Question

Can't Forward Text Messages - Used To Work

  • 30 October 2022
  • 22 replies
  • 1635 views

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My girlfriend and I share a Magenta 55 + Max account on T-Mobile.

I am the primary account holder. Each month when I get the notification text from T-MOBILE that the money is going to be withdrawn from my bank account I forward the text message that I receive from T-Mobile to her. She then sends half the funds from her bank account to mine. 

 

Today we found out that we can't forward text messages to each other anymore, when I tried to forward her the message I received from T-Mobile. The message acts like it is going through from our Samsung Android phones, but the other party never receives it 

 

We can however send a fresh text message to each other or reply to a text from each other. 

 

I tried to forward the sane message to my Verizon line from my T-Mobile line and once again, it acts like it is going through, but it is never received on the other end. 

 

Obviously the numbers are not accidentally blocked because a fresh text or reply to a text works. Forwarding just stopped working. 

 

Rebooted phones and still no success. 

 

Could something have happened to our account?


22 replies

Userlevel 7
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I'm using the stock Google sms app and you can still do it from there by long pressing the sms you want to forward then go to the 3 dots upper right hand corner and tap then a window drops down giving you the option to forward.

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I'm using the stock Google sms app and you can still do it from there by long pressing the sms you want to forward then go to the 3 dots upper right hand corner and tap then a window drops down giving you the option to forward.

Yup, got that part. It's exactly the same with the native Samsung SMS app. 

After forwarding, the other party receives nothing. 

The text acts like it's forwarding and shows up as forwarded in the sending party's SMS app. The problem is that the forwarded app is never received by the other party. 

Possibly a T-Mobile network issue?  

 

Userlevel 7
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I think it's a Samsung issue.  I just forwarded a text from my Pixel 6 to my prepaid Pixel 4XL and it went through.

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I think it's a Samsung issue.  I just forwarded a text from my Pixel 6 to my prepaid Pixel 4XL and it went through.

It could be a Samsung thing as their quality is no longer top-of-the-line like it used to be…

I sat here and tried different things:. I tried to send a screenshot via SMS which did not go, I tried forwarding a text that a friend sent me which did go and of course the billing text that T-Mobile sent me will not go. 

I guess to rule out device vs T-MOBILE network thing...  I have on old T-Mobile branded LG-V20. Of course it doesn't have all the newer frequency bands such as band 71, but I could take the SIM card out of the Samsung phone and put it on the LG. Then try and forward a text and see if it goes. 

I know a few months ago an update to the Samsung S22 Ultra and S21 made text messaging hit or miss. So possibly it is a Samsung issue again. 

 

 

Userlevel 7
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Take a screenshot of.it and try sending that.

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Take a screenshot of.it and try sending that.

Screenshot did not go. 

I made no changes to this phone whatsoever. 

I am going to have to find the time to swap the SIM card into the LG phone. 

I am uncertain as to what could be going on right now. 

The last time I forwarded a text message it worked. Now it died not. 

Userlevel 7
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Have you tried a different sms app?

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Have you tried a different sms app?

Yes, I tried the Google Messages SMS app. 

I thought perhaps messages were not being converted to multimedia messages, but I couldn't find settings for that. 

My girlfriend tried to forward a text message to me as well and it acted like it went, stating "message was forwarded, open group chat?", But I never received it. 

Userlevel 7
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I did Google messages on my Pixel and the forwarded fine so it must be a setting in Samsung somewhere.

Userlevel 7
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Have you tried clearing data or cache?

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Have you tried clearing data or cache?

It could be a Samsung thing. Like I said. This S22 Ultra bought directly from Samsung is a real POS. It's most likely the last Samsung I'll ever buy. Abysmal battery life and poor sound quality. Check out the Samsung Community forums...

I can try clearing cache, but some text messages will forward, others won't. I have not figured out a rhyme or reason just yet. 

I would think that between my Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, my Note 20 Ultra 5G and my girlfriend's S21, we'd all have a cache issue. 

It could be that Samsung broke the forwarding with an update. 

A few months ago Samsung broke texting with an update, but it only happened to certain contacts not all. 

