Have you experienced an EE error 38 or error 28 while sending a text message from your mobile device? Do you see a “resend or delete” text message option rather than “Message sent”? Don’t sweat, we have researched and found some of the easiest fixes for these errors.
EE Mobile is one of the most popular mobile service providers in the UK. However, this telecom company sometimes faces some issues in its network. The most common of them are error 38 and error 28. These errors won’t let you send and receive text messages locally and internationally.
It is irritating for someone not to be able to communicate through text messages even if they have the balance on their account or good cellular signal strength. If you are experiencing the same issues, this guide can help you resolve these errors.
What Is EE Error 38 and Error 28?
A lot of people have reported that when they subscribed to EE and typed a text message, they couldn’t get it delivered. The same thing happens when someone else tries to send them text messages as well. All they get is an error 38 along with a notification that displays “message sending failed”.
Error 28 acts in the same way as error 38. However, people experience error 28 when they try to send text messages to international numbers.
Why does EE Error 38 and 28 occur?
There can be a few reasons why you are experiencing an EE error 38 or error 28 such as:
- You are trying to send or receive text messages to your contacts that you have blocked on your phone
- Your text message limit has been reached
- EE is experiencing a network issue in your area
- The person to who you are sending a text message is not a subscriber to a mobile network anymore
- Corrupted mobile phone or mobile device software
- Your mobile network service provider’s SIM is malfunctioning
- EE message centre number is incorrect in the mobile settings
How to fix the EE error 38?
You can try to fix error 38 with a few quick and simple techniques. Let us take a look at each of them.
Block List and Airplane Mode
The first thing you can do is to check if your mobile phone is in Airplane mode. If you see the Airplane logo, unselect it.
Secondly, you can check whether the contact you are trying to send a text message to hasn’t been accidentally placed in your block list. Tap the three dots on your contact screen and check the status of your blocked/unblocked contacts.
If you see the contact number there, unblock it. If your contact number is not there, move on to other fixes in this guide.
Software Update
Sometimes, if your phone’s software is outdated, it can interfere with the Phone’s Messaging feature. A few people got their 38 error fixed by just updating their mobile software. Therefore, make sure that you’ve done the same.
Reset and Reboot
Most of the time, restarting a mobile device fixes the ee 38 error. If you did this and still can’t send or receive text messages, you can perform a factory reset of your phone. Before resetting the phone, remember to backup your data.
Afterwards, go to your mobile device settings and do a factory reset. Your mobile phone/device will reboot. When you see the home screen, wait for a few seconds so that your mobile service provider settings catches up with the new factory configuration. Finally, verify the fix by sending a text message to your contact.
Network Settings
Mobile network setting can have problems connecting to a cellular network that can cause 28 and 38 error codes. You can reset your phone’s network settings to see if it fixes the issue.
For android phones:
- Go to settings–>Apps
- Tap on General management
- Tap on Reset
- Select Reset Network Settings
- Restart your mobile device and verify the fix by sending a text message to your desired contact
For iPhones:
- Go to settings–>General
- Tap on Reset
- Tap on Reset Network Settings
- Restart the phone and confirm you can send text messages
Check Message Center Number
You can check the message centre number on your phone to see if you are on the EE network.
- On your mobile device/phone, go to Messaging
- Tap on the three dots on the upper corner OR select “More” and Tap Settings
- Select Advanced settings
- Select SMS centre number
- Enter +447958879879 in the field and tap OK
- Restart the phone and verify the fix
Check Your SIM Card
Your SIM card can be the culprit that is causing 38 and 28 error codes. To check it, perform the following steps one by one.
- Turn off your mobile phone, take out the SIM card and put it back on.
- Open SIM card settings and reactivate the SIM.
- Go to Settings–>Network–>Network operator–>Choose “Automatic”
If the 28 and 38 error persists at this stage, use another SIM card from EE to check that you can send the text messages or not. If you can, it means something is wrong with your SIM card. You should replace it immediately.
If another SIM card does not solve your issue, it can mean that your SIM card slot is damaged. Take your phone to a service centre and get it fixed.
How To Fix The EE Error 28?
As mentioned above, EE error 28 happens for the same reasons as error 38. Most of the time, if you apply the fixes in this guide, you can troubleshoot error 28 as well.
However, there is another reason for error 28. As this error normally happens with international texting, you can check to see if your EE package supports it.
When you buy an EE package, it includes usage limits for internet, calls, and SMS. Although you can call on international numbers, it does not necessarily mean that you can send text messages on these numbers as well.
This happens when you are using a mobile package and have no balance on your PAYG. You may need to top-up the credit to make calls and send text messages internationally.
Conclusion
We have tried our best to provide you with answers regarding EE error code 28 and 38. If you are still unable to solve this issue, you can contact EE customer support for further assistance.
