 2018 smartphone. To check for pending app updates on your Galaxy J7 Pro 2018 smartphone, simply head over to the Play Store with these steps:

Swipe up or down to open the Apps menu from the Home screen.
Tap the Play Store icon.
Tap the Menu icon or three-horizontal lines on the upper-left corner of the Play Store main screen.
Tap My apps & games.
Go to the Updates tab to view a list of apps with pending updates.
To install an update, select the app then follow the onscreen instructions.

If you don’t see your messaging app in the list, it means there’s no new update for that app yet.

Return to the Home screen then restart your device to refresh the system and apply the software changes.

If you’re using the stock messaging app, then try to check for new software version/update available on your phone. Aside from new features and functionalities, the latest Android version also brings in security enhancements to keep Samsung devices as bug-free as possible. To check for new Android update on your Galaxy J7 Pro 2018, follow these steps:

Swipe up from the bottom of the Home screen.
Tap Settings.
Scroll to and tap Software update.
Select the option to Download updates manually. Your device will then search for new update.
When the search is finished, you should see a notification telling you if a new software version is available or your phone is up to date.

If an update is available, back up all your important data for safekeeping and then follow the onscreen instructions to proceed with the update file download and installation. The new update will then be implemented on all your system apps and services. Restart your device and then check and see if SMS services are now working as intended.

Fifth solution: Change/set the default messaging app on your phone.

If none of that works and the problem continues, try to switch to other messaging applications. If you’re on stock messaging app, try other credible platforms like Telstra. To make sure it works, be sure to set the default SMS app to use on your Galaxy J7 Pro 2018 smartphone. Here’s what you should do then:

Download the preferred SMS app to use as alternative.
Then swipe down on the notification panel of your phone.
Tap the Settings menu represented by a cog icon.
Tap Apps.
Tap the three-dot icon on the upper right of the screen.
Tap on Default apps.
Then tap Messaging apps.
Select the SMS app you want to switch to.
Tap OK to confirm change on the default messaging app.

Reboot your device then open the new SMS app and then try to create a sample SMS message to send and receive. If the problem is fixed then that’s an issue with the stock messaging app that needs to be resolved by Samsung. In that case, contact Samsung Support to escalate the problem for official recommendations.

Other options

Contacting your service provider/carrier is also important to check the current status of your account and outgoing services. Carriers would usually impose a soft disconnect to accounts with unsettled issues/bills. When this happens, outgoing services including text messaging are temporarily disabled. As a result, you won’t be able to send text messages or make phone calls on your device. Make sure that’s not causing you this trouble.

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