My texting app worked fine. Then it stopped showing text notifications from my daughter (you know, the little number pop-up?), but still did a sound alert, and showed a pop-up from anybody else. Then today, no more pop-up alerts from anybody, although I still get the chime. Problem is, if I’m away from my phone, I won’t know that I got a text unless I continually check it manually. All notifications are on, so I’m stumped, as were my son and daughter who are more phone-literate than I am. Any suggestions?
Have you checked for a software update?
I’ve found, in the past anyway, with android (and especially with ios) things can get sort of buggy when there is a need for an update.
Yeah, checked that. I think perhaps I’ve got a corrupt app or something, as nobody seems to be able to figure it out.
There are two apps called “Messages”. Both have a blue icon with a white speech bubble. The one with lines is the Google app, the one with dots is the Samsung app. You could try switching to the other one. Go to app settings, in either app there is an option “Messaging app”, that allows you to set the default app.
(Of course, this should not be necessary - either one should work. But if it’s something weird that you cannot figure out, maybe only one of them will be affected.)
I don’t see a Google messages icon or app.
Where you looking? Go to Settings - Apps, go down alphabetically you should see two “Messages” apps.
You may also need to go to Settings - Home Screen - Hide apps, to check that the Google Messages app is not hidden (checkmarked apps are hidden, uncheck it)
I’m looking in setting>apps>messages and there is only the one, and of course FB messenger. I’m also getting chirps and vibration, but then there seems to be nothing that would be causing that to happen. Nothing from google, no new messages. . .nuthin’.
It’s possible that on your model of phone, Samsung or your provider may have removed the other SMS apps and reduced the selection to just one.
OTOH, on my wife’s Samsung she has the Samsung SMS app, the Google one, and the (objectively terrible) Verizon one. 
This is the icon for the Samsung app:
This is the icon for the Google app.
Rather presumptuous of them, I’d say.
The other possibility is that the “select messaging app” system setting may not be aware of the other apps until you try to use them. Poke around in the application drawer (where all the apps have their icons) and see if the other message apps are there.
FWIW, switching apps may not be the best solution anyway.