The husband and wife that let my dog out during the day when I'm at work are Verizon customers, as I am with my other line. I could receive texts from the husband but not the wife a d I couldn't text each other until I rebooted my phone. Then they all came through at once. This repeated over a d over until Samsung put out an update patch. 

They got rid of Samsung and both bought Pixels this time around. 

I can switch the SIM to my old LG phone, but I won't have the current text messages to try...

Userlevel 7
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I'm tagging @tidbits on this. If I'm correct he use to work for Samsung.  He may have better insight into this. He lives in Hawaii so don't expect a quick answer since he's 4 hours behind the West cost.

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I'm tagging @tidbits on this. If I'm correct he use to work for Samsung.  He may have better insight into this. He lives in Hawaii so don't expect a quick answer since he's 4 hours behind the West cost.

I really appreciate your help trying to diagnose this issue. It drives me crazy when things like this happen!  

I figured if I called T-Mobile tech support 😄😄😄😄, I'd know more about the system than they do, plus I'll get passed around from agent to agent. Then the solution will be to factory reset the phone or network settings. Yeah right!  

Userlevel 6
Badge +12

Are you using Samsung Messages, or Android Messages?  

It only happens when forwarding messages only?  Everything works correctly other than forwarding messages?

 

This may sound kind of stupid, turn off your sim then turn it back on in your settings for about 10 seconds.  RCS interoperability is so messed up on the S22 series.  Samsung messages targets T-Mobile RCS servers and switching back and forth through Android Messages and Samsung messages will temporally lock out and a restart is required.  Android Messages just started to connect T-Mobile RCS network instead of their own Jibe.  It has connection issues and at times messes up sending basic text messages until it connected again.  

 

settings → connections → sim card manager

turn off sim 1 and then turn it back on after 10 seconds.  This will happen from time to time.  So far it’s been like that since release day and it happens to random people at random times.  It fixes for some then breaks for others.

 

 

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Are you using Samsung Messages, or Android Messages?  

It only happens when forwarding messages only?  Everything works correctly other than forwarding messages?

 

This may sound kind of stupid, turn off your sim then turn it back on in your settings for about 10 seconds.  RCS interoperability is so messed up on the S22 series.  Samsung messages targets T-Mobile RCS servers and switching back and forth through Android Messages and Samsung messages will temporally lock out and a restart is required.  Android Messages just started to connect T-Mobile RCS network instead of their own Jibe.  It has connection issues and at times messes up sending basic text messages until it connected again.  

 

settings → connections → sim card manager

turn off sim 1 and then turn it back on after 10 seconds.  This will happen from time to time.  So far it’s been like that since release day and it happens to random people at random times.  It fixes for some then breaks for others

 

I used both Samsung messages and Google Messages. The problem exists in both apps. 

Yes to all your other questions. The problem only exists with forwarding a text and sometimes trying to send a screenshot. 

If you type a standard SMS everything works just fine. 

I know exactly where the SIM switch is. I'll try turning it off and on. The problem exists with a Note 20 and S22 Ultra. 

Thanks so much for the input. At work right now, but I'll post the results. 

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Are you using Samsung Messages, or Android Messages?  

It only happens when forwarding messages only?  Everything works correctly other than forwarding messages?

 

This may sound kind of stupid, turn off your sim then turn it back on in your settings for about 10 seconds.  RCS interoperability is so messed up on the S22 series.  Samsung messages targets T-Mobile RCS servers and switching back and forth through Android Messages and Samsung messages will temporally lock out and a restart is required.  Android Messages just started to connect T-Mobile RCS network instead of their own Jibe.  It has connection issues and at times messes up sending basic text messages until it connected again.  

 

settings → connections → sim card manager

turn off sim 1 and then turn it back on after 10 seconds.  This will happen from time to time.  So far it’s been like that since release day and it happens to random people at random times.  It fixes for some then breaks for others.

 

 

Did not work. Turned SIM 1 off for 30 seconds, then back on. Also rebooted. 

After forwarding, I get a message that the text was forwarded, but it does not come through on the receiving end. 

Ugh…

Did this from a Note 20 to an S,22 Ultra. 

T-Mobile to Verizon. 

