Need phone geek help
2My kid just got a cheap android phone (Galaxy J 7 sky). She called me on it. I made a contact from that call. I then texted her and someone else got the text. It never showed up on her phone. That someone else texted back and kept saying “stranger danger” over and over and “report”; they asked me who I was, just weird stuff. It wasn’t my kid being a jerk.
My kid can text me and when I reply she never sees it. When I text she never sees it. Whomever my texts are going to isn’t answering anymore. I am presuming that person blocked me somehow. My kid says on her phone I am not listed as blocked. What the heck is going on? And more importantly, how do we fix this?
She seldom answers her phone so I have to mostly text her and now I can’t. I am using someone’s old iphone 5 which is locked to AT&T and I buy straight talk cards, it works how it should except for this.
If anyone has any clue what the heck is going on and how to fix it I’d sure appreciate it. Googling didn’t really help as the answers were for when both people had iphones. Oh I texted her from someone else’s phone and it went through just fine.
- 9 comments, 26 replies
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Just gathering data here.
When you texted successfully from someone else’s phone, was the borrowed phone also an iPhone?
Are you and child in the same area code?
The fact that someone else got the text when you first texted her makes me wonder is something is wonky (that’s a technical term) with her number, and I’m interested to know whether you are in one of those overlay areas, where there are multiple area codes covering the same area. SoCal had this, last time I paid attention, including numbers such as 323 and 213. My memory might be wrong on the prefixes, and I haven’t been in California in many years.
Interesting problem. I know, you just want it fixed, but it’s certainly odd.
@Shrdlu
Borrowed phone was net10 clamshell
area code the same
only one area code and the city shown makes sense (that city listed as where the phone is is about 25 miles from me. On a landline you’d have to dial 1 from here)
Have you tried 611? It might take a couple of attempts to get to someone that cares enough to look into it. The fact that it works from other phones means I’d start with your phone. 611 should be a free call.
Also, tell your kid to answer the damn phone when it’s you calling.
@djslack No haven’t tried 611. Never heard of that. Will try in the morning when I am less tired.
In addition to the inquiries above, I’m curious if her phone was previously owned when she acquired it? Could be something wonky in the local settings on her phone perhaps?
It’s been ages since I’ve been an Android hack, but my first Android phone was an HTC Windows phone I converted to Android 2.4. During the initial “working out the bugs” process, I experienced anomalies of a similar nature. My phone was sending a “reply to” number in texts which resulted in successful sent texts, but replies would be misdirected.
@ruouttaurmind I asked her that and she claims bought new. To be quite honest my first thought was did she steal it… (troubled kid I adopted as a grade schooler), but that still wouldn’t explain why if I call her I get her but if I text her I do not, I get someone else who is now not answering me.
@Kidsandliz It could be a forwarded number, that’s why.
@CatsAreGods but wouldn’t then it forward calls too not just text messages?
@Kidsandliz Txt msgs don’t forward, only calls.
It’s a conundrum to be sure.
@ruouttaurminddown further it was suggested that my kid needs to deregister her phone from that number’s previous use on an iphone. The url to do so is down further. I am hoping this is the solution.
@ruouttaurmind That was my thought, yes.
We have to dial the entire number when calling one another, even though we’re in the same area code. 1+xxx+xxx-xxxx
@lisaviolet Here in Tulsa, we ran out of phone numbers. So now they use an “overlay” of a second, new area code. So all of us with the “old” area code have to use all 10 digits to dial. Sometimes with a +1 in the little towns around us.
It’s great in the 918 baby.
@therealjrn When northern Virginia ran out of numbers they took our area code away and gave it to them. I had to memorize three new digits. Bastards.
@sammydog01 Those assholes!
@lisaviolet we have to dial the entire number here too, even though there is only one area code.
@sammydog01 That seems like a NoVa thing to do.
-Maryland
When you send the text on the iPhone is it displayed in a green bubble or a blue bubble. If it’s in a blue bubble the message is being sent via imessage and since your daughter has an Android device it means her phone number was previously used by an iPhone and was never unregistered. Try disabling imessage and you should he able to text her that way. Although that is not optimal.
