O2 text plans offer you a quick way to get in touch without contact, but quite often your messages fail to send, deliver, or be received on Android or iPhone.
In this read, you’ll understand the reasons for this failure. You’ll also explore what steps you can take to quickly troubleshoot this issue and communicate effectively again.
Is there a problem with O2 texts?
There is no major nationwide outage reported for O2 text messages right now. If your texts are failing to send or arrive, the issue is likely local, related to your device, or due to a temporary mast update.
Why is my O2 phone not sending or receiving texts?
Your O2 text message issues are usually caused by a misconfigured Message Center number, local network outages, or incorrect device settings. Other possibilities are low balance, weak signals, or there’s a bar on your 02 account for sending premium SMS.
How do I get my O2 SIM to send or receive text messages?
To fix an O2 SIM that is not sending or receiving text messages, update your Message Center Number to +447802000332, restart your device, and verify your plan balance.
1. Check signals and toggle Airplane mode on and off
The first and easiest fix is to move to an area with better coverage if you have low signal bars. Look at the screen, and if you got over 3, send a text to see if it’s delivered this time. You can also try turning Airplane mode on and off before sending an SMS.
2. Force stop the Messages app
The easiest solution is to force restart the Messages app on your phone. This will clear out any bugs causing the temporary glitches preventing you from communicating. For this:
- Swipe up on your device’s Home screen and stop in the middle to access the most recent apps.
- Find the Messages app.
- Swipe up on the app’s card/preview to close it.
If this doesn’t help, restart your phone and try again.
3. Verify account balance
Ensure your plan is active or that you have sufficient funds. You can check this by logging into the My O2 App. Alternatively, dial *#10# and press call to view your balance directly on your screen. If it is low or expired, recharge it and try sending texts again.
4. Remove premium text restriction
O2 offers a premium-rate text service that lets you enter competitions, donate to charities, and vote on talent shows through reverse-charge messaging. However, if your account has a bar or restriction for these SMS, you may face difficulties participating in these activities.
To remove this restriction, access your account through the app and unblock sending or receiving text messages to or from premium-rate numbers. If you don’t find this option there, call the O2 helpline and ask them to allow these messages.
5. Change SMSC
The O2 messaging center number routes SMS to and from the intended recipients and senders. But if it is incorrect on your Android phone or iPhone, the service won’t let you communicate with text messages.
The fix is to type the correct SMSC on your phone with the steps given below:
Open the Messages app on Android, and head to Settings >More Settings > Text Messages > Message Center, and replace the number with the O2 SMS center, which is “+447802000332” for Pay Monthly customers and “+447802092035” for Pay & Go subscribers.
On an iPhone, open the Phone app, dial **5005*7672*SMSNUMBER# and dial it. This will add and save the O2 SMS service center number, and your problem should be solved.
6. Reset APNs
The APN settings establish a data connection between your phone and the O2 network, and this lets you access the internet and chat through messages.
But if these settings are misconfigured, you may lose the ability to send or receive text messages and face other connectivity errors as well. To resolve this, reset the APN settings:
iPhone
- Open Settings.
- Tap Cellular Data.
- Choose Cellular Data Network.
- Select Reset Settings to restore to the network provider’s default values.
Android
- Go to Settings > Connections > Mobile Networks.
- Select Access Point Names.
- Tap the three dots and choose Reset to Default.
- Select “Reset” to confirm.
7. Reset phone’s network settings
Resetting your Android phone or iPhone network settings can help remove any misconfigurations causing the O2 text issues and establish a stable connection to the network.
Android
- Navigate to Settings.
- Go to General Management.
- Tap Reset > Reset Network Settings.
- Select Reset Settings.
- Enter your PIN or password.
- Choose Reset.
iPhone
- Head to Settings > General. > Transfer or Reset iPhone.
- Select Reset and tap Reset Network Settings.
- Choose Reset.
8. Check O2 service outages
If nothing works and you still can’t send or receive text messages, the O2 service might be down due to scheduled network maintenance or technical issues. To check for service outages, visit their Network Status page for the latest updates or announcements about the issue. At this time, the best you can do is to wait for their technicians to fix the SMS glitch.
Final say
There you have it, guys and gals. We’ve also discussed 8 easy and quick solutions to resolve the O2 SMS sending or receiving problem at home. Most probably, you are out of balance, or the service is down, but resetting your SIM and phone settings often does the trick.
