Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 Can’t Send Text Messages or SMS

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 that cannot send messages using its default message app or third party message app can be caused by several factors. It can be due to network signal issues, a software glitch, or a setting problem. To fix this you will need to perform some troubleshooting steps.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G is one of the latest Android smartphone models to be released by the South Korean company this year. This phone is best known for having an outer display and two inner displays that can be used when the device is unfolded. It has several outstanding features such as a 7.6 inch Foldable Dynamic AMOLED 2X display protected by Gorilla Glass Victus, Snapdragon 888 5G chipset, S Pen support and an IPX8 water protection rating just to name a few.

Why is my Samsung not sending text messages?

One of the issues that you might experience when using your Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G is when you can’t seem to send any messages to your contact using the messaging app.

This common feature which all smartphone models share is expected to work without any issues on a Samsung phone such as this however the reality is that this issue can occur even on high end devices.

Here’s what you need to do to when your phone is not receiving messages.

Step 1: Check your Galaxy Z Fold3 signal

The first troubleshooting step you will need to do when experiencing SMS sending issues is to check your device signal. The signal strength bar should be present in order for you to use your carrier services.

If the Fold3 has a strong signal and you can’t seem to be getting any messages then here’s what you need to do.

Turn off the Wifi

Try turning off the WiFi of your Samsung phone and see if you can get at least a 3G signal. With the WiFi now off try sending yourself a message.

Toggle airplane mode

Sometimes your Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 is unable to register or connect to the network even if a signal is available. A solution to this issue is to toggle your phone airplane mode switch.

Swipe down from the top of the screen to pull down the notification panel.
Tap the Airplane Mode icon to enable it.
Wait for a few seconds then press on it again to re-enable it.

Check if your device is getting a signal from the network. If it is, try to send yourself a message then check if you can receive it.

Step 2: Perform a soft reset on your Galaxy Z Fold3

A soft reset is usually done when a minor software glitch occurs on your Samsung phone. This will refresh the phone’s operating system and clear out its RAM.

Soft reset

To turn off the Samsung phone by pressing and hold the Bixby button and the volume down button on the side of the device.
Choose Power off.
Choose Power off again. The phone will turn off.
Wait for a few seconds.
Press and hold the Bixby button on the side of the device to turn on the Samsung phone.

Once your phone has started try using the default app to send messages to yourself.

Step 3: Clear the Message app cache

Sometimes this problem can be caused by corrupted cached data within the messaging app. In order to fix this you will need to clear the cache of the message app of your phone.

Clear message app cache

Open Settings
Scroll down and tap Apps.
Locate and then tap Messages.
Tap Storage.
Tap Clear cache.

Try sending your contact a text message and check if the issue still occurs.

Step 4: Start the Fold3 in Safe Mode

If you are using a third party messaging app as the default message app and this has not been configured properly then there’s a chance that this will cause the not receiving messages problem.

Safe Mode

Turn the phone off.
Press and hold the Power key past the model name screen appearing on the 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.
When Safe mode appears in the bottom left corner of the screen, release the Volume down key.

Check if the issue still occurs in this mode. If it doesn’t then the problem is most likely caused by a third party app.

Solution 5: Perform a factory reset

The last troubleshooting step you should perform if all of the above steps fails to fix the problem is a factory reset. This procedure will erase your phone data so make sure to backup your Fold3 data.

Factory reset

Turn off your Samsung Galaxy device.
Simultaneously press and hold the Volume up and side buttons until the device vibrates and the Android Recovery screen appears then release all buttons..
From the Android Recovery screen, select Wipe data/factory reset.
Select Factory data reset.
Select Reboot system now.
Set up your Android phone.

Once the reset is complete try to check if the issue has been fixed.

In case the issue persists even with a strong signal you should contact your carrier for assistance.