If you ever happen to stumble across the message “AT&T Account Needs immediate Attention…” don’t fret, because just like you, a lot of people are seeing this on their screens, too.
And, in this guide, we’ll help you understand what this error means, how it can affect your subscription, and of course, the complete solution to it!
If you see this prompt on a webpage, check if you are on schedule with your payments. After that, restart or power cycle your gateway or router, then check its firmware. Try accessing it using a different device within the same network. Flush the DNS on your PC/laptop and perform a hard reset if necessary.
Before solving this problem, do you know what this means? Do you know the reason why this prompt appears on selected websites and pages?
Why is This Prompt Appearing?
If you are a customer of AT&T high-speed internet and the “your account needs immediate attention” error prompts, many people would think that this is only because of being behind on your payments.
But, this is actually just one of the culprits. There are other reasons why the error “AT&T account needs immediate attention” is popping up:
- Your gateway/router’s firmware is not up-to-date
- Possibly malware
- DNS problems
- Hardware (gateway or router) problems
Unlike other guides, we wouldn’t be focusing on finding what the main or the root cause is. This guide will take you on a complete journey in solving it completely!
We wouldn’t settle on just one factor, we will try to address all the possible issues that are causing this prompt to appear on pages you’re trying to open!
How to Fix AT&T Account Needs Immediate Attention Error
We’ll be covering everything from the simplest of checking your payments to the most complex and confusing DNS settings!
Sit tight, relax, and we’ll give you all the information you need!
1. Check Your Billing
The first step is to double-check your billing and see if you are behind on any of your payments. A lot of AT&T customers found this to be the main issue, so, check it on your end.
If you’re under paperless billing, check your email for the latest invoice from AT&T. Alternatively, you can also check your myAT&T app and go to Billing & Payments to check.
2. Restart or Power Cycle Your Router/Gateway
After that, proceed to restart or power cycle your router/gateway. To be able to do this, go to your router or gateway and locate the power button and press it.
You can also do it by following these steps:
- Locate the power cord of your gateway or router.
- Unplug it either from the back of the device or from the wall outlet.
- Wait for 15 to 30 seconds before plugging it back in again.
- Lastly, wait for the device to refresh.
3. Check Your Router/Gateway’s Firmware
The next step would involve checking the firmware or the software that makes our gateways/routers run.
Here’s a detailed step-by-step guide on how to do that:
Step #1. Access a device connected to the wireless network.
Step #2. Type in att(dot)wirelessinternet on the address bar.
Step #3. Select Admin Login.
Step #4. Log into the admin profile by using the credentials at the bottom of your gateway.
Step #5. Then, select About Your Device on the left-hand panel and check Firmware Version.
Step #6. After that, on the same panel, click the button that says AT&T Software Update.
Step #7. From there, you’ll see if there are any available software updates pending.
4. Switch to Open DNS
Another root problem could be with the DNS AT&T is using. That’ll be where you’ll automatically be connected to.
Try changing or switching to OpenDNS by following these steps:
- On your device, go to Control Panel/System Preferences.
- From the list of options, select Network.
- Choose the connection you are on using and select Advanced/More Details.
- Switch to the DNS tab and type in the following to the DNS Servers:
- 208.67.222.222
- 208.67.220.220
5. Flush Your DNS Cache
And then, lastly, proceed to flush the cache of your DNS. What this does is refresh the DNS connection of your device to the new DNS server.
Here’s how you can do it on both Windows and macOS.
Flushing DNS on Windows
Access the Command Prompt either via Search or Run. Once there, type in ipconfig/flushdns. Wait for the confirmation that the DNS server has been flushed and refreshed.
Flushing DNS on macOS
Access the Terminal via the Spotlight Search (Command + Space) shortcut. Then, type in sudo dscacheutil –flushcache and wait for the confirmation.
After you’ve done this process, you should be able to get rid of the error that’s been bugging you! If you carefully follow this 5-step process, you should have the problem done and over with!
The Error is Still There, What Should I Do?
In case the problem is persistent, what you want to do next is to contact AT&T’s high-speed internet customer support team.
You need to be specific and contact the high-speed internet team because apart from them, there are also other departments such as AT&T TV, the AT&T home phone, and DIRECTV!
Let them know about the “AT&T account needs immediate attention” message and all the troubleshooting steps you have done.
If you see the error saying that your “AT&T account needs immediate attention,” check your bills to see if you’re current. Then, restart the gateway/router, and check if its firmware is updated. Switch to OpenDNS if things are still out of hand and proceed to flush/renew it.
Read Next: How to Unmute AT&T U-verse Box?
Final Verdict
The “AT&T account needs immediate attention” message does not seem to be a major threat, after all!
If you’re careful and you’re not clicking on everything you see online, you can be sure that what’s causing this isn’t malware!
So, before contacting AT&T’s support, try this tutorial out first! You might not even need their help in the first place!
Finn Wheatley holds a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from UCL, London. He helped small data science consultancy firms, helping large corporations to grow their data capabilities, deploy advanced machine learning-based analytics and troubleshoot tech-related issues. Check out more about him here.