Can't receive short code texts | AT&T Community Forums (2024)

@ATTHelp, I'm having a similar issue, but with Facebook. I've tried these, with no improvement:

• Reset network settings on iPhone
• Use the refresh your connection at https://www.att.com/support/wireless/ then restart phone
• Text ‘help’ to 32665. This is where they came from previously
• Tried instructions on https://www.facebook.com/help/214309978590084/

I've tried about 25 other logins that send verification texts by SMS, and I received the messages as expected.

Hello @wideworldmark, thank you for reaching out to AT&T Community Forums. We're here to address your concern. We know that this is something important to you.

We're happy to help with troubleshooting steps to receive short codes to your device.

Let's start byresetting your network settingsto refresh your connection to the network.

Notification bar, then select theSettings icon> scroll to and selectGeneral management> selectReset>Reset network settings>Reset settings> selectResetto confirm.

Many applications use Two-Factor Authentication to verify your identity. If you've switched your phone recently, you need to verify your identity with some apps like Gmail or PayPal in order to use them. If you do not see the text messages, the steps below may help:

1. Go to the Settings icon
2. Tap Messages
3. Tap Blocked
4. Tap Edit
5. Tap the minus sign ( - ) next to the number of the contact you want to unblock
6. Tap Unblock

If you do not receive text, we highly recommend verifying the number or email in question is accurate. Contacting the third party Customer Support is recommended if you cannot verify it online.

Let us know if you have any questions.

Mike, AT&T Community Specialist

Hi @ATTHelp / Mike

Thanks for responding. As I stated earlier I've reset the network settings on the iPhone, and there was no improvement. I've checked for blocked contacts in Settings > Messages > blocked and it's empty. Here's what I've verified so far:

1. bank of america: yes from 73981
2. paypal: yes from 72975
3. taskrabbit: yes from 94696
4. ring neighbor: yes from 22395
5. cvs: yes from 63641
6. amazon: yes from 262966
7. walmart: yes from 57513
8. citizens pay/xbox all access: yes from 264862
9. microsoft: yes from 91703
10. google: yes from 22000
11. facebook: no, also tried instructions on https://www.facebook.com/help/214309978590084/
12. apple: yes from 50472
13. aol: yes from 47458
14. authy/twilio: yes from 22395 (same as discord)
15. dropbox: yes from 917-999-0125
16. nextdoor: yes from 69837
17. bumble: yes from 201-649-7944
18. steam: yes from 68107
19. discord: yes from 22395 (same as authy/twilio)
20. tiktok: yes from 409-752-6784
21. instagram: yes from 32665 (seems strange to me that FB doesn’t)
22. Uber: yes from various
23. Squarespace: yes from 54016
24. Godaddy: yes from 737-250-6881
25. Stripe: yes from 35127

Can you think of anything else to try? I also contacted chat support and they tried something on their end, but I saw no improvement.

Hello @wideworldmark, thank you for reaching out to AT&T Community Forums again. We do understand how this can be.

Can you please confirm if your device has Active Armor application installed. As sometimes, text messages sent from email addresses are a major source of spam. At AT&T, we make it easy for our wireless customers to block these messages. When this feature is turned “on,” all text messages originating from email will be blocked, regardless of sender. This may block wanted messages from government agencies, first responders, doctors, schools, etc.

We suggest you to please try to uninstall or disable Active Armor and select the appropriate option under the Active Armor application.

Let us know if you have any questions.

Thank you,

Mike, AT&T Community Specialist

Hello, let us explore some options for receiving short codes @wideworldmark.

Let's look into what could be the primary cause behind your experience. First, we need to know a little more about this current trend on your device.

• Has there been any changes on your device or account such as software update, installation of a new app, or update to plan? This will help determine what may have caused the disruption with receiving short codes.
• Also, make sure to confirm that those numbers aren't restricted on your device.

Let's start with some basic troubleshooting first, as there can be a few reasons why you're not getting verification texts. Our first recommendation would be use this forums thread to help with verification codes.

There are 3 primary reasons you may not be receiving verification codes, and we'll be providing steps to resolve each of them below.

• A customer has inadvertently opted out of receiving the codes - To resolve this issue, simply send the word "Help" to the code you are wanting to receive from. You should receive a message back advising how to opt back in.
• If you do not receive any response back, you may have blocked this number within your device. You'll want to go to your blocked numbers list and remove it (on iPhone Go to Settings > Messages > Blocked.)
• Short Code Provider Issue - At times, the company sending the short codes can experience delays/outages when sending codes to customers. I have experience this myself with a credit card company. If you aren't getting codes after doing step 1 above, we recommend contacting the company sending the code to ensure there are no issues on their end.
• AT&T Short Code Network Issue (Rare)- If you are still having issues receiving these codes, and have tried all other steps, you can escalate your issue to us via customer care (or asking a question in the forums). There may be a back-end issue causing you to not receive these codes, but it is very uncommon. We can file a ticket at this point to determine if it's an issue on our end.

Overall, most issues with Short Code problems can be resolved by texting "Help" to the short code to re-setup your ability to receive these codes. The second most common is customers accidentally blocking the code via their device.Please let us know if this helps address your concerns.

Thank you,
Susan, AT&T Community Specialist

4 Messages

Thank you for the input.

I have tried every suggestion in these comments and I still cannot get verification codes via text. I don't know what else to do other than try to log a ticket with AT&T or change my carrier. Any advice?

Hi @kavenditti . I'm sorry to hear you're still having problems. If it helps, I switched carriers to "V" and am having a similar issue, but with cvs, also facebook, and paypal. I've confirmed that 2 other people on at&t and people on other carries are receiving messages from these senders.

I've tried escalating the issue but its seems to go nowhere. My personal advice is to switch to authenticator-type logins, or resort to using the voice call option, neither which are ideal for me. I'm so frustrated how the messages just fail silently. I also forfeited $120 of remaining bill credits when I switched carriers.

I also attempted to use carrier "T" and was declined. My guess is my credit had too much recent activity. I wish I could offer better advice. I hope you get your issue figured out.