 The Forwarded SMS will not forward myself on T-Mobile either. 

 

Userlevel 7
Badge +13

Interesting to say the least! You have done a ton of testing and troubleshooting already. I am curious how the test goes after switching the sim to the LG phone. I know you won't have the current messages, but since it happens on any forwarded message, you could have anyone send you a message and try to forward it to anyone else. If it is just on the Samsung devices, you can wipe the cache partition and check for updates. If the issue happens with the LG phone also, I would reach out to our care teams and get connected with tech support. They have a few other things to check for troubleshooting, but they can also file a ticket for the engineers to look at the actual journey of the message, find the exact spot where it fails, and then fix it. For the ticket, though, you want to have detailed examples of the issue within 48 hours before your conversation. Date and time (and timezone), phone numbers, length of the message, etc. Usually, you can tell the tech expert what steps you have already taken so they don’t try to make you repeat anything you have already done. 

You didn’t sound excited to call in to our tech support and I am sorry to hear that you don’t think highly of that process. We do have other options, though. You can message us on Facebook, Twitter, or through the T-Mobile website or app. A lot of times, if you are on the website, there is a chat bubble that pops up at the bottom of the screen that can be extremely helpful, too. https://www.t-mobile.com/contact-us

Userlevel 6
Badge +12

Are you using Samsung Messages, or Android Messages?  

It only happens when forwarding messages only?  Everything works correctly other than forwarding messages?

 

This may sound kind of stupid, turn off your sim then turn it back on in your settings for about 10 seconds.  RCS interoperability is so messed up on the S22 series.  Samsung messages targets T-Mobile RCS servers and switching back and forth through Android Messages and Samsung messages will temporally lock out and a restart is required.  Android Messages just started to connect T-Mobile RCS network instead of their own Jibe.  It has connection issues and at times messes up sending basic text messages until it connected again.  

 

settings → connections → sim card manager

turn off sim 1 and then turn it back on after 10 seconds.  This will happen from time to time.  So far it’s been like that since release day and it happens to random people at random times.  It fixes for some then breaks for others.

 

 

Did not work. Turned SIM 1 off for 30 seconds, then back on. Also rebooted. 

After forwarding, I get a message that the text was forwarded, but it does not come through on the receiving end. 

Ugh…

Did this from a Note 20 to an S,22 Ultra. 

T-Mobile to Verizon. 

 The Forwarded SMS will not forward myself on T-Mobile either. 

 

Have you tried forwarding a text message that wasn’t a short code?  

Badge

Are you using Samsung Messages, or Android Messages?  

It only happens when forwarding messages only?  Everything works correctly other than forwarding messages?

 

This may sound kind of stupid, turn off your sim then turn it back on in your settings for about 10 seconds.  RCS interoperability is so messed up on the S22 series.  Samsung messages targets T-Mobile RCS servers and switching back and forth through Android Messages and Samsung messages will temporally lock out and a restart is required.  Android Messages just started to connect T-Mobile RCS network instead of their own Jibe.  It has connection issues and at times messes up sending basic text messages until it connected again.  

 

settings → connections → sim card manager

turn off sim 1 and then turn it back on after 10 seconds.  This will happen from time to time.  So far it’s been like that since release day and it happens to random people at random times.  It fixes for some then breaks for others.

 

 

Did not work. Turned SIM 1 off for 30 seconds, then back on. Also rebooted. 

After forwarding, I get a message that the text was forwarded, but it does not come through on the receiving end. 

Ugh…

Did this from a Note 20 to an S,22 Ultra. 

T-Mobile to Verizon. 

 The Forwarded SMS will not forward myself on T-Mobile either. 

 

Have you tried forwarding a text message that wasn’t a short code?  

I just spent 20 minutes typing a reply and an error occured and lost my entire reply. Here goes again.. 

I took the SIM out of the Note 20, placed it in the LG-V20.   In the V-20 I could receive texts, but not send or forward them. 

I took the SIM back out of the V-20 and placed it back in the Note 20 Ultra 5G. 

Now the Note 20 could not send texts in any way shape or form, but can receive them. . An error kept popping up saying SIM card data changed, Device will reset automatically. Well, it didn't. 

