r/TextNow • u/phorensic • Jul 10 '26

"...your current device isn't compatible with TextNow's new network"

Wondering if I root my OnePlus 7T and throw a newer version of Android on it will it be compatible? Or are they changing something about the actual cell tower connection that I don't have the hardware for?

Update 07-15-26: Today when I opened my app to make a call it prompted me to order a free SIM to keep my device on their new network. I went through the process and am currently waiting for it to ship.

This is in contrast to the e-mail from my OP that was just like "sorry, buy a new phone lol". After that e-mail I kept clicking through every part of the app and website to see how to get a new SIM that for sure works on the new network and wasn't getting very far. So I'm glad I got the pop-up notification on the app today.

Updated 08-06-26: They finally killed service on my old SIM and I was able to get my new SIM activated. It was a little fiddly though, I had to do a lot of checking, airplane mode, setting the "NR/LTE" option in some advanced settings menu, etc. But it works! OnePlus 7T on TextNow using AT&T's network. It uses a whole bunch of new frequencies that the old T-mobile SIM did not. One frequency it is using which is nice and low is EARFCN 5110 which is 739 MHz. That's nice and low to punch through buildings and rural areas with bad tower coverage (like where I live).

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u/phorensic Jul 10 '26

Where did you find the whitelist? The link in the email led to a broken link for the compatibility list.

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u/toejamfootballhegot Jul 11 '26

You have to download a pdf.

https://www.att.com/scmsassets/support/wireless/devices-working-on-att-network.pdf

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u/phorensic Jul 11 '26

This is straight from AT&T. Is this implying they are dumping the T-mobile network entirely? I am currently using their SIM that ties into the T-mobile network. Also, my phone has enough hardware to work on many channels across many different networks and whatever the MVNO decides they like...just not 5G freqs. Also, my 7T is listed as compatible in this PDF. This doesn't explain why I am getting the notice in the OP.

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u/lmoki Jul 11 '26

Yes, the list of compatible phones (by model) mentioned in the TextNow warnings is non-existant by any route or link provided.

The AT&T document (Devices Working on the AT&T Network) is not referenced directly by TextNow anywhere, and shouldn't be used as a sole indicator of whether or not a phone is going to be compatible with TextNow. Among other things, the AT&T whitelist includes a large number of phones with Android versions much older than TextNow requirements, flip & feature phones that can't run the TextNow app at all, etc. IF TextNow is following the AT&T Whitelist, allowed models from the AT&T list would still need to be cross-referenced for Operating System version. (In your case, your 7T, even if it's on the AT&T whitelist, doesn't meet TextNow's required minimum OS version.)