It happened just the other day, I lost my phone and with it, my trusty Airtel SIM card. After frantically searching for it and finally not finding it, I decided to do a sim swap. Once that was done, I couldn't wait to pop my SIM back in and get back to my normal routine. But to my surprise, I wasn't receiving any SMS messages. My heart sank as I wondered what could be wrong with my once reliable Airtel SIM card.
As it turns out, the issue was not with my SIM card, but with a security measure put in place by Airtel Malawi. You see, in this era of OTP, where almost all transactions require a One Time Password for added security, it's imperative that proper measures are put in place to protect customers against fraud. This is why Airtel has a 24-hour waiting period after a SIM swap where you cannot send or receive any SMS.
This 24-hour waiting period is in place to prevent unauthorized access to your accounts in case of a SIM swap without your knowledge. Airtel also confirms the SIM swap with the customer through an SMS, further increasing the security of your accounts.
For those of you who have just upgraded your Airtel SIM card, it's important to note that there is a 24-hour waiting period before the message service gets activated. This is to protect you against bank account fraud, as a fraudster wouldn't be able to use your SIM to get the OTP for your bank transactions or other OTP-related services.
If you find yourself in a similar situation, where you can't receive SMS on your newly swapped Airtel SIM card, all you need to do is wait for 24 hours. If after 24 hours, you still can't receive SMS, you can contact Airtel's customer service, and they'll be more than happy to assist you.
In conclusion, the 24-hour waiting period after a SIM swap may be inconvenient, but it's a necessary security measure put in place by Airtel to protect its customers. So, next time you find yourself in a similar situation, just sit tight, and wait for 24 hours before you can send and receive SMS messages once again.