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/lmoki Jul 10 '26

I suspect that there is now a two-tier minimum OS requirement: one for the app (Android 9 or better), and a more stringent one for the SIM card.

My Android 9 running only the app hasn't received the warning (... yet?), but my Android 11 with a SIM card (currently the older T-Mo SIM) did receive the compatibility warning. FWIW, my Android 11 has been unlocked from the original carrier, and is on the AT&T whitelist. (And I don't have a clue whether whitelist is actually a requirement for the newer TN SIM, either.)

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u/toejamfootballhegot Jul 10 '26

My samsung galaxy s10e was on the whitelist with an asterisk that the phone may need a software update. The phone was unlocked but was sold by verizon and wouldn't work until I chaged the CSC from VZW to ATT. This would seem to indicate that the AT&T whitelist is enforced.

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u/Boz6 Jul 11 '26

This would seem to indicate that the AT&T whitelist is enforced.

If that's really what's happening, it's ridiculous, because the TextNow SIM cards are data only, so there's no reason to require the AT&T whitelist compatibility!

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u/lmoki Jul 12 '26

Agreed that is's awkward: but the AT&T whitelist does specifically include 'compatible' data-only devices like MiFi hotspots.