How to fix Galaxy S9 texting issue: won’t send text to one contact
Hello and welcome to our new #GalaxyS9 troubleshooting article. Today’s post will answer some texting issues we received for this device for the past few days. We hope you’ll find our solutions helpful.
Problem #1: How to fix Galaxy S9 texting issue: won’t send text to one contact
S9 Not able to send Text to One Contact only…! I just upgraded to the S9 from the Iphone6s plus five day ago. I am not able to send text messages to particular one contact number only. I can see receive messages from the contact in my phone but when I press message icon then nothing shows up. When I am trying text message or reply to the message then message screen hangs up and no cursor blinking, no keyboard, etc… basically complete phone just freeze up. I have even deleted the contact and tried to text it while it wasn’t saved. My phone will not let me hit the send button to text that particular number. It’s Not even on the blocked list. I called Samsung and they says nothing wrong with phone hardware. spend almost one hour with technical support person at my carrier provider and no solutions. I have also checked that person’s phone. Nothing is blocked on either phone. particular contact that most of the time I have to text message everyday…so weird…now I am in completely rely on What’s app only. any solutions or help would be greatly appreciated.
Solution: There’s a number of important factors to consider in this case. Let’s discuss each of them and how to address each one.
Deactivate iMessage
This only applies to you if you simply recycled your SIM card and used it on your new Galaxy S9. Make sure to deregister iMessage first so you won’t have any problems sending and receiving texts to and from iPhone users. Follow this link to do that.
If you’ve already deregistered iMessage or if the person you’re trying to send a message to does not use an iPhone, simply skip this troubleshooting step.
Clear text messaging app data
There may be a bug within the text messaging app you’re using so the next good thing to do is to clear its data. This procedure will return the messaging app’s settings to their defaults and will erase all your text messages. If you want to keep them, try backing them up ahead of time.
There are two ways to back your text messages using official methods. One is via Samsung cloud. Just go under Settings > Clouds and accounts > Backup and restore > Back up data. The other is by using Samsung Smart Switch.
Once you’ve copied your text messages safely to the cloud or to Smart Switch, follow the steps below to clear the data of your text messaging app:
- Open Settings app.
- Tap Apps.
- Tap on More settings at the upper right (three-dot icon).
- Select Show system apps.
- Find and tap your app.
- Tap Storage.
- Tap Clear Data button.
- Restart your S9 and check for the problem.
Reset network settings
Some texting issues are fixed by resetting a device’s network settings. Make sure that you do this before jumping off to the next troubleshooting step. Here’s what you need to do:
- From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
- Tap General Management > Reset settings.
- Tap Reset network settings.
- If you have set up a PIN, enter it.
- Tap Reset settings. Once complete a confirmation window will appear.
Work with your carrier
Texting issues are best diagnosed by your network operator as they have access to information related to your account, network, and device. As an end user, there’s only so much that you can do on your end. Be sure to work further with your carrier in identifying where the issue may lie. If the phone came from them, there might be a bug in their firmware or messaging app that they have not anticipated. Try to talk to their technical support team so a report ticket can be created for the problem. If this is a coding issue, it may take a while to get a resolution. The least that you can do is to report the issue they can be made aware of it.
Try another text messaging app
If you are still unable to text that contact up to this point, we suggest that you try other text messaging app. There are many free messaging apps in Google Play Store. We suggest that you stick with official ones from reputable companies. A good example is Google’s Android Messages.
Problem #2: Galaxy S9 text messaging app keeps flashing when sending, keeps saying invalid recipient
My Android messenger app starting getting kloodgy. It declared “invalid recipient” for nbrs I text daily. Then “message not sent” for no reason. Finally, it flashed b/w until app closed . Uninstalled. Reinstalled. B/w flashing. Installed different app. Used it. Tried reinstalling Android Messenger. No luck. Powered off & pulled batt. No help. Running whatever current Android OS is on Samsung s9. Set to grab updates. Very frustrating. Pls point to appropriate article at your site if any. Am screen blind by now.. Thanks.
