Are you wondering why is your BT SMS not working on your mobile phone? Are you not able to send or receive SMS on your BT SIM? Don’t fret; we will guide you on how to troubleshoot the issue on your cell phone.
Various BT plans offer you to send and receive unlimited SMS messages to and from other cell phones. If you are on a BT post-paid plan, you can use the texting service if you do not exceed the bill limit. However, as a pay-as-you-go customer, you can use the SMS service even if you run out of credit.
However, quite a few BT users complain that the BT SMS service is not working on their Android and iPhones phones. We’ll help you explain why your BT service malfunctions and what methods you can use to fix SMS issues at your end.
Why is my BT SMS not working?
If BT SMS is not working on your cellphone, it could be due to any one of the following reasons.
- The BT SMS center number is incorrect in your cell phone message settings.
- You are trying to send an SMS from an area where BT cellular signals are weak.
- You are typing more than the BT recommended letters or characters for an SMS.
- Your cell phone is running low on storage.
How do I fix my BT SMS?
Try the following troubleshooting steps to fix the SMS issues on your BT SIM card.
Check SIM card
SMS requires your SIM card to be fitted appropriately into the card slot. If your phone displays a “No SIM Card” message, reinsert your SIM card and try again.
If your cellphone still couldn’t detect your BT SIM card, insert the SIM into another phone or consult BT support for assistance – in case you want to replace the SIM card.
Check for a decent signal
When trying to send an SMS from their cellphone, many BT users fail to do so, and the message screen just shows the ‘sending’ process.
Thie ‘sending’ issue happens when you are in a weak BT signal area. You might be trying to send an SMS while you are in the basement of a shopping mall or waiting for your train in an underground station. To find a stronger BT cellular signal, try to move around a bit or send an SMS when you are in an open space.
Check SMS character length and country code
If you can’t send an SMS to someones, it could be that you are exceeding the BT message character limit. A standard SMS is 160 characters or less. Afterward, the SMS turns into an MMS, which might not be included in any BT free bundles.
Therefore, you need to ensure that you have additional spending set in your BT cellphone account to send the SMS. Otherwise, in this case, the only solution is to send an SMS that is 160 characters or less.
Furthermore, if you have saved a number sent from an SMS, it is usually stored in the contacts with the country code. In some cases, you can’t send an SMS to that particular saved contact. To fix this issue, edit the contact and strip the country code from it, and then try sending the SMS again.
Confirm SMS center number
Like APN settings in a cellphone, an SMS center number is critical for the regular messaging operation. If you can’t send any SMS, it could be that your cellphone has an incorrect ‘SMS center number’ in your message settings. The fix is relatively easy for this issue.
To do this:
- Tap on the Messaging app on your cellphone.
- Tap on the three dots on the upper right side of your cellphone screen and tap on Settings.
- Next, verify that the SMS Center number displays the +447785014311 for BT. If another number is mentioned, tap in the field and change the stated number with the correct one.
- Afterward, save your changes and try sending an SMS to your friends or family to see if the fix works.
Check phone storage
If your cellphone is low on storage, it can’t receive an SMS. Also, as the phone software saves the sent messages, you won’t be able to send the SMS from your BT SIM. To fix this issue, try uninstalling unused apps from your cellphone. Additionally, you can delete some media files in your cellphone gallery to make up for the lost storage.
How do you clear data on messaging app?
Another quick way to fix the “BT SIM not working” issues is to clear the Messaging app data. When you opt to do it, your messages won’t wipe off; instead, the process only removes the compiled data for the messaging app that might be causing an issue with the SMS sending and receiving operation.
To do this on an Android phone:
- Tap on the Settings icon on the cellphone’s home screen.
- Now scroll and tap on Apps Manager or Apps.
- Scroll and locate the Message app and tap on it.
- Next, tap on Storage and hit the Clear data and Clear cache buttons.
iPhone users can do it in the following way.
- Launch the Settings app on your iPhone and choose “General” from the menu.
- Next, navigate to iPhone storage and locate the Messaging app.
- Now tap on the Messaging app and then select “Offload App.”
After you are done clearing the Messaging app cache, restart your cellphone, and verify that the fix worked in your favor.
Conclusion
Hopefully, this guide answered your question as to why is my BT SMS not working. However, if you are still having problems sending or receiving SMS with your BT SIM, you may need to speak to a live CSR in BT customer service.
You can dial 0800-800-150 to get a live BT agent and tell the exact problem you face with the SMS service. Hopefully, the BT tech guys can sort out the issue for you. Good luck!
