topic Re: EE blocking receiving all texts on brand new uncredited payg sims? in Pay as you go

EE blocking receiving all texts on brand new uncredited payg sims?

ee301 — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 14:25:46 GMT

As per the title, a brand new payg sim is not able to receive text messages (both from shortcode and standard numbers). EE service texts come through fine.

I'm presuming you have to top up to initiate full access but this never used to be the case. Receiving calls from all numbers come through fine.

Is this a new thing EE are doing?

Re: EE blocking receiving all texts on brand new uncredited payg sims?

XRaySpeX — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 15:57:10 GMT

@ee301 : No! Receiving texts is free. So you don't have to top-up to get them. So there must be some other reason.

I have a never-been-topped-up PAYG in a router & it can receive all texts & send texts to 150.

Can you send texts to 150, e.g. AL to 150?

Re: EE blocking receiving all texts on brand new uncredited payg sims?

ee301 — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 16:31:49 GMT

I can text 150 and receive replies.

I can receive calls from any number.

I can not receive texts from anywhere but 150. I've tried texting the SIM from a normal mobile number and also tried requesting verification codes to it, nothing comes through. I have a suspicion it may be since the online saftey act kicked in, I tried to remove the content filtering to see if that was the cause but I can only do so remotely with a credit card (which I don't have).

Re: EE blocking receiving all texts on brand new uncredited payg sims?

XRaySpeX — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 16:32:29 GMT

The Online Safety Act & content locks do not apply to texts.

Re: EE blocking receiving all texts on brand new uncredited payg sims?

ee301 — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 16:45:01 GMT

Well I've tried 2 seperate brand new PAYG SIMs (with different bundle tarrifs, one number starts 073 and the other 074) and they both have this issue.

Re: EE blocking receiving all texts on brand new uncredited payg sims?

Chris_B — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 17:22:57 GMT

@ee301 If your receiving text from 150 then your receiving a text, just because it’s from EE doesn’t mean it’s not a text. The only difference is it’s not sent by a mobile phone with someone putting your number on it. But it’s still a text. Just to ask are you within the UK ?

Re: EE blocking receiving all texts on brand new uncredited payg sims?

ee301 — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 18:07:56 GMT

That's true, buts it's also an EE service number which would presumably be whitelisted *if* they had a block on texts.

Yes I'm in the UK.

I've tried in 2 separate phones so it's not the phone either and to make sure I wasn't going mad I just tried an uncredited O2 SIM which received all the texts I sent to it.

Re: EE blocking receiving all texts on brand new uncredited payg sims?

Debbie_G — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 10:02:44 GMT

Hi @ee301.

New Pay As You Go SIMs should receive incoming texts, even without a top-up.

Because you've already tried the SIM in two different phones and had the same issue, I'd recommend getting in touch with our Technical Guides. They’ll be able to run through some checks and investigate this further for you.

Debbie

Re: EE blocking receiving all texts on brand new uncredited payg sims?

ee301 — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 12:47:25 GMT

I did some more digging and found a seller on ebay had written "EE NEW SECURITY MEASURE YOU MUST TOP-UP TO RECEIVE TEXT" in the item description of an EE PAYG SIM so it does seem like something is afoot.

Is it possible to get concrete information on this from an official source?

Re: EE blocking receiving all texts on brand new uncredited payg sims?

Markovchains — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 13:26:17 GMT

I’m facing the same issue, have you figured it out?

Re: EE blocking receiving all texts on brand new uncredited payg sims?

Debbie_G — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 13:40:18 GMT

Apologies for any confusion @ee301, you are correct.

After checking this further, I can confirm that all incoming texts, except those from EE, are blocked until the SIM has been topped up. Once the top-up is applied, you will be able to receive incoming messages.

Debbie

Re: EE blocking receiving all texts on brand new uncredited payg sims?

ee301 — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 14:48:39 GMT

Nope, I don't think there's a way round it without topping up. I've linked the SIM to an account, tried online activation (which errored out) and tried changing settings in the plan in the hopes of it triggering something. Nothing has worked.

Apparently text messaging isn't being regulated by the online saftey act so I can only assume it's to deter SIM waste.

Re: EE blocking receiving all texts on brand new uncredited payg sims?

XRaySpeX — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 15:56:47 GMT

@Debbie_G : Really? My never-been-topped-up PAYG SIM in a mobile router just received a text from my landline.

Re: EE blocking receiving all texts on brand new uncredited payg sims?

Matt_124 — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 16:12:06 GMT

As a new measure, I would imagine it would only apply to new SIMs as they are activated and wouldn't be retrospectively added to SIMs in the wild - could create some issues if so.

Re: EE blocking receiving all texts on brand new uncredited payg sims?

XRaySpeX — Sun, 24 Aug 2025 19:35:36 GMT

Correct, @Matt_124 . I just ordered a new free PAYG SIM, put it in my mobile router w/out topping it up & I can no longer text my router from my landline. I even registered it to MyEE but that didn't change things.

Gonna return my old PAYG SIM to my router. It is more versatile 🙂 .