Solution: If your S9 was able to send NBRS without problems before and this issue only started recently, it’s possible that it’s being caused by a network issue (carrier side), or device glitch (app or software bug). To see if the problem is fixable on your level, follow these suggestions below:
Restore text messaging app to its defaults
There may be an issue with the current condition of your text messaging app. Be sure to clear its data by following the steps above (Problem #1) on how to clear text messaging app data.
Install updates
By updates we mean updates for both all apps and Android. Some network issues are caused by poor coding and the only way to fix them is through updates. If you’ve been holding off app and operating system updates for some reason, be sure to install them now.
Send in Safe Mode
There’s a chance that one of your apps may be causing the problem. To see if you have a third party app issue, restart your phone to safe mode before sending again. In this mode, all third party apps are blocked, only allowing pre-installed apps to run. If your S9 sends messages in safe mode only, that’s a sign that you have an app problem.
Here are the steps to boot your phone to safe mode:
- Turn the device off.
- Press and hold the Power key past the model name screen.
- When “SAMSUNG” appears on the screen, release the Power key.
- Immediately after releasing the Power key, press and hold the Volume down key.
- Continue to hold the Volume down key until the device finishes restarting.
- Safe mode will display in the bottom left corner of the screen.
- Release the Volume down key when you see Safe Mode.
If you think there’s an app problem, you need to narrow down the possible causes. To identify which of your apps is causing the trouble, you should boot the phone back to safe mode and follow these steps:
- Boot to safe mode.
- Check for the problem.
- 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.
- After you uninstall an app, restart the phone to normal mode and check for the problem.
- If your S9 is still problematic, repeat steps 1-4.
Reset network settings
As mentioned above, some network bugs may also be addressed by doing this simple troubleshooting step. Refer to the provided steps above on how to do it.
Factory reset
If all the suggestions above won’t help at all, you should consider wiping the phone with factory reset. This will help you tell if the issue is being caused by an operating system bug. Before you wipe your phone, be sure to back important user data. If you don’t use cloud services to back your files up, we suggest that you try Samsung Smart Switch. This will allow you to create an image of your phone. If you haven’t heard of Smart Switch before, make sure to visit this page: How to create backup from Samsung device to your computer via Smart Switch.
To factory reset your S9:
- Turn off the device.
- Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
- When the green Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
- Press the Volume down key several times to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset’.
- Press Power button to select.
- Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted.
- Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
- When the master reset is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
- Press the Power key to restart the device.
Contact network operator
As this problem involves your carrier’s network, your last resort is to work with them. Be sure to provide all the necessary information like when exactly it started, the stuff you added to the device, changes as far as settings are concerned, the things you did differently before the issue occurred, among others. These are important details for any party that will troubleshoot the issue.
Problem #3: How to fix Galaxy S9 group text messages issue
Galaxy S9 is having group text message issues for about 30 days now. I use the default Messages App.
- All my contacts are receiving individual text I send. However, one contact is receiving them hours later than the actual send time.
- When I respond in a group text (doesn’t matter if I am the creator of the group text or just responding to a group text I received), some of the members are receiving my text and others are seeing absolutely nothing and not receiving any. However, I see everyone else responding to the group.
- I have contacts that use Androids and iphones and that use multiple carriers. The issue doesn’t seem to be phone type or carrier specific. As, some android users receive my group text and others are not. Same with iPhone and carriers some do and some don’t. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Solution: When it comes to group text messages, there’s one important thing to remember: as long as the message has cleared from the sending device, the issue must lie somewhere else. In other words, there is no issue on your phone at all. For your first concern, the issue must be in your network, in the recipient’s network, or in the recipient’s phone.
Group messages that involves multiple carriers and platforms (like iOS), problems can sometimes occur because of lack of support or incompatibility. We can assure you though that there’s no device issue on your end. Try to talk to your carrier so they can advise you on what to do in this case.