Although the SMS Although they are not as popular as they once were for communicating with people, they are still important on our Android smartphones: both for two-factor authentication and to confirm certain processes that require it. Of course, and unfortunately, they are also used to scam the user.
However, there is a message that arrives on our phone every time we change SIM cards, either to get a new one or simply because we have changed companies. These are the Provisioning SMSmessages that are quite useful even though most users ignore them. We tell you what they are and what they are for.
I changed my SIM and I received a message
You change the SIM to your new phone, turn it on, enter its PIN and immediately receive a message labeled “provisioning”. Don’t panic, it makes perfect sense that it just arrived on your smartphone, and aims to help you with SIM card setup.
As with WiFi networks, connecting to mobile networks requires certain settings that you may not be aware of. We are referring to the APN or access point name (as it is translated into Spanish). It includes parameters that can be configured by the user and that identify us on the mobile network to access the Internet.
As a rule, Our mobile has the standard APNsso it should not be necessary to enter them. Manufacturers provide their software with the settings for all operators in the world, although there are always exceptions, especially with virtual operators or MVNOs.
Now, when inserting our SIM card into a valid mobile phone associated with a different IMEI, the operator detects the change and to make it easier for us, sends the network access configuration in the form of an SMS. In fact, it is usual for a first SMS to arrive Notifying of sending configurationand a second message brings it closer to us.
Provisioning SMS includes more than just Internet access data
In addition to the APN, the provisioning SMS includes the necessary configuration for receive MMSmultimedia messages, which are also falling into disuse. As we said, these text messages are not usually necessary, but if you check that you are offline, you may be able to take advantage of them.
Once we know the usefulness of these provisioning SMS, we must know what to do with them when they arrive. Well, one of two things: either we ignore them because mobile data works normally, or we accept them in case we do not receive an Internet connection through the mobile network. Of course, It doesn’t hurt to update them Even if we have data, factory APNs may have some incorrectly entered parameters and still work. In this case, it is advisable to use the optimal configuration of our operator.
Although they are not usually necessary in most cases, operators continue to send these provisioning SMS. Actually, as we have seen, they are not superfluous: it is as easy as ignoring them if you do not find them useful. And yes, they have been useful on many occasions with imported phones or with less customized Android software.