What to do if Galaxy S8 can’t send or receive MMS [troubleshooting guide]

If your #GalaxyS8 can’t send or receive MMS, there’s a number of possible reasons for that. In this article, we’ll discuss all these possibilities so we can provide solutions for each.

Now, before you start, it’s good if you can do two simple things. First is to force restart your S8 to simulate a “battery pull.”  This will refresh the device by clearing the memory and stopping the operating system. Some bugs only run when there’s an active session from a particular service, app, or functionality so by turning off the phone temporarily, you may be eliminating the bug as well. To force restart your S8:

  1. Press and hold the volume down button and don’t release it.
  2. Then, press and hold the power key while holding down the volume button.
  3. Keep both keys held down for 10 seconds or more.

Should the issue remain after doing a restart, be sure to also create backup of your important files. This is important since you’ll probably be doing a factory reset if basic solution options won’t help. The easiest way to create an image of your software is by using Samsung’s own Smart Switch app. If you have a computer, we recommend that you install Smart Switch to it. Afterwards, you can connect your S8 to that computer so you can create backup. To learn more about creating a backup via Smart Switch, visit this page: How to create backup from Samsung device to your computer via Smart Switch.

Solution #1: Verify mobile data is working

MMS requires mobile data subscription. This is a basic requirement and one that should be checked first. If your mobile data service is spotty all the time, or if it’s not working at all, it’s the most likely reason why you are not able to send or receive MMS at this time. To check if you have mobile data issue, just open an app like YouTube or Netflix and see if you can stream videos while on mobile data connection and not on wifi. If you can’t, then you have to work with your carrier to enable it. Some carriers may not automatically allow you to enjoy MMS so be sure to let them know about your issue.

If your mobile data was working before but not now, there may be an account-related issue behind it. To check for the problem, be sure to contact your carrier.

Solution #2: Toggle Airplane Mode on and off

This is a simple workaround shared by a lot of Android users over the years so this may work on your S8 as well. When it comes to network design and infrastructure, there’s nothing that has changed in Galaxy devices (other than the chips being used of course) so this may help. By Toggling Airplane Mode on and off, you’re basically turning off all network capabilities of your device with a single command. Sometimes, network bugs are fixed that way so it’s worth testing out.

If you haven’t done it yet, here’s what you need to do:

  1. Pull down the notification bar from the top.,
  2. Look for Airplane Mode and tap it.
  3. Wait for about 5 seconds before tapping it again to turn it off.

Solution #3: Clear messaging app cache

Every app in an Android device keeps a set of temporary files called cache in order to do certain tasks efficiently. This cache is usually built the moment a user starts using the app. Sometimes, this cache may become outdated or corrupted causing the app to perform erratically or slowly. To see if your messaging app cache is the one preventing MMS to work properly, you need to clear the cache by doing these steps:

  1. Open Settings app.
  2. Tap Apps.
  3. Tap More settings at the upper right hand (three-dot icon).
  4. Tap Show system apps.
  5. Find the messaging app you’re using and tap it.
  6. Tap Storage.
  7. Tap CLEAR CACHE.
  8. Restart your S8 and check for the problem.

Solution #4: Return messaging app settings to defaults

Should wiping your messaging app’s cache won’t help, the next thing that you want to do is delete the app’s data. Hopefully, you’ve already created a backup of your messages at this time as this will wipe your text messages. If you haven’t and want to save your conversation threads, be sure back them up first.

Afterwards, follow the steps below to delete the data of your messaging app and reset it back to its defaults.

  1. Open Settings app.
  2. Tap Apps.
  3. Tap More settings at the upper right hand (three-dot icon).
  4. Tap Show system apps.
  5. Find the messaging app you’re using and tap it.
  6. Tap Storage.
  7. Tap CLEAR DATA.
  8. Restart your S8 and check for the problem.

Solution #5: Reset network settings

Resetting your device’s network settings can sometimes fix SMS and MMS issues. That’s because some bugs may be triggered by some configurations. By returning your device’s network settings to their factory state, you might actually be fixing the issue without resorting to unnecessary drastic solutions like factory reset.

To reset the network settings on your S8:

  1. Open Settings app.
  2. Tap General management.
  3. Tap Reset.
  4. Tap Reset network settings.
  5. Tap RESET SETTINGS button.
  6. Restart your S9 and check for the problem.

Solution #6: Reset settings

Ideally, your issue should have already been fixed at this time but if you’re still working on it, then you should consider resetting the settings. This procedure simulates a similar effect of a factory reset although you don’t need to completely wipe the phone. To do it:

  1. Open Settings app.
  2. Tap General management.
  3. Tap Reset.
  4. Tap Reset settings.
  5. Tap RESET SETTINGS button.
  6. Restart your S9 and check for the problem.

Solution #7: Factory reset

To check for the possibility that there may be an unknown software bug causing your problem, you can do a factory reset. We know that factory state software does not have this issue and messaging functions are expected to work so it gets resolved afterwards, you know that a software bug must be behind this trouble.

To factory reset your S8:

  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 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).
  4. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset’.
  5. Press Power button to select.
  6. Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted.
  7. Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
  8. When the master reset is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
  9. Press the Power key to restart the device.

Solution #8: Use another messaging app

If you won’t still be able to send and receive MMS after  a factory reset, there’s a chance that the issue may be coming from the messaging app itself. If you’re using the standard messaging app, try using another one and see if that will work. There are many other messaging apps that you can try in Google Play Store.

Solution #9: Contact your carrier

If everything else fails, it’s time that you let your carrier help you. After doing all our suggestions above, you can get assured that we’ve already covered everthing on your device, including the APN settings. We don’t specifically mention that you check the APN settings since we already asked you to check if mobile data is working at the start of your troubleshooting ladder. Still, if all the things above won’t help, make sure that you also ask support from your carrier to give you the correct APN settings that should be on your phone.


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