If you purchased your TextNow SIM on or after August 15th, 2025 you'll be able to activate onto our new upgraded network! Android devices running versions 9, 10, 11, and 12 may require some additional configuration steps to get up and running after you have activated the device in the app. For more information and FAQs about upgrading your old SIM and using our new network, click here.
Finding your Android version
You can find out which version of Android your phone is running by opening the device's settings menu and searching for "Android version", or by clicking on About phone and then selecting Software information.
Check for a software update
If your phone's Android version is 12 or lower, first check if there is a software update available to update your phone to Android version 13 or higher.
If your phone is already running Android 13 or higher, make sure your TextNow app is updated to app version 25.29 or higher by opening the app settings and then tapping About (the app version will be listed at the bottom of the page). After confirming you're on at least Android version 13 and TextNow app version 25.29, click here to visit the SIM activation troubleshooting article.
Make sure your phone is on Android 9 or above
The TextNow app is only available for download on devices that are running Android 9 or higher. If you've already updated your software to the latest available version and it is below Android 9, unfortunately, that device will not be compatible with our app and will be unable to activate a TextNow SIM card.
| Please only follow the steps below if you have confirmed your device is running Android versions 9-12 and is not able to update to Android versions 13 or higher. |
Post-activation steps for Android 9, 10, 11, & 12
Make sure the TextNow app is updated to the latest version, and your SIM has already been activated with APN settings added (click here to view those steps)
Open the TextNow app Menu
Tap Settings
Scroll to the bottom of the page and tap SIM Activation Troubleshooting
If you see the 'select phone index' section, make sure it is set to Phone 0
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Set Preferred Network Type to:
NR/LTE (if this option is available)
If that is not an option, select LTE Only
Go back to the app and test your connection by sending a text or making a call