IPhone texting problem

[lheintzman]

This probably needs an iPhone guru since my cell experience is limited and strictly Android. Yesterday, i switched a family member from Freedom to Public Mobile. Set up everything, porting included, in advance using an old Nexus 5 then drove across Southern Ontario and put the SIM into an iPhone. (I'm told it was a 4s, although there's some reason to doubt the exact model.) Phone calls, data and text exchanges between different iphones work fine. Texting to Androids also works,. The one snag: this thing cannot receive texts from an android.

Setup included making sure that both iMessages and SMS texting were on. Turning the phone off and on does not fix it. I'm guessing that the problem is caused by an improperly seated SIM card.

Here's the question. Is there a way to check the theory or further diagnose the problem remotely? The iPhone is now some distance away and while the user can operate it pretty well, he does not have the motor skills to do something physical like opening the SIM drawer.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be much appreciated.

[Korth]

I very much doubt an improperly seated SIM card would cause this sort of malfunction.

SIM cards are basically like the ignition key for your car. If they work then the car drives. If they don't work then the car can't drive. There might still be problems under the hood, but they're not problems caused by using the wrong key.

Still, the easiest way to prove/disprove the suspicion is to swap the SIM card into another phone. And swap the other phone's SIM card into your phone. Send some test messages, see what happens. You can clean the electrical contacts on the SIM card (and in the phone's SIM slot, if it's accessible) if you like.

And login Self-Serve to confirm you do have Text provisioned on your account/service. Every Public Mobile plan includes Text but strange bugs have been discovered before.

I suspect the cause is an iMessage vs SMS setting. Methodically toggle through them through all combinations, eventually it'll either work or you'll run out of combinations and confirm these settings are not the problem.

It might be an APN (mis)configuration thing. Make sure your iPhone has the correct APN settings for Public Mobile (including "APN Type=default,mms"). Then restart the device to ensure changes take effect.

https://www.publicmobile.ca/en/bc/get-help/articles?q=apn

Another possibility is that your local cell sites (SMSCs and data handlers) are not providing working service. You can test this by sending/receiving messages when in range of different (Telus, Bell, SaskTel) towers.

https://www.ertyu.org/steven_nikkel/cancellsites.html

[HALIMACS]

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@mm80 wrote:

@HALIMACS The post did say calling worked but it didn't specifically say incoming calls.  It looks like your were right. I was just trying to cover all possibilities.

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No, it specifically said incoming texting from an Android was the problem.   The OP was specific on that point, thus driving the potential iMessage vs Chat settings probability.

I agree with you, @mm80 ,  most of the time we're all just taking shots while blind-folded.

Keep up the great work!!!

[mm80]

@HALIMACS The post did say calling worked but it didn't specifically say incoming calls.  It looks like your were right. I was just trying to cover all possibilities.

[HALIMACS]

@lheintzman 

I'll take a stout.   🤣

[HALIMACS]

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@mm80 wrote:

@HALIMACS  What if porting failed? Texts from iphones woild be received because of imessage but text from anyone else woildn't come because they're going to the old carrier sim.

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@mm80  Could be an incomplete port, I suppose.  

Calling appears to (from what i understand in initial post) function.   Typically, incoming calling is the last service to complete.   I'm less of an iPhone person as well.  

[lheintzman]

@HALIMACS

It was the Android "chat" feature. Can't tell you how much time and effort you've just saved me. Thanks so much. Definitely owe you a beer. 👍

[mm80]

@HALIMACS  What if porting failed? Texts from iphones woild be received because of imessage but text from anyone else woildn't come because they're going to the old carrier sim.

[HALIMACS · Accepted solution]

@lheintzman 

If you're ONLY unable to receive texts from Android, it has something to do with your Messaging likely being set to iMessage only.   

I would recommend setting that to Automatic (or if it's set to iMessage only, to remove that setting).

The other alternative is the Android device sending the text needs its messaging settings adjusted away from 'chat' only and to automatic.

[mm80]

@lheintzman Do you get phone calls? I think porting might not be finished.  Put the Freedom sim back in and see if texts from Android users are received.