Child Item

Site Totals

61369 Questions Answered 267 Categories

Galaxy S4 Texting issue after KitKat 4.4.2 update

Text are sometimes not going through after the KitKat 4.4.2 update. I have did everything from doing the force stop/clear data of the messaging app to a factory reset and are still having the issue. I have spoken with Verizon Tech Support and am waiting to here back from them what they are going to do to fix this issue. Have also noticed that my texting is lagging as I am typing a message as well, that issue started a few days after the update.

When I spoke to customer support the first time about this issue they had stated that only one other person with a Galaxy S4 was having this problem and they had not updated there device yet. Seems like more than one person is having this problem.

Comments

IrrateCustomer4_4_2

I have the exact same issue. Since update, I get intermittent text failures, I have never had text failures. Been going on 2 weeks now, 6 calls to tech support, 1 replacement device, new sim card, the "network engineers" said I was in a marginal coverage area...at my desk? Only been sitting at that desk for years and never had an issue! Phone now locks up,

Suggested methods:

Master Reset - no help.

"New" phone - no help, thanks for the refurbished phone in exchange for my new phone!

Try a 3rd party messaging app - no help (this one made me giggle since the stock app should always work)

Delete every contact and re-add them - again a failure!

Remove gmail account, add new gmail and don't use any apps - this did not work either.

Buy a new phone (full retail price) - that's just absurd.

Join Verizon Edge - pay over full retail price for a phone a little bit at time- fat chance.

Finally Verizon told me just go away, no Early Termination Fee, just go away.

I was told there is no known issue with the 4.4.2 update, that I am an isolated case and I have marginal coverage that my only problem. Yet I can make phone calls, never drop a call from the very same desk I cannot send a text from...pretty sure you need better signal for voice calls than you do text messages, but what do I know, the "Network Engineers" say its marginal so that must be Gospel Truth! In my office of 11, 9 are Verizon, yet only I have issues, I also have the only S4! Theres an S5 two desks down, no issues. A Droid RAZR Maxx to my left, no issues. I even have a Convoy (at my desk that my company provides) not a single issue! Marginal Network my butt!

Verizon, Google, Samsung step up to the plate, admit there is something wrong, we are typically reasonable people if you tell us "Hey we found a glitch, we are working on it" we might just settle down and suffer through sending a text 17 times before it actually gets sent!

eternalsunshine

I just wanted to chime in here and say that I've also been having issues with sending texts, continual lag, etc. so it's definitely not an isolated issue. My signal keeps dropping down from 4G to 3G and lower ever since the update as well. Really annoying...

dickwols

Both wife's Galaxy S4 as well as my phone started experiencing intermittent problems sending texts. Would work for a few minutes then would start seeing "failure" on sending. Receiving texts seemed to work fine. Called Samsung tech support directly and after the usual, clear messaging cache, delete data with no effect the tech suggested going to a Best Buy where they have the Samsung courtesy desk to download (soft update) directly once again the kit kat 4.4.2 update. Failed later again in the day. This time I took the phone to a Verizon store and they did a hard reset. This seemed to fix the texting problem as its been 3 days now with no failures. Looks like I will need to do the same with wife's phone. This is no isolated case so please Verizon don't feed us that BS. However, to be fair Samsung did mention that they have only seen this with Verizon customers and strongly feel the problem is connected to their network.

deinesjw

Same issue here. Immediately after the 4.4.2 update, my text messages started failing on my S4. This is a simple glitch that Verizon's update probably perpetrated, and we aren't getting any help with it. As with everybody else, my phone was working fine (and being used in the same location) before the update, and now I have to re-send about 30% of my messages 3 or 4 times before they go through. As far as problems go, it's a minor annoyance, but Verizon needs to step up their game, announce there's a fault and that they're working on it.

cazimmy

I am having the same issue. It definitely started after the last update. I have found that turning airplane mode on and then off will solve the issue for a little while but it needs to be fixed asap.

bulldog_472

oblade

Initially the update worked great. After a few weeks I started having issues. I did notice that the issues are only present when my phone switches over to 3G. In my office for some reason since the update I now only get 3G unless I restart my phone, then I get 4 G for about 5 minutes (long enough to send a few texts). The same thing happens at my house due to the steel siding. I never had issues sending text messages with any other phone on any other OS. Now my wife's S4 is doing the same thing. The only solution I have been given is to upgrade early on a 2 year contract or switch to EDGE. I'm thinking, since this is isolated to Verizon I am going to wait out my contract and find a new provider, if that is the best solution Verizon can offer.