I called T-Mobile tech support and spoke to an agent. He checked and found a fatal error on the SIM card. 

The agent told me (and I never heard of this one...), that when a SIM is not connected to the network for an extended period of time it loses connectivity and developed an unrecoverable error. The tech said they have had other instances of this. My phone was off for 29 days. 

The tech said he would note in my account what the issue is and I should go to a T-Mobile store and get a new SIM at no charge to me. The store would activate the SIM. 

I refused to go to a T-Mobile store. 

When my girlfriend and I first opened this account, my line could only periodically receive calls. There was a bad network switch in my area. Tech support thought it was a SIM card issue. 

So I went to a T-Mobile store after my girlfriend and I were dead tired from being at a Memorial day party at her parents house all day long. 

The store issued me a new SIM card and activated it with my girlfriend's phone number. I figured out the mistake they made by calling my Verizon phone and her caller id would show up. She totally lost service. At this time she was 15 miles away at her apartment. So the store had to issue me a new SIM card again and issue my girlfriend a new SIM card which I had to run down to her. 

This time the T-Mobile technician is going to UPS me a new SIM and call me on my Verizon phone Thursday evening to activate it. He also said he would send me his information after our phone call which he did not. 

If what he said is true about the SIM developing an unrecoverable error from non-use, it's fascinating, but frightening. What do you do in an emergency when you keep a second phone for an emergency backup?

Its been a great T-Mobile experience!  

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So the saga continues..…

I actually did go to a T-Mobile store in Harrisburg PA. 

The store replaced the SIM and activated it. Still no outbound texting was available to me. 

The service tech placed my new SIM in one of their display phones and still no outgoing texting was enabled. 

The store called T-Mobile tech support. Now this is about an hour into it... 

Tech support found a spam block placed on my line because the T-Mobile computer algorithm falsely detected hundreds of outgoing spam texts from my phone number. 

The agents checked and found zero activity on my line for the last two months. I literally turn the phone on once a month to forward the T-Mobile billing text to my girlfriend. 

Now here's the good part. The support agent from T-Mobile escalated the trouble ticket and I was told the absolute soonest the bogus spam block could be removed was November 9th. 

Now I was livid!  I politely left the store, came home and called T-Mobile support myself. 

The agent named John from last bight's 1 hour phone conversation who claimed the SIM was bad never did send me his information!  Surprise!  

This time I spoke to another tech support agent named John who claims he will call tomorrow night with the engineering department's solution.

I replied if the computer algorithm falsely flagged my account this month, what's to say it won't happen again next month.

All I do is forward the T-Mobile billing text to my girlfriend each month.

I have this line as a backup to Verizon, should there be an emergency where Verizon is down and I need to text or call for help. I have a heart condition.  Verizon has gone down for hours when they push updates to the towers and they fail.

I have literally got about 6 hours of my time  into this now trying to get it resolved between store visits and phone calls.

This is definitely elevating my blood pressure! 

Complete incompetence. 

 

 

Userlevel 7
Badge +14

Unfortunately this is election season and someone may be spoofing your phone number and people are reporting it as spam which may have caused it to be flagged. I know I report any political text as spam no matter what side.

Hopefully this all gets straightened out for you.

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Unfortunately this is election season and someone may be spoofing your phone number and people are reporting it as spam which may have caused it to be flagged. I know I report any political text as spam no matter what side.

Hopefully this all gets straightened out for you.

I thought of that as well!

One would think that the programmers that wrote the flagging code would have the algorithm check the user account for activity before arbitrarily flagging the account as spam. 

T-Mobile checked and found no activity after the spam block was already in effect. 

This has caused a great deal of hardship which I am still fighting!

As of Thursday 11/3/2022, the spam block was lifted. It then takes 24 to 48 hours before you can send outgoing text messages. 

So, Saturday 11/5/2022 at 9:53 am Eastern time I should have been able to text. 

I can text to everyone but my girlfriend on the sane account. I cannot text her and she cannot text me. Well, we can text each other, the texts just do not go through. 

The spam block messed up something deep within our account that the engineers are still trying to figure out. 

What a bunch of.......

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