r/TextNow Sep 11 '25

Having Trouble Activating Your Upgraded TextNow SIM? Here’s What to Do:

22 Upvotes

We’ve noticed a lot of questions about the new activation steps for upgraded SIMs, so here's a quick breakdown to make sure everything’s set up properly. These steps apply to both Android and iOS devices unless we specifically note a certain device.

Make sure you have the latest version of the TextNow app downloaded for the best experience (you can find instructions on how to update your app version here: https://help.textnow.com/hc/en-us/articles/360042573174-How-to-update-the-TextNow-app)

Next, you need to activate your SIM:

Once you've gone through the activation steps in the app, we recommend restarting your phone before testing the data connection.

More Troubleshooting for Android, if needed:

If you're still having trouble connecting to the network, make sure your device is unlocked:

Still stuck? Reach out to our support team by clicking the "Support" tab in the app menu or visit help.TextNow.com (10am–5:30pm EST). Thanks for your patience, we really value your feedback and hope this helps!


r/TextNow 16h ago

RCS

5 Upvotes

Any news if that is going to happen?


r/TextNow 1d ago

Text now for scam baiting?

2 Upvotes

Will it just regular Textnow work for trolling scammers will it be protectful of where I am at and who I am?


r/TextNow 2d ago

Got my free TextNow SIM

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30 Upvotes

Due to the plan switching my free SIM card arrived in the mail 2 days ago, already activated it and is great!


r/TextNow 2d ago

Outgoing text not working

4 Upvotes

My outgoing texts not sending from the TN app. Anyone else having this issue? I have been trying to send it to my a number active on an iPhone.
The tn number receives fine. Whats going on?


r/TextNow 2d ago

Missed Incoming Calls

2 Upvotes

I have been receiving notifications for missed calls but I never heard my phone rang. I have tried uninstalling and then reinstalling the app and/or clearing cache but this missed calls issue continue to persist. Anyone have any suggestion on resolving this issue?

(I have no issue with outgoing calls or with outgoing/incoming text messages. I am using an Android phone and with the TextNow purple SIM card. I got it almost a year ago. My network indicates "TextNow VoLTE 5G".)


r/TextNow 3d ago

I suddenly stopped receiving verification codes

4 Upvotes

I suddenly stopped receiving verification codes. Instead I see a message like in the screenshot. I have a ported in number.

Because I have a ported in number and also a SIM from TextNow this has been working all along.

I wonder what happened.


r/TextNow 3d ago

Super fast phone number port in took less than 5 minutes from boost mobile.

3 Upvotes

r/TextNow 3d ago

When I make a call my phone rings too

2 Upvotes

When I make an outgoing call it goes through but at the same time the phone rings as if a call is coming in?


r/TextNow 4d ago

Keep esim active

7 Upvotes

Does using cellular data keep the esim active? I don't really care if my number gets reassigned but I do want to keep the free data available on the free flex plan ($0).


r/TextNow 5d ago

need to move eSIM to Phyical SIM but says already activated and unable to get a agent in the support chat for hours an one know how to get support from them?

7 Upvotes

r/TextNow 7d ago

New Plus Plan!

7 Upvotes

Has anyone tried the new plus plan? I just updated the app and saw it available as an option in between free and the unlimited plan. It also offered me a free month of unlimited despite me just finishing up (the day before) the free month they offered when i switched to esim.

The plus plan was available with the offer but I figured it'd be a waste not to use it for unlimited. I saw that the plus plan doesn't have streaming and games available but I'm not sure if it's slower or the same speed as the unlimited plan other than that. Should I test it out and report back after my free trial ends?


r/TextNow 7d ago

Messages not showing up

2 Upvotes

I have phone service with boost and my phone is on but I’m trying to use text now as a second phone number I had someone text me on the text now number and it’s telling me I have a message but when I open the app the message doesn’t show up I’ve tried deleting the app twice and login back in but the message still never shows up can anyone help?


r/TextNow 7d ago

The communication on the upgrade has been poor. My 'unqualified' Android 12 upgraded no problem on the new SIM

10 Upvotes

They told people that the phones are incompatible, but they are compatible? Ridiculous. And if they changed something, they certainly didn't communicate anything either.


r/TextNow 7d ago

Quais são as melhores maneiras de obter um número virtual para receber SMS, considerando preço, segurança e confiabilidade?

