Why Does my Phone Send Double Texts? Reasons and How to Fix!

For sure, for at least once, you’ve asked and wondered, “why does my phone send double texts?” It could really be an alarming experience, but what’s causing it? Moreover, how do you fix it?

In this tutorial, we’ll be laying out all the possible reasons why this is happening, as well as the complete fix for it.

To fix the double-sent text messages from your phone, power cycle your device. Then, remove and reinsert the SIM card. After that, clear the cache and data of the Messages app. Proceed to reset the network settings of your phone, and lastly, disable advanced messaging.

Before we go deeper in learning how to fix it, do you know what’s causing this to happen? What’s the reason behind your phone sending double texts?

Why Does My Smart Phone Send Double Texts?

There are a couple of situations that force the sending of text messages more than once even if you only sent it once.

These instances and situations include, but are not limited to:

• Carrier-related problems
• Service disruption or network outage
• Low coverage or bad reception
• Software bug

And while some of these variables are involuntary, you can do a couple of actions on your end to try and stop this from happening.

Why Does My Phone Send Double Texts? – Fix Steps

Here’s the list of the actions you can do to fix your phone sending double texts.

Step #1: Power Cycle Your Phone

What you want to do first is to power cycle or restart your phone. You can accomplish this by following these steps:

1. Press and hold the lock button of your smartphone.
2. Then, slide the slider off or select power off from the options.
3. Wait for one (1) to three (3) minutes, then turn your phone back on again.

NOTE: Clicking on Restart might not be enough. What we’re looking for is to drain the power from your device completely.

Step #2: Remove and Reinsert the SIM Card

Then, the next step is to remove and reinsert the SIM card from your device. What this does is ensure that your SIM card is positioned correctly and that it’s being detected.

Here’s how you can do it:

1. Power your device off.
2. Locate the SIM card tray on your device.
3. Then, push the hole down using a SIM card pin or a paperclip. 
4. Take the SIM card tray out, revealing the SIM card.
5. Clean the chip of the SIM card using a microfiber cloth.
6. Reinsert the SIM card correctly into the tray.

When you’re done doing this, turn your device back on again and allow it to boot up.

Step #3: Clear Messages App’s Cache and Data

Sometimes, it can be a software problem. So, what you want to do is to clear the cache and data of your messaging app.

This process depends on the device you’re using (whether you’re using an Android or an iPhone). No worries, we’ll teach you both methods!

Clearing Cache and Data on Android

1. Go to Settings.
2. Then, navigate to Apps and locate Messages.
3. Once in, click Storage.
4. Tap Clear Data and Clear Cache on the bottom left and right parts of the page.

Clearing Cache and Data on iPhone

1. Go to Settings.
2. Then, tap on General > iPhone Storage.
3. After that, choose the Messages program/app.
4. When it opens, tap on the Offload App option.

Doing these will delete and remove all saved and cached data on the Messages app, including the possible culprit of why you’re sending multiple text messages.

Step #4: Reset Network Settings of Your Phone

When you’re done with that, what you want to do next is to perform reset network settings. This is like a factory default reset, but only concerning the network of your phone.

So, to do this, you need to go to Settings > General/General Management > Reset. From there, you’ll see many options, select Reset Network Settings.

NOTE: Make sure that you select Reset Network Settings, not Reset All Settings.

Step #5: Clear Out Storage on Your Device

This step may seem farfetched, but sometimes, a full and filled storage causes irreversible problems.

So, double-check if you still have enough storage on your device. If not, clear your storage out starting on your SMS/Messages.

Delete text messages that are unnecessary and unimportant. To have a better view of it, go to Settings > General/Battery and Device Care.

From there, select iPhone Storage/Storage, and try deleting the chunk of what’s consuming your data.  

Step #6: Disable Advanced or Enhanced Messaging

Last, but most definitely not least is to disable advanced messaging on your phone.

Many users have seen this as the permanent fix to the problem, so it could be what’s yours, too.

To turn off or disable advanced messaging, follow these steps:

1. Open the Messages app.
2. Then, click the Menu or the three-dotted icon at the top right.
3. Select Messaging Settings.
4. Click Enhanced Messaging, and then toggle the slider off.

NOTE: Advanced or Enhanced Messaging is only available and viewable on Android devices.

iPhones don’t offer the option to toggle enhanced messaging as it is always turned on.

After performing this 6-step process, your messaging should now get back to normal. The doubling of your SMS or your text messages should now be solved.

My Phone is Still Sending Duplicate Text Messages, What Should I Do?

If the multiple sending is still bothering you, then what you want to do next is to contact your carrier’s support team and ask if there’s currently an outage or network problem.

This instance is often caused by problems with the carrier, so try to lift this problem up to them.

NOTE: Also make sure to inform them of the troubleshooting steps you’ve already done. This way, they’ll know what and what not to try for troubleshooting any longer.

Thus, if your phone is sending duplicate or multiple text messages, power cycle your phone, and then remove and reinsert the SIM card. Clear the messaging app’s cache and data, then perform a reset of network settings, and lastly, disable advanced messaging on your device.

Read Next: Why Is There No Dial Tone On Phone But Internet Works?

Final Thoughts

With this tutorial, you’ll no longer be worried when you unintentionally send duplicate text messages from your device to other people.

Hopefully, we were able to put an end to your question, “why does my phone send double texts?”

The next time you experience it, you no longer have to worry about where you need to go to learn the complete fix for it.