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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchIf texts stopped sending after you switched Android messaging apps, first confirm the app you want is selected as the phone’s default SMS app. Then identify whether the failure affects ordinary SMS, photo or group MMS, or RCS chats: each uses different settings and services. Changing the default app does not by itself mean your message history was deleted.
Start by identifying what is failing
Before changing settings, note whether messages fail to send or incoming messages are missing, whether the issue affects every recipient or just one, and whether it happens in one app or all messaging apps. These distinctions help separate a default-app problem from a contact issue, RCS registration, MMS data settings, or a carrier restriction.
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- Only one messaging app fails: check the Android default SMS selection first.
- Only one person is affected: check that person’s number and your blocked-contact list; for an international number, confirm the country code.
- Photos or group messages fail but plain texts work: investigate MMS and mobile data.
- Messages are missing after switching apps: check RCS registration as well as the default app.
- Texts fail in multiple apps or to all recipients: check device service and then ask the carrier about your line.
Set the intended app as the default SMS app
Android uses a designated default SMS handler. If you want to send and receive ordinary texts in a particular app, select it as the SMS app; setting an app’s default does not itself repair a carrier or network problem. Android’s labels vary by phone maker and version.
- Open Settings and go to Apps.
- Open Default apps, then SMS app (the exact wording can vary).
- Select the messaging app you intend to use.
- Open that app and send a test SMS to a known working number.
In Google Messages, you can also follow its prompt to make it the default app. Google says message history can be viewed in Google Messages after setup, and new texts are sent and received in the selected default messaging app. Google explains that SMS history is stored in the device’s SMS database and may be accessed by other apps, so a default-app change should not be assumed to have erased it: Google Messages setup and default-app guidance.
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Check signal, SIM, account, and the recipient
If the default is correct, check basic phone and account conditions before resetting app settings. Google’s troubleshooting guidance recommends checking the SIM, signal, airplane mode, plan or balance, app updates, and carrier support for the message type: Google Messages troubleshooting.
- Install any available update for Google Messages if you use it.
- Confirm the SIM is seated correctly and the phone has cellular signal; turn airplane mode off.
- Check that your plan or prepaid balance allows messaging and that your carrier supports the type of message you are sending.
- If the error is limited to one person, recheck the number, blocked contacts, and international country code.
If an error explicitly says a message is blocked or Premium SMS is restricted, follow the carrier or app guidance for that specific restriction rather than treating it as a default-app failure.
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Reset RCS if incoming messages or chats stopped working
RCS chats are separate from ordinary SMS. Google notes that switching messaging apps can require turning RCS off if messages are no longer received. If you still have the previous phone, disable RCS there so the number is no longer associated with that device’s RCS setup. For RCS that is not syncing in Google Messages, use Messages settings > RCS chats, turn RCS off, then turn it on again. Google also provides a remote deactivation option if the old device is unavailable: Turn off RCS chats.
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While RCS is off, its features are suspended. Google says that if RCS is not turned back on within 30 days, you are removed from all RCS group chats. After re-enabling it, test with an RCS contact; if ordinary SMS works but RCS does not, the remaining problem is with RCS support, connectivity, or registration rather than the SMS default alone.
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When SMS works but photos or group MMS do not
MMS has different requirements from plain SMS. If ordinary texts send but photos or group messages fail, check that mobile data is available and reset the phone’s APN settings to the carrier defaults. APN menus differ by manufacturer and carrier, so use the carrier’s instructions for your model rather than entering guessed values.
For group messages, check the group messaging mode in the messaging app. Group MMS keeps replies in one shared thread; a mass-text SMS setting can instead deliver replies as separate conversations. Google’s troubleshooting checklist covers mobile data, APN reset, and group-message settings: Google Messages troubleshooting.
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When to contact your carrier
Contact the carrier if the default-app, device-state, recipient, and applicable RCS or MMS checks have not restored service—especially if texts fail across apps or to multiple people. Ask the carrier to check SMS/MMS service provisioning, account restrictions, and network service on the line. App settings cannot remove a line-level restriction. Google recommends checking carrier support and plan balance; AT&T states that blocked text or data service prevents RCS from working: AT&T RCS support.
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