Graftyman

Same issue. Hours on the phone with tech support.

Factory Reset: No love

New Warranty Replacement: No Love

Verizon Store: offered for me to pay for new phone, tech support on site basically said there was nothing.

Worked up supervisor chain with Verizon. No help at all. They will not replace the phone with something that works. Claimed it's a Samsung Issue.

Called Samsung: They claim it's not their responsibility to make sure texts work, that is the carrier and that my bluetooth problem with my car is not their problem as they only test with Samsung bluetooth devices and won't guarentee it works.

This all worked fine before the update. The replacement phone came with 4.3 and worked fine then did an update over night. 4.4.2 is broken for the S4. I offered verizon to wave the termination fee and I'll go away. I'm waiting for 72 business hours for a supervisor/supervisor to call back.

VERIZON PLEASE DO THE RIGHT THING!!!!!

dickwols

I spoke too soon. After spending time on the phone etc with both Verizon and Samsung support, and after having a hard reset done at the Verizon store all seemed to work good. Well it did for about 2 days. Texts are back to failing again. Does not matter if I am wi-fi connected or not. Simply starts failing with no discernible pattern. Rep at the store says I should upgrade to an S5 even though my phone is only 4 months old. Said they could, for an additional monthly cost give me the S5 but I'd need the 10gig plan. Can you believe this cr*ap?? No accountability here whatsoever. Simply steer the customer to a more costly plan etc as the remedy. Unbelievable. AT&T, here I come.

irritatedsamsungs4

I have had this issue going on 3 weeks. Since the may update... I've wasted 6 hours total on hold with Verizon to resolve this issue to no avail. They have had me troubleshoot through tier 2 and then replaced the device with a brand new phone. Same issue. This one didn't make it 10 mins before it started. I am more than disappointed with how many hoops I have had to jump through to get 0 results. I haven't even called them back because my next call will be to switch service providers. I am too the point of restarting my phone every half a dozen texts. Good luck with your phone my is about to go in the garbage. Metro here I come!

irritatedsamsungs4

BBB. They love this kind of thing.

bulldog_472

It's funny they say it's a Samsung issue, when the only provider having this issue is Verizon!! I know people on AT&T and Sprint that are not having any issues. I'm not sure if they have done anything, but I have noticed mine is not failing as much, but still dones every so often.

suzeq1024

Same problem here. I tried the suggestion of turning airplane mode on and then off, and that seemed to work, but we'll see for how long. Very annoying. I had never had this problem before last week, shortly after I did the software update.

BryanCorazza

I'm seeing the same thing. I'm on my third factory reset and it works for about 24 hours and then starts failing again. I know lots of folks at work (this is a work phone) with similar issues after updating their S4s. I've cleared caches, rebooted a million times already. I want a new phone, you broke mine. Very frustrated.

rascalz98

Same problems here!!! irritating!

cazimmy

Hello Verizon - are you out there? Do you care?

snapple

I had the same issue with mine. Had it at Verizon franchise store for over an hour and they tried to fix it and could not, they tried everything and wound up sending me a new phone. I took the new phone into the franchise store to have them activate it and update it because I wanted my phone to be right there in case there was a problem with it.

2 weeks later the new phone has just developed a problem this morning with the camera freezing up, not wanting to open and crashing. Pulling the battery out did not help, then I pulled the battery and sim card and for now it seems to be working but still lags and will probably crash again. I am anticipating another visit to the Verizon store and if it's not a quick fix, I am going to ask them to take the KitKat update off. bleh. Not how I want to spend my day.

