What to do if Samsung Galaxy A40 can’t send SMS or text messages

Texting problems are among the most common issues any mobile phone owners may encounter. They occur every now and then but they’re not really that hard to fix. Some Samsung Galaxy A40 owners reported that they can’t send SMS or text messages after the recent update. It’s not really clear if such problems are due to the update but there’s always something you can do about them.

In this post, I will guide you in troubleshooting your Galaxy A40 that can no longer send text messages. We will try to consider all possibilities and rule them out one after another until we can determine the real issue and hopefully be able to fix it. If you’re one of the owners of this device, continue reading as this article may be able to help you.

Now, before anything else, if you have other issues with your phone, make sure you drop by our troubleshooting page for we have already provided solutions to hundreds of problems reported by our readers. Odds are that we may have already provided a solution to the problem you currently have so try to find issues that are similar to yours on that page and feel free to use the solutions we suggested. If they don’t work or if you need further assistance, fill up our Android issues questionnaire and hit submit to contact us. 

Troubleshooting a Galaxy A40 that can’t send SMS

Texting problems are common and not being able to send messages is just one of them but based on our experience, issues like this are pretty minor. With that being said, here are the things you need to do to try and fix your phone that can’t send SMS…

First solution: Force restart your phone

The first thing you must do is reboot your phone especially if it’s the first time that you weren’t able to send a text message. Don’t worry, the unsent message will remain in your inbox so you don’t have to type it again. 

But instead of doing the normal reboot, it’s better to do the forced restart which is way more effective because aside from refreshing your phone’s memory, it will also reload all the apps and services. Here’s how it’s done…

  • Press and hold the volume down button and the power key key simultaneously for 10 seconds or until the phone reboots. 

Most of the time, this procedure will fix the problem but if you still can’t send SMS after this, then move on to the next procedure. 

ALSO READ: What to do if your Samsung Galaxy A40 keeps rebooting randomly

Second solution: Try sending a text message in Safe Mode

There are situations wherein third-party apps interfere with your phone’s normal operations so when you do usual things like texting, problems occur. To know if this is really the case, try running your phone in safe mode to temporarily disable all third-party applications. Here’s how it’s done: 

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

While your Galaxy A40 is in this mode, try to send a text message to your own number so that you would know if it goes through and if you can receive it. If the message is sent, then it means there’s a third-party app that’s preventing it from sending text messages. Find out which of your apps is the culprit and uninstall it. However, if you still can’t send SMS even if the phone is in safe mode, then move on to the next solution. 

Third solution: Make sure you phone is getting good signal

When it comes to texting and calling, signal is everything. Your phone must be connected to the network all the time so that text messages will be sent and received in a timely manner. A quick look at the signal indicator at the top of the screen will tell you immediately if your phone is getting good signal. You should also look out for the airplane icon because if it’s present, it means that the Airplane Mode is enabled and all wireless communications are disabled. 

However, if your phone is receiving good signal and that the Airplane Mode isn’t enabled but you still can’t send SMS, then it’s time for a more effective procedure. 

RELEVANT POST: What to do if your Samsung Galaxy A40 got stuck on Samsung logo

Fourth solution: Reset network settings

Since texting relies on the stability of your phone’s connection to the network, this time you should reset all network settings so that they will be brought back to their default values. If your phone comes with a plan, then this procedure will more likely to fix the problem, especially if it’s just due to some incorrect or deleted settings. For instance, if the message center number was deleted inadvertently or changed, this procedure will revert back to the default center number. Here’s how you do it: 

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

After doing this procedure, try sending another text message to your own number. Most of the time this will fix issues like this but if for some reason the issue continues to bug you down, then it’s time you called your service provider. 

Fifth solution: Call service provider

The fact is your service provider can help you better when it comes to problems like this. It’s because they know on their end if the problem is with the network, your account or anything else. If it’s with the network, you will be advised about it as well as given estimated time as to when the service would resume. If it’s an issue with your account, it will be thoroughly explained to you why your outgoing services are no longer working or why you can’t send SMS from your Galaxy A40. Lasly, the representatives have all the tools to fix the problem.

I understand why some users don’t want to call tech support but for now, you really don’t have much of a choice. You’ve already done everything on your end as far as troubleshooting is concerned to no avail. Also, a factory reset is likely not be able to fix this problem as it’s not an issue with the firmware but with the service. 

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