(Error 403) We could not authenticate with our servers. Please try again.

Issue Symptom 

Error message received: “(Error 403) We could not authenticate with our servers. Please try again.”

Conditions

You receive the error when attempting to create or log into your TextFree account.

Cause & Resolution 

You're receiving this login-specific error because you are not running the most recent version of TextFree from the app store or have a caching issue while using our web version. To help get you logged back in or create an account, we have some tips you can try.

Note: The tips below are suggested troubleshooting steps. If you cannot complete the instructions below, we cannot guarantee that you can log back into your account or create an account successfully. 

Tip 1: Check your TextFree app version

If the version does NOT show 12.38 (iOS) or 12.40 (Android), you will need to update TextFree, as you are not on the most recent version. Here's how to check what version you're on: 

iOS

1. Open Apple app store. 
2. In the search bar, type TextFree to locate the app.
3. Select TextFree to open the app details. 
4. Under "What's New", select "Version History". 
5. Your current TextFree app version will be displayed at the top of the list. 
   • You need to be on version 12.38

Android

1. Open Google Play Store. 
2. In the search bar, type TextFree to locate the app.
3. Select TextFree to open the app details. 
4. Tap "What's New" to open. 
5. Scroll to the bottom to view 'App Info'
6. Your current TextFree app version will be displayed next to 'Version'
   • You need to be on version 12.40

Web

There is no app version when using TextFree Web. If you receive this error, please refer to Tip 2 below. 

Tip 2: Update to the current TextFree version

iOS & Android

1. Update your application to the most recent version that is available from the app store
2. If step one does not fix the error, uninstall TextFree from your device, then reinstall.
3. Attempt to log in to TextFree or create an account again. 

If there are no errors or issues with updating TextFree to version 12.36, you should be able to log into TextFree since you are now up-to-date on the app store version. 

However, if you are still receiving an error, cannot log back in, or create an account after updating or reinstalling TextFree, this means that you will be unable to use TextFree moving forward.

Why?

You are most likely running an unapproved version of TextFree that is not from your app store or have an old OS version on your device that TextFree does not support. Your device must meet the following OS versions in order to use TextFree:

• iOS: 15 or above.
• Android: 8.0 or above. 

More info: Minimum device requirements to use TextFree

Note: Support is only able to troubleshoot issues related to web errors and cannot assist with any 403 errors on iOS or Android devices. 

Web 

1. Please clear the browser cache & cookies.
2. Reload TextFree Web.
3. If you continue to run into problems, please contact support.