GDKruger

Loved my S4, but since KitKat I am disappointed. I've had the black screensaver problem, and the failed texting issue since the update. This is not a Verizon only problem, this is an KitKat 4.4.2 issue at least on Samsung products. I've not bothered with Verizon support; past experience leaves it wanting. My online research here and in other droid forums demonstrates a hard reset is not the solution, nor will replacing the hardware solve the problem. My work around fix for the texting issue is to place the phone into airplane mode for a second, this seems to reinitialize the connection and my texts will go through. Until an update or patch to correct these issues is released, I doubt there will be any real "fixes".

Onebig93zj

I have been having this exact same issue on my Note 3 since the update.. i'm thinking it's a KIT KAT issue across the board with samsung phones.. :smileysad:

sliight

So it's apparent the upgrade was a downgrade, and the Verizon moderators only offer an apology and a fix idea which is comparable to the "turn it off and remove the battery fix" you receive the moment you call text support.

So knowing we're toast until whoever blew KitKat pushes out some fixes, does anyone have any ideas on alternate fixes?

I'm mainly just having text issues, mostly just excessively slow. As if they put an Apple II C into my phone to handle texting... That said, anyone have any ideas on a good texting app? Figure I'll try something new. If it's not fixed the next time the weather goes bad I'll probably try one of XDA's KitKat OS's. Everything I've ever installed from them has been solid.

Thoughts? Thanks,

sliight

So I just did some research on text apps. After reading the reviews of the top 5 most of them had reviews complaining about "the update", so it looks like they may be having KitKat issues also.

I decided to try the GO SMS app since all of their other stuff has been solid. After installing it gave me the option to set as default app, which I did. I can now click on a conversation that has a TON of texts in it, and it instantly pops open. Sending texts is immediate. So I've only tested for a few minutes but so far it's fast, smooth, and easy to use.

For those of you who decide you don't like it, or skip the "set as default" ... you can do it later by clicking settings> More> default sms app.

Hopefully this helps people with the texting issues...

Onebig93zj

Well, I woke up this morning to a soft bricked phone.... That's awesome! Sounds like a trip to Verizon where i'll sit for a couple hours and probably not get anything fixed...

ljordan119

Verizon knows what the problems is, so does Smasung and so does google. It is the 4.4.2 KitKat update. Everyone knows. All of the forums are saying the same thing. These issues did nto start until the update was rolled out. Why doesn't Verizon take ownership of the problem and fix it. The S5 does not seem to be having the same problem as the S4 with the 4.4.2 software.

The solution is for Samsung, Verizon and/or Google to make good on their product. It that is a S5, then so be it if they want to keep their customers. The way this is going, this will for sure drive Verizon customers to other sevice providers. These issues and Verizon not working to solve it is very bad customer advertisment and Verizon seems not to be working to solve it. We are all witnessing that for sure.

tyyt

Having the same text issues after the update. I wonder how much noise it will take to develop a fix.

jrod3055

like others here I'm experiencing the same since the update to 4.4.2 I read someone else post their work-around and I've had success. After you get the failed to send text message, turn ON Airplane Mode and wait for approximately 10-15 seconds. You will notice once you turn OFF Airplane Mode your 3G icon return to 4G and re-send your text message. That appears to be the hang up, for me at least, when I'm in the 3G mode here at work. I have a Bi-Directional Antenna system in the building from Verizon so the signal strength is fine. To me this tells me it is the update and has nothing to do with the signal strength which I've read some representative have told customers. Good luck everyone.

lswatson111304

I'm having the same issues. 5 calls to verizon. Still no fix. This is ridiculous.

momplus4girls

I am also having the same issue since upgrade!

BillC781

Add me to the list! This is getting worse, not better. Occasionally I have had some success when I close all other open apps, clear the cache on Messages and resend, but it does not consistently allow me to resend text messages. Everything was fine until the kitkat upgrade. I've read other posts around the web they say it works if they're not connected to wifi, but can not corroborate any such linkage to functionality as I have tried with and without wifi and achieve identical results.

This matter needs to be addressed, and soon!

Thank you!

BillC781

In the 'for what it's worth' category - I just cleared all my default app settings and Messaging actually began working again.

