Posted on 15/11/26 06:05 pm
SMSC is the SMS Center number your carrier uses to send your texts. Your phone gets it from the SIM. Change it only if your carrier tells you to.
SMSC stands for Short Message Service Center. When you send a text, your phone hands it to your carrier's SMSC, which stores it and delivers it to the other phone. The SMSC number is usually saved on your SIM card by the carrier.
On many Android phones, Google Messages shows the SMSC under its settings, often in the advanced section for each SIM. The exact place varies by phone and version.
| Symptom | Possible SMSC issue |
|---|---|
| You can receive texts but not send them | SMSC missing or wrong |
| Texts fail after switching carriers | Old SMSC still saved |
| Texts fail abroad | Usually roaming, not SMSC |
Do not copy SMSC numbers from random websites. A wrong number stops texts from sending. If unsure, ask your carrier or reinsert the SIM so the phone reads it again.
The SMSC affects sending, not receiving. If verification codes do not arrive, the cause is usually elsewhere. See code not received.
More on messages: eSIM or physical SIM for codes.
With an eSIM, the carrier also provides the SMSC when the eSIM is installed. If texts fail after moving an eSIM to a new phone, ask the carrier to refresh it, or remove and reinstall the eSIM using their steps.
If you are not sure, leave the SMSC as it is; most phones never need it changed.
On phones with two SIMs, each line has its own SMSC number. If texts fail on one line only, check that SIM's settings rather than the other one, and make sure the right SIM is chosen for messages.
The SMS Center number your carrier uses to send texts.
Only if your carrier tells you to.
It mainly affects sending, not receiving.
Related: code not received · eSIM or physical SIM · SMS delivery reports.
Receive SMS online · Non-VoIP numbers · Temporary phone numbers · Free numbers
