Question

TMobile texts at 5 am

  • 2 October 2023
  • 10 replies
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Is there a way to change the time at which I get automated texts from T-Mobile. This morning I got a “cell phone tower has been upgraded text” at 5 am. I also regularly get notifications about bill pay at that hour too.

I understand that I can’t turn off account texts from TMobile. As a suicide prevention coordinator I also cannot put my phone on silent to get around those early morning texts. 


10 replies

Userlevel 7
Badge +11

Not sure if you have Android, or iOS, but on Android (newer ones), there’s a feature called ‘bedtime mode’ where you can filter out calls/text/alerts during the night.  You should be able to ‘mute’ T-Mobile texts vs. disable.  You might have to add the number into a ‘Contact’ first.

Userlevel 7
Badge +13

5 am is WAY too early to be getting automated text messages! The timing of those messages is based on your billing address time. Are you, by chance, living in a different time zone from the billing address listed on your account? If possible, for your situation, you can update that billing address to make sure that the messages are not sent before 8am your time. If the billing address is correct, then you would want to reach our customer support team to have them file an account error form. That will get someone on it to make sure that you are not getting those messages before 8am. 

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Thank you HeavenM. 

My billing address is in PST (even though the area code is EST). I reached out to customer service before posting here and they had no idea how to fix this. They suggested the “workaround” that formercanuck mentioned above. Since I had deleted the previous text that means I have to wait for the next one to be able to attempt to mute these texts.

Userlevel 7
Badge +13

Thank you HeavenM. 

My billing address is in PST (even though the area code is EST). I reached out to customer service before posting here and they had no idea how to fix this. They suggested the “workaround” that formercanuck mentioned above. Since I had deleted the previous text that means I have to wait for the next one to be able to attempt to mute these texts.

If your zip code is EST, then that explains why your messages are coming in at 5 AM if you live in PST. EST is three hours ahead of PST and the messages are supposed to deliver at 8 AM. Is there a reason that your zip code is EST? If you change that to a PST zip code, that should quickly resolve when you get those messages. 

Userlevel 7
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Personally, I always put my device in Do Not Disturb when I go to bed and don’t take it off of that until I get up.  If someone rings me 3 times in a row back to back though, the device will automatically ring for that call.  

Userlevel 5
Badge +7

If you have an iPhone, there are a couple of options.

  1.  Set the default Text Tone to None. Change it for specific people if you want to hear the notifications. 
  2. If you can’t use None by default because of your responsibilities, you could do the opposite - when a nuisance text comes in, save the sender to your contacts, and set the Text Tone to None.
Userlevel 7
Badge +11

Thank you HeavenM. 

My billing address is in PST (even though the area code is EST). I reached out to customer service before posting here and they had no idea how to fix this. They suggested the “workaround” that formercanuck mentioned above. Since I had deleted the previous text that means I have to wait for the next one to be able to attempt to mute these texts.

If your zip code is EST, then that explains why your messages are coming in at 5 AM if you live in PST. EST is three hours ahead of PST and the messages are supposed to deliver at 8 AM. Is there a reason that your zip code is EST? If you change that to a PST zip code, that should quickly resolve when you get those messages. 

That kinda sucks.  That wouldn't be great for those that travel often.  Almost better to set a rule for TMobile texts, or Scam Shield.  Im fortunate to not have to take late calls (often), and use the Samsung/ Android “Bedtime Mode”

Userlevel 4
Badge +5

Thank you HeavenM. 

My billing address is in PST (even though the area code is EST). I reached out to customer service before posting here and they had no idea how to fix this. They suggested the “workaround” that formercanuck mentioned above. Since I had deleted the previous text that means I have to wait for the next one to be able to attempt to mute these texts.

FWIW & if you don’t want to wait for the next one(s), T-Mobile alert short codes (as well as others) are listed at:

https://www.t-mobile.com/support/plans-features/self-service-short-codes

There’s a bunch of them. I use them in my contacts to identify T-Mobile alerts when text messages arrive and they’ll display the label I use rather than simply the number.  With mobile phone’s, obviously neither billing address nor the phone’s area code are reliable indicators of what time zone you’re currently in.

It sounds like T-Mobile is relying on the phone number’s area code from your description (current GPS location would be a better choice but the your messaging app would need to be smart enough to use it)

If you're uncertain about your mobile platform, whether it's Android or iOS, I can offer a solution tailored to Android, particularly on newer devices. Android's 'bedtime mode' feature allows you to effectively filter out incoming calls, messages, and alerts during the night. To manage T-Mobile texts, consider muting them rather than disabling completely. To do this, you may need to first add the T-Mobile number to your contacts.

 

 

Userlevel 7
Badge +11

Yeah - I almost want to use the ‘bedtime mode’ routines to keep spam calls away (i.e. ID’s not in my phonebook auto do not answer/voicemail), especially during election season and tax season

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