I don't know which app was the issue or that an app WAS an issue. Just telling everyone what I did and that it somehow seemed to work. However, I'm skeptical that it will last.

dickwols

If by now you may think that you've stumbled upon the "silver bullet" that fixes the texting problem for you but please don't be so naive as to think that it will fix it permanently. All of the "Verizon needs to fix this now", or "Verizon needs to acknowledge the problem" comments that have been uttered so many times here ad nausea with no admission of any responsibility is truly laughable and at the same time very sad. Verizon does not care. Don't you folks get it??? Continue clearing your cache, hard resetting your phone and turning your airplane mode on and off 3 times a day if you want but it won't fix your problem nor will it make you a happy customer. Only thing you can do is move to another provider. Otherwise continue to see Verizon mum on this subject. They are hoping you all will just move up to a Galaxy 5 already. And when a problem specific to a Galaxy 5 makes itself a problem maybe by saying nothing you will all move to the next newest phone that they may be offered. People, you are paying big bucks every month and getting no resolutions to frustratingly real problems. No acknowledgement of problem = no anticipated fix !!!!

stef7

In another post in another thread, one person did a lot of testing and determined that by disabling Google+, he could send MMS messages again.

Settings | Application manager

Scroll to the right till you see All.

Scroll down to Google+

Force Stop, Clear Cache and Data.

Disable it.

Power down and power back on.

See if your messaging works.

drDone

Same texting issue with my S4 for a few weeks now. No texting issue on my wife's S3 after the Kit Kat update. Mine won't be fixed by disabling Google+, as I've had it disabled for months. Getting really frustrating when you can't respond to an urgent text.

kpretzel

Same texting problem here! Got onto this site looking for a solution. Looks like there is none. It is so frustrating because sometimes the texts are very important and need to go through immediately.....and they don't!!!!!

DeltaGolf1275

I'll toss my hat in the ring too. Couldn't understand the problem or why it was happening and thought I would do a search. Turns out...I'm not alone. YAY! Hard resets and replacement phones are the absolute last ditch option for me. I spend way too much time getting apps and everything setup on my phone to have to start over. I havent found a simple, 1 app solution to getting my phone back to the way it looked.

It is obviously a KitKat problem. It obviously has to do with the Verizon network. I am on the borderline of 3G/4G but never had an issue with sending texts. I can receive texts. The Airplane Mode is a work around. I have just been re-booting my phone which also works for awhile.

Need a KitKat 4.4.3 update ASAP that fixes this Verizon issue!!!

Done...

ljordan119

I had a chat with a Samsung Customer support agent today

Agent: thank you for contacting Samsung Technical Support. How may I help you today?

Customer: I would like to know when the 4.4.3 update will be available to me

Agent: I understand that you want to know if 4.4.3 update is available. Is that correct?

Customer: I am sick and tired of this phone not performing since the 4.4.2 update

Agent: I will be glad to assist you

Customer: you are correct

Agent: Are you referring to Galaxy S 4 (SCH-i545)?

Customer: yes

Customer: I am with Verizon

Agent: Thank you.

Agent: May I have three minutes while I get the required information? Meanwhile, to have an
interactive experience of Samsung products, visit us at http://samsungsimulator.com/

Customer: please do

Agent: Thank you.

Agent: I appreciate your patience.

Customer: OK

Agent: I have checked the information; I would like to inform that 4.4.2 is the latest update
available. However, if 4.4.3 update is released there will be a notification on Samsung web page.

Agent: I will forward your concern to our related department, so they can work on it.

Customer: are you telling me the Samsung is not currently rolling out the 4.4.3 update now and I
still have to put up with this Samsung brick? Do I understand that correctly?

Agent: Yes, you are correct.

Agent: I will forward your concern to our related department, so they can work on it.

Customer: Am that is Samsung customer service?

Customer: And that is Samsung customer service?

Customer: that is not very good is it?

Agent: I apologize for the inconvenience caused to you

Agent: I would have definitely helped you, if there was an option.

Agent: However, if 4.4.3 update is released there will be a notification on Samsung web page.

