After Nougat update, S7 does not get text alerts from home security system.

[bowler484]

Thanks to anyone who tries to help in advance. I've been pulling my hair out trying different things for awhile now to fix this.

This is a Galaxy S7 through Bell Canada.

Nougat update was pushed through about a month ago.

Since Nougat update, I no longer get alert texts from my Bell Aliant Nexgen home security system. I literally stopped getting them the minute I updated to Nougat.

Here is what I've done myself so far.......

Spent hours on the phone with Bell and Bell Aliant to no avail.

Performed factory reset on my S7.

Wiped system cache multiple times.

Tried Texta and other message apps.

Dug out my old Galaxy nexus and transferred my sim card to it. And it gets the alert texts just fine.

So the issue does seem to be on my end on the phone itself. But here's where it gets weird. After a month of no alerts, I had two come through last Thursday to my S7. Then they stopped again.

The alerts, when opened, give me the "converting to multimedia message" notice. They always have done that.

So yeah, I'm lost and would appreciate any ideas.

Thanks.

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! I'm not familiar with that kind of home security system -- so it's sending you an SMS message via voice signal, or an MMS message via mobile data? Does the system have an official phone number? If so, I'm wondering if the phone has somehow decided to block messages. If the system has a phone number, maybe you could create a contact out of it, and make sure it's not being blocked.

 

[bowler484]

Welcome to Android Central! I'm not familiar with that kind of home security system -- so it's sending you an SMS message via voice signal, or an MMS message via mobile data? Does the system have an official phone number? If so, I'm wondering if the phone has somehow decided to block messages. If the system has a phone number, maybe you could create a contact out of it, and make sure it's not being blocked.

Thanks for the reply.

When I try to create a contact, the alarm system shows up as an email address only not a phone number. I do think it's hiding whatever number it really comes from because I have gotten the text many times before without an email account set up including when I took the Galaxy Nexus out of retirement a few nights ago to try it with my sim card. I've checked everything I can think of in regards to anything being blocked but when you look at the fact that I got two alerts out of the blue last week seems to confirm that it isn't something I've done by accident.

One thing I've noticed as well. The two alerts I did get, I didn't get the full message, about half of the message is missing cut off mid sentence.

 

[B. Diddy]

You can still send a text message to a phone number from an email account -- the email address for your phone number would be something like "[phonenumber]@verizon.net" (if you were on Verizon, for example).

Check your wireless carrier's support page (or call their support) to find out what your phone number's email address would be, then email a message to that address from your main email account. Does that show up normally? If not, the Nougat update might have broken that functionality.

 

[bowler484]

Sorry about not replying for a bit.

I seem to be able to text my number from my email with no issues.

I'm gotten a message from the alarm system a few times with no clear pattern as to why I've gotten them.

So far in June, I've gotten 5 text alerts with over 100 actually having been sent.

 

[bowler484]

Ok, a little more info I just figured out.

I also get email alerts from the system.

I tried to forward an alert to my number. It will not work.

Forward an alert to my GF's S5 phone number, works every time.

 

[bowler484]

Solved.

B Diddy, thank you for your help. Your tip about using the phone numbers led me to the answer.

I used my email to forward different messages to my phone. Started to notice a trend where the longer the subject line was I wouldn't get it on my phone.

Logged into my security system and changed the name of the system so it was shorter. I previously used our last names as part of the alerts. So it looked like the below.

(Alert - *******/***** Home). Alert : *******/***** Home was the header previously.

(Alert - Home) Alert: Home was it after the change.

Since the change, I've gotten every alert from the system.