Notification troubleshooting

Are you experiencing any of the following symptoms in regards to your TextFree notifications?

• Not receiving notifications on the lock screen
• Receiving notifications but without sound (phone not ringing)
• No sound or ringtone notification with incoming calls and/or text messages

If so, please review the information below for your device in an attempt to resolve your notification issue. 

Note: If you are seeing unread notifications, but you have read all your messages, please visit this article for more information: How to clear the notification badge number

--Tab Names--

• Android
• iOS

--Tab 1 Start--

Confirm that your phone has an Internet connection

Notifications require a persistent internet connection in order to work. If you lose your network connection, or your connection is weak, then your notifications may not come through.

To check if you have an internet connection: 

1. Device 'Settings'
2. 'Network' Tab
3. Tap 'Wi-Fi'
4. Ensure that you are connected to a network and that you have a stable connection

Confirm that you have notifications enabled 

Please double-check the following settings to make sure you’ve allowed the app to receive push notifications.

To check your notification preferences:

1. App 'Settings'
2. Tap 'Get Help' (bottom of menu)
3. Tap 'Manage Permissions' 
4. Tap 'App Notifications'
   • Ensure that you have 'All notifications' enabled 
   • To enable: swipe right on the button 

Confirm that you have a ringtone and text tone enabled

It is important to have a ring tone and text tone in order to be alerted when you have an incoming call or a new message.

To choose a ringtone and text tone:

1. App 'Settings'
2. Scroll to check the ' Default Ringtone' and 'Default Text Tone'
3. See that you have a tone selected for both
   • If 'Silent' is checked for either, please proceed to choose a tone (or else you won't receive sound notifications)
   • Once you have chosen a tone: Press 'OK'

If these settings are correct within the application, and your sounds still aren’t working, please move on to the next troubleshooting step seen below.

Confirm that your device's sound settings are on

To check your device's sound settings:

1. Device 'Settings'
2. Tap the 'Sound' tab
3. Ensure the following:
   1. That the 'Do not disturb' mode is off
   2. Volume is turned up

If all settings are correct and you are still not receiving your notifications, please perform a reinstall of the app (seen below)

Reinstall the application 

Important: TextFree does not support OS versions below 8. While you can still use the app on OS 7 or below, you will no longer be able to install any new versions of the app from the Google Play Store, which often contain bug fixes or updates to the existing features or functionality.

Recommended: Upgrade your device's OS to 8 and above to receive any future updates to TextFree.

To reinstall the app:

1. Delete the app (hold down on the app and click the 'x' on the top right of the app
2. Restart your device (most important step)
3. Download the app from the Google Play Store

Important: You may lose messages if you reinstall the application, dependent on account usage. 

Still not receiving notifications? Submit a request with the following information: 

1. Phone number
2. Contact’s phone number
3. Exact date and time of the message(s) where they did not receive a notification

--Tab 1 End--

--Tab 2 Start--

Confirm that your phone has an Internet connection

Notifications require a persistent internet connection in order to work. If you lose your network connection, or your connection is weak, then your notifications may not come through.

To check if you have an internet connection: 

1. Device 'Settings'
2. Tap 'Wi-Fi'
3. Ensure that you are connected to a network and that you have a stable connection

Confirm that you have notifications enabled 

Please double-check the following settings to make sure you’ve allowed the app to receive push notifications.

To check your notification preferences:

1. App 'Settings'
2. Tap 'Support' (under General)
3. Tap 'Manage Permissions' 
4. Scroll to 'Notifications'
   • Ensure that the 'Allow Notifications' button is green. 
   • To enable: swipe right on the button 

Confirm that you have a ringtone and text tone enabled

It is important to have a ring tone and text tone in order to be alerted when you have an incoming call or a new message.

To choose a ringtone and text tone:

1. App 'Settings'
2. Scroll to check the 'Ringtone' and 'Text Tone'
3. See that you have a tone selected for both
   • If 'None' is checked for either, please choose a tone 
   • Tap the back arrow (the tone will be automatically saved when you hit the back button)

If these settings are correct within the application, and your sounds still aren’t working, please move on to the next troubleshooting step seen below.

Confirm that your device's sound settings are on

To check your device's sound settings:

1. Device 'Settings'
2. Tap 'Sounds & Haptics'
3. Ensure that the 'silent' mode is off and that the volume is turned up

If all settings are correct and you are still not receiving your notifications, please perform a reinstall of the app (seen below)

Reinstall the application 

Important: If you are on iOS version 10 or below, we advise against uninstalling TextFree as the app might not be available for reinstall in iTunes due to the end of support for iOS 10 and below. 

To reinstall the app:

1. Delete the app (hold down on the app and click the 'x' on the top right of the app
2. Restart your device (most important step)
3. Download the app from the iTunes store

Important: You may lose messages if you reinstall the application, dependent on account usage. 

Still not receiving notifications? Submit a request with the following information: 

1. Phone number
2. Contact’s phone number
3. Exact date and time of the message(s) where they did not receive a notification

--Tab 2 End--