Customer: well I am going to post this to the Verizon forum. I know the rest of the S4 users
will be happy to hear this. Thank you.

Agent: You're welcome. Is there anything else I can assist you with?

Customer: no

Agent: Have I answered all your questions?

Customer: Yes

Agent: Thank you.

Agent: Have a Great Day!

Agent: We thank

Chat session has been terminated by the Samsung Agent.

stef7

likely this agent was not in a position to help you and has no idea if or when a patch might be made available. you should have told them how you accepted the OTA update, performed a FDR and still the device operation is unreliable. what does your warranty say? by any chance did you purchase the phone with an AMEX card? if so i think you would have an extra year added to the warranty.

karrielm

I also contacted Samsung via the computer. My phone was purchased in March, they asked me to send in my phone, I sent it in on a Tuesday, had it back the next Tuesday. I don't know what they did, all the paperwork says is "replaced component". I have been using it for a week, with only two text fails. Compared to the 50 to 80% text fails daily prior to sending it in, I'm pretty happy.

Bob3589

Verizon,

The update is out from Google for version 4.4.4, where is it? When will you push it, this is two versions ahead of the kit krap version you pushed to my phone. When will you push this update out!!

HeyHank

Same problem here. Master reset made it worse then ever. Verizon is wanting to replace my phone with another S4. I am holding out for a S5 replacement because if you replace junk with junk its still gonna be junk. Why does Verizon not reply to this issue get an update to fix it?

JCHill1957

I got the same run around.They want to send me a refurbished phone with the same problems. They know its a huge problem but its about the money and this would cost them big time. I've been a customer for 12 years and this is the best solution they can offer. Keep dealing with the problems until another update is released pay your bill cause you are signed to a contract. It's time to go see Jeffery Fieger Law and start a Class action Law suite. I'm so done with Verizon and the Brighton MI store.

Ann154

Android 4.4.4 isn't available for your phone model yet.

captainkirks

I heard they talk about an older app not being comparable with kitkat. My trouble started after the upgrade and me turning on the built in verizon protection app. Dose everyone who has trouble use that verizon app?

jazzy_j1000

Same Issue too! My messaging stops working at least 20 times a day if not more. The most frustrating thing ever and I have done all the resets. It only started happening after I updated my software.. I wish I could undo the update.

HeyHank

Duplicate post - please see:

Re: S4 not always sending text messages

Message was edited by: Admin Moderator

CMUChip86

I have this same problem since the Kitkat update. Rarely get 4g in my office even though I always got 4g before the update (did they move the tower on the same day I did the Kitkat update?). Battery life cut in half or worse. Phone runs hot. Texts don't go through. What a mess. Get this fixed, Verizon!

CMUChip86

Oh, I did the factory reset, too, and that didn't help.

BillC781

Perhaps making some noise on the 'interweb' would be of some benefit to expediting a solution to our problems? It's pretty obvious that either, a) Verizon is oblivious to the issues, b) They don't care, c) They don't have any control or, d) All of the above!

I recently posted a comment at http://www.gottabemobile.com/2014/07/14/samsung-galaxy-android-4-4-kitkat-update-breakdown/ and perhaps if enough people did likewise on that page and other like it, we'd get some sort of action taken on this matter.

MongoNC

I've tried everything from installing Verizon's Messenger App (a POS memory hog), cleaning cache, resetting the phone, and the only thing that works without rebooting the phone is Airplane mode On/Off. Whenever my phone switches from 4G to 3G, 80% of the time I cannot send a text until I turn Airplane mode off then on. It's ridiculous. I missed an important phone call yesterday because someone called while I was doing this.

By now Verizon should have enough user data/feedback to realize that there is a problem and a plan to fix the problem without having to go back to square one.

stef7

Did you try going into Settings ! Tethering and Networks ! Mobile Networks ! System Select ! Network Mode, and chose LTE/CDMA. Then power cycle the phone.

MongoNC

Upon your suggestion I checked the settings. It was already set to LTE/CDMA. I will try to set it to something different, restart, then set back and restart again to see if that makes a difference.

Child Item