How to fix an HTC U12/U12 Plus that cannot send or receive text (SMS) messages [Troubleshooting Guide]

SMS problems in smartphones are usually attributed to network errors. But there are also other factors that can cause text/SMS messaging to fail. Most of these factors are attributed to software issues on the devices. Problem on sending and receiving SMS or text messages can occur even on new devices.

This post highlights a few suggested workarounds and potential solutions to a relevant issue on the HTC U12 or U12 Plus smartphone. Read on to find out what options to try on whenever your HTC smartphone suddenly stops sending or receiving text or SMS messages.

But before anything else, if you have another issue with your phone, drop by our troubleshooting page as we have already addressed hundreds of issues reported by the owners. Odds are that there are already existing solutions on our website or at least, there are similar problems we already fixed. So, try to find ones that are similar or related to your problem. If you need further assistance, however, feel free to contact us by filling up our Android issues questionnaire.

How to troubleshoot HTC U12/U12+ that can’t send or receive text messages

Before you begin troubleshooting, check and ensure that your phone has network signal. If your phone has no service, you’ll need to deal with network problems first. Otherwise, perform the following workarounds.

First solution: Force close Messages app then restart your phone.

There are instances when an application suddenly failed to carry out its functions because of random errors and system glitches. Oftentimes, such problems are easily remedied by simply ending the errant app followed by a device restart or soft reset. If you were able to send or receive SMS on your HTC U12/U12 Plus and then suddenly couldn’t even without doing anything on your phone, then it’s likely just a random glitch on the messaging app or device system. To clear the error, force close or end the Messages app with these steps:

Press the Recent Apps button.
Flip through the apps previews to locate the Messages app.
Then swipe the Messages app preview left or right to end or close it.
If you see multiple running apps, tap Clear All to close them all at once.

After ending the messaging application, restart or soft reset your HTC U12/U12 Plus with these steps:

Press and hold down the Power button for a few seconds.
Select Power off from the menu options then tap OK to turn off your phone.
After 30 seconds, press and hold the Power button again until the phone restarts.

Relaunch the Messages app then try to create a sample text or SMS message to send and receive. If the problem continues, move on to the next applicable solution.

Second solution: Clear cache and data on your Messages app.

Apps store temporary files and data every time you use them on your phone. These files are called cache. While cached files serve good purposes when it comes to reloading of similar information, they’re also capable of causing adverse symptoms. Adverse symptoms may occur whenever cache files get corrupted. To make sure this isn’t what’s preventing the Messages app from sending or receiving SMS messages, clear cache and data from the messaging app on your HTC U12/U12 Plus with these steps:

Tap Settings from the Home screen.
Tap to open the Phone app.
Tap Apps then switch to All Apps, if necessary.
Select the Messages app.
Then tap Clear Cache.
If clearing the app cache won’t help, then you can Clear Data on Messages app to. Simply follow the above steps to get to the Messages app then select the option to Clear Data-> then OK to confirm.

Note that clearing an app’s data will delete all your personal data from the app including login details, settings, saved files, and the like. Any corrupted data that might have halted the Messages app from sending or receiving SMS or text messages will also be cleared in the process.

Third solution: Install pending app updates and software updates.

Keeping apps up-to-date is recommended to keep them optimal. Software updates be it for apps or Android system offer bug fixes to get rid of any bugs that caused various types of issues on a device. If you haven’t set your device to install updates automatically, then you’ll need to manually install pending app updates on the Play Store. Here’s how:

Open the Google Play Store app.
Tap the Menu icon (three vertical lines) then tap My apps & games.
Navigate to the Updates section to view available app updates.
Tap the Update button next to your messaging app to install pending app update.
To update all apps at once, tap the Update All button instead.

Also check for any software update (Android). Installing the latest Android software version on your phone can also be the key to fixing the issue if bugs and malware are to blame. Aside from new features, new firmware updates also offer fix patches to address existing device issues attributed to software bugs. Here’s how to check OTA updates on your HTC U12/U12 Plus:

Tap Settings from the Home screen.
Tap General tab.
Tap Update center, then tap System update.
Tap the option to Check for update.

Restart your phone when the update is completely installed to prevent any apps or device itself from acting up.

Fourth solution: Wipe cache partition on your phone.

Cached files are not only stored on apps but also on the system folders or cache partition. When these apps get ruined, relevant functions of the device like the messaging system may stop working. To rule this out, wiping cache partition is recommended. Here’s how:

Turn off your phone.
Press and hold the Volume Down key.
Turn the phone on by pressing the Power key until the phone vibrates, then release Power.
Continue holding the Volume Down key.
Release the Volume Down key when the black screen with red and blue lines of text appears.
Press the Volume Down key repeatedly until reboot to bootloader is highlighted.
Press the Power key.
The device will display a white screen with colored text.
Press the Volume Down key repeatedly until BOOT TO RECOVERY MODE is highlighted.
Press the Power key. Doing so will flash the HTC screen.
Press Volume Down key to highlight wipe cache partition.
Press the Power key.
Press the Volume Down key to highlight Yes on the ‘Wipe cache?’ screen.

Allow your device to reboot after wiping cache partition. Then retry sending and receiving sample text messages or SMS on your phone.

Fifth solution: Reset network settings on your phone.

Resetting the network settings can be a potential solution if your device is having network problems or unable to connect to Wi-Fi and cellular network. Without network access, your device won’t be able to send and receive SMS and MMS messages. To make sure this isn’t what’s causing your HTC U12/HTC U12 Plus to fail when sending SMS or text message, try to reset network settings with these steps:

Swipe up from the Home screen.
Tap Settings.
Tap System.
Select Reset.
Tap Network settings reset option.
Tap Reset Settings twice to confirm action.

Your phone should restart by itself when the network settings reset is finished. After it restarts, you will need to set up and connect to your Wi-Fi network. Then try to create a sample SMS message to see if your phone can now send and receive the message.

Other options

Contact your network service provider to report the issue for further assistance. Also check and ensure that your account is in good standing and all your services are active. Carriers usually imposed a temporary disconnect for accounts with unsettled issues like unpaid bills. Also ask them to check their outage board. Network outages may also be the main reason why network services, particularly SMS messaging, are currently unavailable.

If you started to have trouble sending or receiving SMS or text messages on your HTC U12/U12 Plus after installing a new software update and the problem persisted, you may escalate the issue to HTC Support for other options and official recommendations.

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