New Xfinity iPhone SE won't receive authentication texts from banks

Question

I just switched from Verizon to Xifinity today and have spent five hours now trying to find out why the 2-step authentication texts from my bank and PayPal aren't getting through, making it impossible for me to log in to those accounts. The last two hours were spent on the phone with the Xfinity advanced team that works on mobile issues and they're stumped. Regular texts come in just fine, and so do other "short code" alerts, etc. The bank insists Xfinity is blocking their code. Xfinity says they don't block codes and it has to be something to do with the bank. Everything worked when I had Verizon service up until noon today, so no, it's not the bank. The PayPal chat agent was so little help that I'm going to cancel that account and open a new one, this time not with text verification. I may be able to get into the bank account using a secret word, but it means their phone app is useless. Has anyone else encountered this, and what did you do?

Oh -- there are also some other phone problems, such as the keypad not registering when an automated call asks me to punch in a number to select an option. At one point when a live person came on, I could hear her but she couldn't hear me.

I would really like to find a fix other than taking the phone back and switching back to Verizon.

DaveO3 · Answer

I suggest that you power off then power on your iPhone. There are probably some things that are still happening in the background between Verizon, Xfinity, and other servers that are still refreshing, and hopefully these will all be resolved overnight.

In the morning power off and power on again and hopefully you will be good to go!

lkowen · Answer

Unfortunately, it didn't work. I'm visiting the store in person tomorrow to see if there's anything more they can do. If not, it looks like I need to persuade my bank to delete my online account so I can start over. Don't know how easy that will be. They said they could not delete my 2-factor authentication.

DaveO3 · Answer

Many banks have three options? Text, phone call, or email. And, if text fails several times, then they offer to call you or email you.

If and when you get some resolution, make sure that you click on the option for them to recognize your new device so that they don't ask you for 2-factor authentication each time.

Ahautman30 · Answer

I am also having same issue! I went from Verizon to Xfinity mobile and my US bank app text codes are not working. I have contacted both the bank and Xifinity mult times. No resolution. I have deleted the app, reset the network settings. I am unable to text the bank to get texted bank alerts. I dont know how to fix?! Anyone??

Ahautman30 · Answer

Hi- Yes i tried texting US Bank and they didn’t go thru. I did find out in my searching that US bank mobile app only is supported by certain carriers and xfinity mobile is not listed .. so i am assuming that is my issue. I would however appreciate if it magically works!

lkowen · Answer

This is certainly a weird situation. I even got an email from the bank saying my carrier was blocking the bank's texts. Then something really strange happened. Around the middle of October, the whole US Bank website had problems so bad that it became a read-only site for several days--you could get your balance info but that was about it. When the website eventually got fixed, my problem was magically solved. Once I set up the app for touch ID, it stopped texting me for authentication. The alert texts started working again. The bank texts come from 872-265, so could try texting HELP to that number and see what happens.

Ahautman30 · Answer

Update! Hopefully it helps someone else. Last efforts found out the US Bank app does not support VOIP which xfinity mobile is. Contacted xfinity mobile again and said due to being a VOIP number it is unsupported with bank app. After a little time they did something and said would take 24 hours. Happy to say the bank app is now working!! Yay!

lkowen · Answer

I don't think mobile is the same as VOIP--VOIP is more like a land line--but whatever, they got it working! Yay!

victor-xf · Answer

I know folks have gotten beyond this issue, but I wanted to clarify something for my own edification

If I understand correctly, Xfinity Home phone service is VoIP. Xfinity Mobile phone service is an MVNO on Verizon Wireless, though depending on your phone, you might have WiFi voice calling and/or VoLTE voice calling, both of which use some form of data connection rather than mobile/cellular voice service.

Is that correct?

DaveO3 · Answer

You are mostly correct. Most cellular calls are now VoLTE which is voice over LTE. So both voice and data are now using LTE which actually uses IP protocols, but because you are still using cell towers they don't call it VOIP. Carriers don't charge you and you never see the amount of data used for phone calls or SMS. Xfinity Mobile does usually charge you for the data used for MMS.

When you enable WiFi Calling and you have a weak or no cell signal your phone should switch from Xfinity Mobile to XM WiFi and your Phone, SMS, and MMS then go through the internet to the XM/Verizon servers and could arguably be called VOIP.

aroadz · Answer

I've seen in other forums that the problem with not receiving bank authenication texts is related to this Xfinity Mobile feature called "Premium Messaging Block", and others have had their problems fixed by having Xfinity disable the "Premium Messaging Block" feature.

I am currently having the same issue with not receiving bank and other online account authenication texts, but when I spoke to Xfinity support, they stated that "Premium Messaging Block" was not associated with my account (I'm not sure I believe the support person I was speaking to). Can anyone else add validity to disabling this feature as a possible fix?

whatshisface203 · Answer

They removed it from mine this morning and this has not resolved the issue. It is incredibly frustrating as tier 3 / verizon says if you can get other messages then we are not blocking short codes.

Grayducky · Answer

I have a Pixel 5 - I'm not getting 2-step codes now either. I discovered this week. I cannot receive the text to register for V-Safe (CDC vaccine monitor program) - and now I cannot recieve the 2-step authenticator text from Playstation.

Why don't things work the way they are supposed to 😞 ugggggh

Grayducky · Answer

IDK if xfinity did anything on their end - I was on the phone with their tech support.  They had me reset network settings (Pixel 5).  Now I'm getting Authentication texts 🙂

Jamesmck123 · Answer

Call Xfinity and ask them to disable premium message blocking, this is an anti spam feature xfinity moblie uses, and it could block short codes.

Plan

lkowen

New Xfinity iPhone SE won't receive authentication texts from banks

DaveO3

lkowen

DaveO3

Ahautman30

Ahautman30

lkowen

Ahautman30

lkowen

victor-xf

DaveO3

aroadz

whatshisface203

Grayducky

Grayducky

Jamesmck123

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