Welcome to TextNow Wireless! š
When you activate your TextNow SIM card, your service will most likely be up and running once you go through the activation flow in the app! In some cases, you may need to set your APN settings manually to ensure that your data service works as expected so we'll take you through the steps to set that up here.
These instructions will differ based on the color of your SIM card, so you might need to remove your SIM from your phone to check which one you have before getting started.Ā |
Activating Black SIM cards
If you're using an Android device and your TextNow SIM card is black, make sure you've gone through the activation flow in the app by clicking 'Activate your SIM card' in the menu drawer, or, follow the steps for your device at textnow.com/connect then continue with the steps below:
1. Go to your phone's Settings menu
2. Tap on Connections (it may also be called Networks or Networks & Internet)
3. Tap on Mobile Networks (it may also be calledĀ SIMs)
4. Select Access Point Names (you may need to scroll down and tap on AdvancedĀ then select Access Point Names)
5. At the top of the Screen, select Add (or +)
6. Under Name add TextNow
7. Under APN add textnow.static
8. Tap the 3 dots in the top right and select Save
9. Select the TextNow APN option
10. Go back to the Settings menu
11. Turn Airplane mode on and wait 10 seconds then turn it off again
12. Restart your device
Android Step Walkthrough:
If your data is still not working after following the steps above you may need to complete these additional steps:Ā
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.
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Activating White SIM cards
If you're using an Android device and your TextNow SIM card is white, follow these steps:
1. Go to your phone's Settings menu
2. Tap on Connections (it may also be called Networks or Networks & Internet)
3. Tap on Mobile Networks (it may also be calledĀ SIMs)
4. Select Access Point Names (you may need to scroll down and tap on AdvancedĀ then select Access Point Names)
5. At the top of the Screen, select Add (or +)
6. Under Name add TextNow
7. Under APN add textnow.static
8. Tap the 3 dots in the top right and select Save
9. Select the TextNow APN option
10. Go back to the Settings menu
11. Turn Airplane mode on and wait 10 seconds then turn it off again
12. Restart your device
Android Step Walkthrough:
If your data is still not working after following the steps above you may need to complete these additional steps:Ā
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.
For Google Pixel phones, if data is still not working, follow these additional steps:
1. Go to your phone's Settings menu
2. Tap on Connections (it may also be called Networks or Networks & Internet)
3. Tap on Mobile Networks (it may also be calledĀ SIMs)
4. Select Network Operators
5. Turn off the 'Select automatically' option and manually select the network titled Home
If you're using an iOS device and your TextNow SIM card is white, follow these steps:
1. Go to your phone's SettingsĀ menu
2. Tap on Cellular
3. Tap on Cellular Data Network
4. In the APN field underĀ Cellular Data, type textnow.static (do not copy and paste)
5. In the APN field under LTE Setup (optional), type textnow.static (do not copy and paste)
6. Go back to Settings
7. Turn Airplane mode on and wait 10 seconds then turn it off again.Ā
iPhone Step Walkthrough:
What if 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.