The verification code is taking a long time to arrive, or the other person says they've already sent three messages, but your Potato shows no activity at all. Don't rush to tap "Resend" repeatedly—frequent requests may actually trigger a temporary limit. The troubleshooting order below is organized from simple to complex; in most cases, you can find the cause within ten minutes.
1. First determine whether it's "not receiving" or "not notifying"
These two situations look very similar, but the solutions are completely different. Open Potato and go to the conversation list to see whether there is an unread marker next to the message. If there is, the message has arrived and only the notification didn't pop up; if there isn't, then it's a real receiving problem.
The same applies to verification codes. Some phones categorize verification text messages under "Promotions" or "Spam," and no banner appears in the SMS app. Look through the categorized folders in your SMS app, and you can often find it.
- Check system notification permissions: In Settings, confirm that Potato's notification switch is on and that "Silent notifications" is not enabled.
- Check in-app alerts: In Potato's chat settings, confirm that this conversation has not been muted individually.
- Check battery-saving policies: Some Android models freeze apps in the background. Add Potato to the battery optimization whitelist.
2. If the verification code doesn't arrive, focus on these four areas
Verification codes go through the SMS channel, so the troubleshooting path differs from that for regular messages. Check in the following order:
- Number format: Check whether the country code is correct and whether there are extra spaces before or after the number. One user once wrote the country code as "+86 0"; the extra 0 caused the SMS to be sent to the wrong number, and it was not received after five retries.
- SMS blocking: Phone security software and carrier anti-spam services may block verification text messages. Temporarily disable blocking and try again.
- Signal and airplane mode: Toggle airplane mode once to make the device re-register with the network; this saves more time than repeatedly restarting.
- Request frequency: Requesting verification codes multiple times in a short period may put the system into a cooldown period. Waiting 10 to 15 minutes before trying again is usually more effective than tapping continuously.
If all of the above are normal, try logging in to the same account on another device. If it can receive the code, the problem is with the original device; if it cannot, the cause is more likely on the number or channel side.
3. If messages don't arrive, check the network, time, and login status
Regular messages depend on a network connection. It is common for Wi-Fi to show full bars but not actually work; switch to mobile data and send a test message. Also check the device time: if the system time deviation is too large, it will affect the establishment of encrypted connections, which appears as constant spinning without receiving content.
There is another easily overlooked situation: the same account is logged in on another device, and messages are pushed there. Check Potato's "Logged-in devices" list and log out devices you no longer use. This also helps you spot abnormal logins, which is good for account security.
If updates are not received only in a certain group or channel, first check whether it was accidentally muted, or whether the group itself restricts member posting and push notifications. A problem with a single conversation is usually not an account failure.
If there is still no improvement after troubleshooting, you can submit feedback within Potato, including the device model, system version, and the approximate time the error occurred. The more specific the information, the faster the issue can be identified. If reinstalling is needed, it is recommended to obtain the installation package from official channels to avoid account risks from unknown versions.
