How to fix Galaxy Note9 won’t send MMS after installing Android 9 Pie

There’s been a number of Galaxy Note9 owners complaining about MMS not working right after updating to Android 9 Pie. This post will address that issue today. If you have the same problem on your device, learn how to fix below.

How to troubleshoot Galaxy Note9 that won’t send MMS after installing Android 9 Pie

Fixing any networking issue is not straightforward as there are a  lot of things to consider. Below are the steps that you must do in order to fix your Note9 being unable to send MMS after Android 9 Pie update.

Confirm mobile data is working. MMS needs cellular data to work. If you’re not able to use mobile or cellular data, it follows that MMS will not work properly or at all. If you regularly rely on wifi and seldom use mobile data, make sure to check if it’s working. You can do that by turning wifi off, turning mobile data on, and using apps that needs internet to work like YouTube, Netflix, etc. If they won’t work, that means that your cellular data needs fixing. Work with your carrier on how to address the problem.

Forced restart. If you’ve verified that mobile data is on and working, then the rest of your troubleshooting should focus on your device. If nothing works after troubleshooting the device, that’s the time that you consider getting help from the carrier.

And speaking of device troubleshooting, the first step that you want to do is to force restart it. This means simulating the effects of “battery pull” procedure. In older devices with detachable battery pack, disconnecting the battery usually fixes temporary and minor bugs. Since your Note9 does not have a battery pack that you can easily disconnect, what you can do is to simulate its effects. Here’s how to do that:

1. Press and hold the Power + Volume Down buttons for approximately 10 seconds or until the device power cycles. Note: Allow several seconds for the Maintenance Boot Mode screen to appear.
2. From the Maintenance Boot Mode screen, select Normal Boot. Note: Utilize the volume buttons to cycle through the available options and the lower left button (below the volume buttons) to select. Also, allow up to 90 seconds for the reset to complete.

Wipe cache partition. If you’re positive that the issue started after upgrading to Android 9 Pie, it’s possible that the system cache may have been corrupted during or after the update. Android uses this cache in order to make loading of apps fast. Sometimes, this cache may become corrupted or may contain outdated contents causing problems. To ensure that the device has good system cache, try wiping its cache partition. Here’s how:

1. Turn off the device.
2. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
3. When the Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
4. Press the Volume down key to highlight “wipe cache partition.”
5. Press the Power key to select.
6. Press the Volume down key to highlight “yes” and press the Power key to select.
7. When the wipe cache partition is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
8. Press the Power key to restart the device.

Install app updates. Upgrading to the latest Android OS does not automatically mean apps are updated as well. If there were no prompts for you to install app updates after you installed Android 9 Pie, make sure to double check. Open the Play Store app > More settings > My apps & games and update your apps from there.

If you have apps that you downloaded outside the Play Store, make sure that you update them too.

Reset network settings.  Clearing the current network settings may also help. This troubleshooting step is usually effective in fixing problems related to cellular or Bluetooth troubles. Here’s how it goes:

1. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
2. Tap General Management.
3. Tap Reset.
4. Tap Reset network settings.
5. Tap Reset settings.
6. If you have set up a PIN, enter it.
7. Tap Reset settings. Once complete a confirmation window will appear.

Check for bad third party app. Another possible reason for the problem is a bad third party app. There may be an app that prevents your messaging app from working properly. If you’re using a preinstalled app like Samsung Messages, then you can try to check if there’s a third party app issue.

To restart your Galaxy S10 to safe mode, you need to do the following:

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.

While your S10 is on Safe Mode, all of the apps you downloaded will be suspended; only preinstalled apps will be allowed to run. So, if your messaging app works normally and MMS can be sent without issues, that’s a clear indicator of a bad third party app problem. To identify which of your apps is the source of trouble, you must use elimination method. Here’s what you can do:

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 S10 is still problematic, repeat steps 1-4.

Clear app messaging cache. To check if the issue originates from the messaging app itself, you can start by clearing its cache. Doing so will not result to loss of your messages so you can go ahead and do it right away. Just to be on the safe side though, we recommend that you create a backup of text messages that you can’t afford to lose. You can use Samsung Cloud or Samsung Smart Switch to keep them safe.

Here are the steps to clear the cache of an app:

1. Open Settings app.
2. Tap Apps.
3. Find and tap the messaging app.
4. Tap Storage.
5. Tap Clear Cache button.
6. Restart the device and check for the problem.

Delete old conversations.  If you’re having trouble sending MMS to one contact only, it’s possible that the cause is a buggy conversation thread. Delete the old conversation and create a new one. If MMS sends successfully, this can be the solution you’re looking for.

Reset messaging app. Should nothing work at this point, you can go ahead with resetting the app’s data. This will erase all text messages so if you don’t want to lose them, you should back them up ahead of time. Once your personal data are secured, follow these steps to clear the app’s data:

1. Open Settings app.
2. Tap Apps.
3. Find and tap the messaging app.
4. Tap Storage.
5. Tap Clear Data button.
6. Restart the device and check for the problem.

Use another messaging app. Another way to check if there’s on-going messaging app issue is by using another app. There are many free messaging apps that you can get from the Play Store. If you have no idea what to pick, we suggest that you use Google’s own Android Messages. It’s stable and offers even better features than Samsung’s own Messages. Just remember, your goal is to check if if it’s an app problem only. If you can send MMS using another app, the current app may need updating or may have encountered problems after the OS upgrade.

Factory reset. Should none of the suggestions above work, wipe the phone and reset it to its defaults. Don’t forget to back your personal data up first to avoid losing them. Once you’ve done that, follow these steps to factory reset your phone:

1. Back up data on the internal memory. If you have signed into a Google account on the device, you have activated Anti-theft and will need your Google credentials to finish the Master reset.
2. Turn off the device.
3. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
4. When the Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
5. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight “wipe data / factory reset.
6. Press Power button to select.
7. Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted.
8. Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
9. When the master reset is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
10. Press the Power key to restart the device.

Contact network operator. You should consider getting help from your carrier if none of the above suggestions work. If the software upgrade that you installed came from them, there may be some coding issues with it. You can’t expect for an immediate resolution for this but letting them know about the issue should prompt them to create a bug ticket so their developer team can take a look.

 

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