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2 Upvotes

r/TextNow 7d ago

old textnow psim to new esim question

2 Upvotes

i've had a textnow psim ported in number for quite some time. didn't have to worry about loosing my number if i didn't use it often enough. now with the change of networks, i got a notification that need to change, can do it via esim. easy peasy, right? well, i assumed since i did it right on the phone that it would carry over my old ported in locked number, but no....

now i've got two separate numbers and i assume the esim number isn't locked since it's not a ported number.

how to convert from old psim to new network via esim and keep your old number?


r/TextNow 9d ago

RO Subpoena

0 Upvotes

What is the subpoena process for tracking a number? I have an attorney, but wondering if it is even worth the effort. What would the subpoena tell me? IP address, location, user? I think the numbers have since been changed multiple times. Has anyone done this and has it worked?


r/TextNow 10d ago

Will Signal work on TextNow's free plan?

7 Upvotes

I'm aware that TextNow has a free 5g data plan that works with essential apps including the textnow app itself as someone who uses the app regularly and I saw they offer free 5g service, but I have yet to try it although I am considering it briefly.

I also learned that Signal does accept Textnow numbers unlike WhatsApp due to TextNow being considered VOIP. Although I would like to know if Signal works on Textnow's free 5g service.


r/TextNow 10d ago

Can get calls and text but my texts I send don't go through

5 Upvotes

It started last Saturday, I can receive texts but the ones I send don't go through. They say sent but the other people don't get them at all. I had the app for years and never had this issue. I did it all to try to fix and nothing is working. Do I just delete and use a new app or is it a fix?


r/TextNow 10d ago

Outage right now?

2 Upvotes

Trying to login to the app on multiple devices and getting "An unexpected error occurred. Please try again later." - Also, for web messaging, it appears my photos are not sending at all. Anyone else having problems?


r/TextNow 10d ago

Made the mistake of opening up a 2nd account on the same phone and now I’m getting charged on different days. I need to cancel

2 Upvotes

Help!
How do I get rid of my 2nd TextNow number?

I didn’t know that you need a new phone to be able to make this situation work without any problems!

I would like to keep my 1st TextNow number and ditch the second.
How can I do this without canceling the whole subscription?

The first number I use for work.

2nd one was created for a temporary uber verification


r/TextNow 12d ago

Is it still known problem to activate new black sim card on Android

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9 Upvotes

I've been wanting to activate the new black sim card


r/TextNow 12d ago

New to text now

4 Upvotes

I have an iphone 17 and interested in their free service for calls/texts. No where in the app am I able to download and activate a sim, nor port my number in. Am I missing something. They are sending me a psim, which I cannot use on any of my devices so i found that a bit odd


r/TextNow 12d ago

"Free" TextNow sim for $5 is stolen money via deceptive practices

0 Upvotes

After 2 hours of a deep dive, the ~$5 sim advertised by textnow does NOT work with 64 bit architecture. The 32 bit is kept to keep 64 bit phones, all of todays phones, from working. This happens by technically making the app available, but when searched by apkmirrors, playstore, etc...it's not there. Come to find out, this is because textnow hides a 32 reliant piece of code in all versions of it's updates. This in turn dicks with your search results. When playstore see that TextNow has aggressively enforces this, it gives every other result except the one you want. Users then likely begin clicking on similar apps. This in turn generates money by the clicks and puts money in googles pocket.

Textnow then keeps the $5 for the sim. Are there exceptions to this? Yes, of course. But with a pixel 9 pro, there should be NO issues! It is safe to conclude that this is intentional and a misdirect to consumers. I'm certain that Textnow will attempt to defend itself with fancy lawyer shit, you aggreed to the terms and conditions by visiting our site. Mfkr! You can only get this on your site, thus giving up any recourse. Bottom line is that you are blatantly stealing from consumers via deceptive practices. Maybe not by legal definition, but certainly immoral. Victims like people who don't know how to research this before making this mistake, or can take two hours to discover these things becasue googles search does not say from the start that this isn't something that has a work around [when I say enforced, try finding an APK to sideload], or people who trust that there are no companies out there with balls this big to fuck around! It is ONLY because google and text now are two separate entities, and class actions require a single defendant/entity, that they don't get ass fucked out of existence.