When you activate wireless service with TextNow, your service usually works right out of the box. In a few situations, you may need to set your APN settings manually to ensure that your data service works as expected.
If you're getting service bars but your data isn't functional follow the instructions for Android or iPhone below to set up the TextNow APN manually on your device. You can also find video walkthroughs of the Android and iPhone steps at the bottom of the page.
Android Setup:
- Go to your phone's Settings menu
- Tap on Connections (it may also be called Networks or Networks & Internet)
- Tap on Mobile Networks (it may also be called SIMs)
- Select Access Point Names (you may need to scroll down and tap on Advanced then select Access Point Names)
- At the top of the Screen, select Add (or +)
- Under Name add TextNow
- Under APN add textnow.static
- Tap the 3 dots in the top right and select Save
- Select the TextNow APN option
- Go back to the Settings menu
- Turn Airplane mode on and wait 10 seconds then turn it off again
Android Step Walkthrough:
iPhone Setup:
- Go to your phone's Settings menu
- Tap on Cellular
- Tap on Cellular Data Network
- In the APN field under Cellular Data, type textnow.static (do not copy and paste)
- In the APN field under LTE Setup (optional), type textnow.static (do not copy and paste)
- Go back to Settings
- Turn Airplane mode on and wait 10 seconds then turn it off again.
iPhone Step Walkthrough:
Help! My data still isn't working.
If the data is not working yet after toggling Airplane Mode, try restarting your device.
If you're using an Android phone, you may need to select the 'Home' mobile network—this is often the case for Google Pixel devices in particular.
For Android phones, follow these steps:
- Go to your phone's Settings menu
- Tap on Connections (it may also be called Networks or Networks & Internet)
- Tap on Mobile Networks (it may also be called SIMs)
- Select Network Operators
- Turn off the 'Select automatically' option and manually select the network titled Home
In rare cases, you may need to set more than just the APN name in order for data to work. This is very uncommon, but if you do need to we've listed them below. You will need to delete the current TextNow APN and re-add it with the details above and the information below in these additional fields on that same page:
- MCC: 310
- MNC: 260 (or try 240 if that doesn't work)
- IP Protocol: IPv4
- MVNO Type: GID
- MVNO Value: 4358
Help! I can't change the Access Point Name settings.
If you cannot update the Access Point Name settings either because the option is greyed out or does not appear at all, your device may be locked. This means you need to get it unlocked by the original carrier it was purchased from before you are able to activate your TextNow SIM. For more on locked devices, check out this article.
Contacting support
If you still need help or have a question that isn't answered in our Help Center, you can ask the TextNow Support Bot or chat with a member of our support team! Agents are available every day from 10 AM - 5:30 PM (Eastern), you can click on the purple chat bubble at the bottom of any Help Center page to get started.
PRO TIP: For troubleshooting issues with the app, it's a good idea to chat with us from a different device if you have one available so you can keep the chat conversation open while following the troubleshooting steps.