Message not sent, tap for options

[Delta306]

Hello. I've recently switched to Bell from another carrier.

It's really annoying, but quite often I try to sent a text and can't seem to fix it. Basically what happens is it won't get sent. It will tell me the message wasn't sent and either wait for recipient to become online, or to tap for further options, which ironically is to send via text, which I'm already doing. I've had it only a couple times before I switched over from another carrier.

I'm quite techy, but I've tried everything I could think of and even trying to look it up online wasn't helpful. Sometimes I get this message almost straight away, other times I don't get it for hours. Anyone have any idea on what to try next?

Thanks.

[BellAntgio · Accepted solution]

Hey there @Delta306, 

Welcome to the Community and thanks for your post. 

It sounds like you're using an alternate messaging service, such as iMessage or Advanced Messaging by Google.

• Can you confirm the make and model of your phone.
• Have you recently changed from an Apple to an Android phone or vice versa?
• If using an alternate messaging service, have you tried strictly using the phones standard messaging app?

For anyone that may be facing issues with text, picture and video messages, check out our Mobility How To's titled Troubleshooting text, picture and video messages.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

[Giovanni2]

Hi all, new here, but a Bell customer for many years for home and Internet.

I was on Rogers for cell for a long time for business purposes but no longer needed business. Recently was offered a pretty good plan from Bell so I took advantage of it.

I am on the 5th day of being on the new Bell account. I have not been able to receive text message from anyone that is not with Bell. All others, Rogers, Fido, etc. are not showing up.

I have spoken to umpteen different people and passed around like a soccer ball, was even escalated twice and have yet to hear back from anyone about a solution. I was told it could take up to 48 hours for the port to be finalized. Well I am on day 5. I find that hard to believe since I could make a phone call and receive one immediately.

I was in a Bell store locally yesterday. Switched phones, Sim cards and still the same problem. He finally said the best way is to create a new line with Bell, then transfer over my number. But of course, he cant give me the plan that was given to me through the promo. So I decided to hold off.

I really cant understand how they don't know what the problem is, and so far nobody is willing to admit the problem. Many have told me that its with my phone, when clearly its not. I swapped out my sim with my wife's sim and my phone received text messages from everyone no problem. There was absolutely no issue prior to swapping to Bell. 

Wondering if anyone experienced this before or what a solution may be?

[dks]

Thank you for your question. Can you be specific about the manufacturer and model of phone you have? 

[Giovanni2]

I have a Samsung S21FE. But like I mentioned... we have ruled out the phone being an issue.

[dks]

I agree, it's probably not the phone itself. There are any number of possibilities, though. As it is a long weekend, it may take a few days for the Bell staff here to take notice, so anything I say would be a guess. I don't want to send you on a wild Easter bunny chase. 

[Giovanni2]

Thanks, any help appreciated. This is very frustrating as I cant keep in touch with family members easily other than having to place a call. 

Also frustrating as I dont seem to get anything accomplished every time I call them... and I spend 2-3 hours on the phone with them. I think I have told the entire story to at least 10 different people on the phone. I start from scratch everytime I call. Its just not right!

[dks]

If we can keep the details in this thread, then you won't have to tell your story over and over again. If the Bell staff see it, they will send you a private message asking for specifics. Unfortunately, with the long weekend, I have no idea if they are off or not. I'm just a community volunteer. 

[BellKris]

Hi there, @Giovanni2. Welcome to the Bell Community, and thanks for your post.

We're happy to hear that you've taken the time to proactively speak to Support otherwise, even if you had not received an immediate outcome to your liking. During those conversations, were you able to open a ticket with Tech Support for further investigation? If so, there would be no need to be calling in repeatedly and speaking to new representatives each time; while the frustration is understandable, issues such as these regrettably cannot be resolved immediately and take time.

If you do have a ticket open, that's great! If you don't hear back from Tech Support personally, you're welcome to follow up with them periodically (2-3 days) to see what the status is of your ticket.

If not, let us know and we'll be happy to assist. Looking forward to hearing back from you.

[Giovanni2]

Success, not sure how or why, but texts started coming in this morning. took a while. They did call me back after everything was working. Which was no longer to any point.

If this is something that just took this long to properly port everything over, I think they should really re-think the strategy of porting. Took a total of 7 days for it to work.

[JezebelRising]

This currently happening to us as well. I switched to Bell today, along with 6 other phone numbers (kids and husband) and my phone is the only one that can send and receive texts from people with other providers. No one of the other 6 phones can. And several of my kids need their texting for work and school purposes so if it going to take 7 days to fix the issue we will very quickly not be Bell customers any longer.

[dks · Accepted solution]

There is a very thorough article with troubleshooting tips on the issue of not being able to receive text messages here. 

https://support.bell.ca/mobility/Using_my_device/troubleshooting_text_messaging 

If you find after these suggestions that your difficulty continues, you will have to contact Bell Mobility technical Support and open a ticket. You can reach Bell Mobility Technical support here:

Call 1 800 667-0123 Or dial *611 from any Bell mobile device 7 days a week: 6 a.m. to midnight

[Aaron K]

Hi there, 

I recently moved my service to Bell from Rogers. Shortly after the move, I couldn't get any texts, and voicemail still went to my old Rogers inbox. Within half an hour or so, the problem seems to have cleared up. 

However, it's now four days later, and I still can't receive texts (specifically SMS) messages from SOME contacts.

Things I have already tried:

Restarting the phone

Turning airplane mode on and then off

Using different apps, and deleting conversation threads

Double checking my APN settings

Strangely, all of the contacts are able to receive SMS and MMS messages sent from me, and I asked one of them to send me an image/MMS back, and that one actually did come through - but he followed up via a regular text/SMS message, and it didn't show up. Likewise, another one of these contacts called me, and the call came through perfectly. 

I'm at my wit's end. The three people that I know can't text me have different types/brands of phones, and are on a couple different networks, so I can't find a common thread between them.

I'm using a Samsung Galaxy A71, which should be fully supported on Bell's network, and my texting works fine with most of my contacts.

Any help is greatly appreciated. 

[BellKris · Accepted solution]

Good morning, @Aaron K. Welcome to the Bell Community, and thanks for your post.

We wanted to check in and see what the current status of your issue with receiving SMS messages. If you're still experiencing issues, we'd recommend some additional troubleshooting beyond what you've already done:

• Insert your current Bell SIM into another phone to test if it's a phone issue, or
• insert another SIM card into your phone to test if it's a SIM issue. Just as an example, you could use a SIM card from a friend or family member.

If services work fine with a different SIM card in your phone, you'll need to pick up a replacement SIM. This can be done at any local Bell store with a valid piece of photo ID and your account info on hand. You check out our Store Locator if you're unsure where your closest location may be.

If when inserting a different SIM card into your phone you continue to experience the same issue, you'll need to contact the manufacturer for further assistance as it is most likely an issue with your phone. Check out Samsung's Help & Contact Us page for more details.

Give that a try, and let the Community know how it goes. Looking forward to hearing back from you.