It is very frustrating when technology does not work the way it should. You are not the only one feeling this way. Many people who use Android phones have found themselves stuck. Their Google Messages app says “Setting up” but never finishes. This problem means you can’t use the cool chat features that should be on your phone. While you wait, your friends with iPhones are sending clear pictures and videos, and you feel left behind with old text messaging.
This issue has been making people want to pull their hair out for weeks, and sometimes even longer. You have probably tried all the usual advice. You cleared the app’s cache. You restarted your phone many times. You might have even joked about giving up. It feels like you have tried everything, but that little spinning circle next to “Setting up” just won’t go away. But what if the solution was hidden in a place nobody thought to look?
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A New Idea from the Online Community
Sometimes, the best solutions come from regular people trying to solve a problem for themselves. A user on the website Reddit was looking through some help documents from a mobile company. They found a small step that most guides do not mention. This single step seems to be the key for many people who were stuck.
The big idea is that before you do the normal steps, like clearing the app’s memory, you need to turn off a specific setting in your phone’s Google account. This setting is called “Phone Number Verification.” It seems this setting can sometimes get in the way of Google Messages setting up its chat features correctly. By turning it off first, you clear the path for the setup to work properly.
A Step-by-Step Guide to Try
This potential fix is something many other users have called “magical.” One person said they were “shocked at how it worked instantly” after trying everything else. Another had given up hope completely before this worked. Here are the simple steps to follow. It only takes a minute to try, and it could save you a lot of headaches.
- Open Your Phone’s Settings. Go to the main Settings area of your phone. This is usually the icon that looks like a gear.
- Go to the Google Section. Scroll down until you see an option for “Google.” Tap on it. This takes you to the settings for your Google account on your phone.
- Find “All Services.” Inside the Google settings, you might need to tap on an option that says “All Services” to see everything.
- Locate “Phone Number Verification.” Look for an item in the list called “Phone Number Verification.” This is the important one.
- Turn it Off. Tap on “Phone Number Verification” and turn the setting off.
- Clear App Memory. Now, you can do the standard steps. Go back to your phone’s settings, find your list of apps, and open the settings for both “Google Messages” and “Carrier Services.” For each one, clear the cache and data.
- Restart the App. Open Google Messages again. For many people, the app will now set up the chat features correctly and almost instantly.
Why Does This Work and Will It Work for Me?
It is hard to know for sure why this works without Google explaining it. The idea is that the “Phone Number Verification” service might be fighting with the Google Messages setup process. By turning it off, you stop that fight from happening. This lets Google Messages connect and verify your number without any interference. Then, you can turn the verification setting back on later if you want.
It is important to know that this trick does not work for everyone. Some people have tried it and found that their app is still stuck. This is because there might be other things causing the problem. For example, some phone carriers in the United States are making changes to how they provide these chat features. You might see a message that says “RCS messaging is now provided by your wireless carrier.” This suggests that big changes are happening behind the scenes that can also cause issues.
However, since this is a simple and quick thing to try, it is worth a shot. You are not changing any important settings, and it has helped a large number of people who were facing the exact same frustrating problem. If you are tired of seeing that “Setting up” message, give this a try. It might be the one simple thing that finally gets your messages working right again.