@stilesja How do I disable imessage? And is there a way to get her number unregistered from the iphone? When I send to her it is in a blue bubble. When she sent to me it was in a gray bubble.
There is someone without an iphone and when I send to him it is in a green bubble.
Does disabling imessage just affect her or everyone I send to and what are the other consequences of doing that (well other than now being able to text her)?
@awk @stilesja I found the apple site to deregister my kid’s phone from imessages. She has to be involved as I will need the code she is given. Hopefully she will return my call in the morning so we can get this done.
This seems like the most likely problem.Thank you.
Here is the website and explanation for others if they were to ever move from iphone to android and have a problem
https://selfsolve.apple.com/deregister-imessage
@stilesja Stellar thought. I neglected to consider this.
@Kidsandliz, go to Settings, scroll down to Messaging, unselect the iMessage option
@ruouttaurmind If I do that how does that affect me? Does it remove features from texting? Does it cause me other problems as collateral damage of doing this?
@Kidsandliz
Difference between iMessage and regular text: https://www.payetteforward.com/difference-between-imessage-text-messages-iphone/
@DVDBZN Thanks. I will have to read it later as I am trying to get out of town for a 1000 mile drive by 10 or so am.
@Kidsandliz You’ll want to use that apple site to disassociate iMessage with your daughters phone, otherwise you would be disabling iMessage for everyone and its much better than regular sms.
@stilesja Thanks. I will deal with it later this week. I am in the middle of a 1000 miles drive (about ready to get back on the road). Sounds like this will work which is good since it is a simple cure.
I think I have the solution. Won’t know until morning when/if my kid calls me so I can do this while she is on the phone (involves putting in her number, they send a text, enter the number in the text)
https://selfsolve.apple.com/deregister-imessage
With luck this will do that. THANK YOU FOLKS!!! I even called apple and no one there suggested this. Sigh.
@Kidsandliz the above explanation would not have occurred to me but it makes sense.
Note the plain old SMS texting environment is not that reliable (ironic given the issues you’ve had with iMessage). It can be really wonky especially when your cell signal is weak.
iMessage normally works great since it routes the messages thru Apple’s servers and when it is an iMessage to iMessage dialog can send a read receipt confirmation.
When you are in a weak cell signal building but have wifi available, iMessage can work where normal SMS text messaging fails since it uses the Internet.
If one of the texters is not on an Apple phone and in a weak cell signal building with wifi, then switching to a messaging app like Whatsapp should work well as long as both ends have Whatsapp of course. Whatsapp has the privacy advantage of 128 bit encryption device to device. Whatsapp is even available for Windows phones.
@RedOak Thanks for the information on the difference between the two. I am not all that geeky with respect to the finer details of how this crap works. I can google and if I manage to think hard enough generally I can figure out a lot, but I am too tired right now…
I’d just install my Instant messaging app of choice, Telegram on both devices. Has the added benifit of being able to use it from a PC as well from any mobile device you put it on.
I learned something today. Since I have not nor will I ever own an Apple Phone, it explains a bit to me why some of my iPhoney friends send wonky messages and none of my android buddies do.
I live in So Cal so out of range is a rare thing.
Go Android!
Hehe
@Cerridwyn Me, either.
Those phones aren’t available as free phones from the Cricket store.
@Cerridwyn I find this ironic. As an iPhone user the only wonky messages I get are from Android users. Often their longer messages get broken up into smaller ones and tend to arrive out of sequence.
@cinoclav THIS!
First, a text message should be a quick, to the point message. If you must go on for three freakin’ paragraphs… uh, email?
But when I receive these missives the bits arrive all scrambled and it’s like solving a mystery to figure out WTH the message is on about.
Again, Telegram. Works cross platform and sends anything you want. Can even make video calls on it. And it’s encrypted. No stupid snapchat doggy overlays just chat, that I use anyway.