MMS Group Text on Android stops working

[Cah2035]

So for a long time, with multiple phones from different manufacturers (android), I have had group text issues where after several messages, mine fail to send and incoming messages are received as indivudal texts by the sending contact as download but wont download. 

This may or may not have to do with messaging users with iphones, I cant say for sure since I have never had a group with only android users. 

For the life of me I cannot find any legit answers online. I suspect that this has to do with the service, that there is some sort of message cap on MMS and service gets suspended if it detects to much traffic. 

So what is the deal here? This sort of issue is debilitating and makes it impossible to have group chats. I sit here seeing downloadable messages come through and people are wondering why I am not asking, so I avoid group chats as much as possible. 

[DonSaint]

I was googling this issue and stumbled on this thread and everything you all are saying is SPOT ON! This has been happening since 2019 for me. I have talked to Verizon NUMEROUS times to find a solution and of course, enough time passes and the messages are all pushed through and they think they fixed it. Infuriating. We are looking into another carrier because, at this point, the phone isn't functional for simple text messages. I use group texts for work and I can't be held up daily. I just wanted to say thank you for the validation because it seemed like my coworker and I (Verizon Androids) were the only ones. It's a shame because we both just got two brand-new Samsung phones but other carriers have them too. 

[Katmeat]

I too am having a major issue with certain group texts with my Galaxy S24 U on Verizon.  There is one particular group of 10 members (in a high school car pool) that only works sporadically, if it all.  I miss out on almost all critical text messages from the group members.  There is little rhyme or reason with the outages, but it appears that it is mostly the Apple users.  I have tried everything, resetting the phone and messaging apps, using different messaging apps, etc, and nothing helps.

[MuellerAndrewRay]

I would like to understand what the problem is, tbh.  Is it only with Galaxy phones?  Is it only with Android phones?  Is it all phones?

[vzw_customer_support]

Oh, no! Dealing with messaging issues can be frustrating, especially when it affects your group texts. Verizon is here to help.

If you encounter any tech issues in the future, do not hesitate to use our Troubleshooting Assistant for further support: https://www.verizonwireless.com/support/troubleshooting/.

We sent you a Private Message. Please review at your earliest convenience.

~Gilbert

[perhansa13]

I also am having the same issue in our group mms chat of 4 people. 2 users have iPhones, the other two of us freeze during activity. I have a Note 20, he has a Pixel.  So it's not only Samsung phones, it's just Android in general. Is there any way the iPhone users can be restricting the chat on their end?

[vzw_customer_support]

@perhansa13  wrote: I have a Note 20, he has a Pixel.  So it's not only Samsung phones, it's just Android in general.

Sorry you've been having issues with the group texting. To get a few more details, is this only happening in group chats where multimedia is being shared? Do just text based group chats have issues? No issues with texting/messaging people one on one? 

-John

[perhansa13]

It has nothing to do with multimedia being shared. It's just text messages in the group that will lock it up.  No issues with texting anyone 1on1.

[solutionsseeker]

Here's my plug again that the issues still persist - intermittent inability to send MMS messages to groups and/or to one person.  Sometimes the messages I'm trying to send will sit as pending and finally send after an hour or so, but oftentimes they do not send at all.  

[everclear0411]

In addition to the above issue, I've been experiencing this as well the last week or so. Sometimes a simple MMS will take between 30 seconds and 5 minutes to send - even just simple text posts. Not sure what has changed other than the 2/20 update for Google Messages. 

[vzw_customer_support]

We're sorry to hear that this continues. We're sending you a Private Message so we can better get this resolved.~Jesse

[everclear0411]

You literally cannot help. 

Know that this has been brought to the highest levels of engineering the company has and nobody seems to be able to solve the problem. This needs to be addressed with Android and Google but Verizon refuses to address it with them.

It's insane to me that I have been dealing with this issue for 4 years and the only thing that has happened is more people are dealing with the issue.

[rc4444]

My wife and I also started having this same problem today. Only in group texts. One on one texts are fine. No multi-media messages. 

[vzw_customer_support]

Thanks for the update. Being on top of your service is crucial, especially if you are having group messaging issues. Verizon is here to help.

If you encounter any tech issues in the future, do not hesitate to use our Troubleshooting Assistant for further support: https://www.verizonwireless.com/support/troubleshooting/.

We sent you a Private Message. Please review at your earliest convenience.

~Gilbert

[asl479]

I'm experiencing this issue just now, for the first time. I have a Google Pixel 5 and I've been hesitating to upgrade because it has been working fine for me otherwise and I'm not looking to spend money on a new phone.  I can't tell from the responses if a newer phone is the answer necessarily. This is super frustrating! Missing some important messages and trying to make plans.

[vzw_customer_support]

We know the importance of managing your service, especially if you are encountering group messaging issues. Verizon is here to help. 

Let's gather more info. When did the issue start? What recent changes have you made? What exactly happens when using Android in a group text? Aside from the group messaging, any other problems?

~Gilbert

[rc4444]

My wife and I both started having this problem this morning (2/29/2024). We both have the Samsung A51. We are unable to receive texts in a group text coming from iPhones (maybe), but also from my daughter who has a Pixel. So maybe it's from texts coming from outside of Verizon? Not sure. I can see her texts in the group chat and she can see mine, but we can't see others.

[everclear0411]

Several of us have done different levels of play testing this both with and without Verizon engineers.

The consensus is that it is likely a Google and Android issue, but Verizon to date refuses to bring the issue to Google or the Verizon team. You can contact Google executive support by emailing the CEO. Maybe that will get something done. Contacting Google is about as effective as screaming into the abyss. 

[Aspenrt78]

  

Just started having this issue on my brand new s24 Ultra. Unlike most I haven't used group messages and the only MMS I'm having trouble with is those coming from iphones. So I do believe it is related to iphones. The other strange thing I noticed is that under the updates tab in settings it shows that Verizon pushed an update to my phone yesterday without any permission or notification. So I think they are randomly testing new firmware under our noses hoping we won't find out. I have all my automatic updates turned off so how they were able to push one to my phone is a mystery. It just really pi55es me off that there was no notification of such update or permission asked!

[quarksoft · Accepted solution]

Just ran across a possible solution (have not fully tested it yet but wanted to spread the word here just in case):

Log in to your Verizon account. Select "Account" at the top of the screen-"My Plan"-"Blocks." After selecting the appropriate line, select "block services"- then toggle on "block picture and video messaging." After saving, wait a minute or two then toggle it back to off. After everything saves, a phone restart may or may not be necessary.

Saw this in another post and someone said it fixed the issue for them.

[vzw_customer_support]

Oh, no! Dealing with group messaging issues can be frustrating, especially when they stop working. Verizon is here to help.

What recent changes have you made? Aside from the group messaging, any other problems? Who else is experiencing this dilemma?

~Gilbert

[MuellerAndrewRay]

A newer phone isn't going to help. Verizon support isn't going to help either.  It is platitudes to make people who are searching 'feel' like there is a solution. They don't have one.  They will make you jump through hoops and do stupid stuff that doesn't even relate to the problem.  Then they will  tell you stuff like "sometimes it takes 24-48 hours" and things like that to put you off and hope you don't call back.  🙂