On a packed IPL match evening in Pune, you open the FairPlay login screen before the toss. Your phone shows a mobile connection, the account details look right, but the OTP never appears. You request it again and still get nothing while the match is about to start. This is usually a delivery or routing problem, not a reason to panic. Match-night tower congestion can delay SMS, and DND, dual-SIM settings or a ported number can add another blockage.
Start with the number and the request
Open the FairPlay login screen and check the number you are entering before touching phone settings. Request the code for the mobile number registered with the account, not a different UPI-linked or family member's number. If the screen asks for a country code, use +91 for an Indian mobile number and do not add an extra leading zero. If you recently changed a SIM or handset, test a normal incoming SMS and a call. If those do not work, the mobile connection is the first problem to fix.
- Compare the number with your account records and the SIM currently in the phone.
- Make sure the relevant SIM is enabled and has a usable network signal.
- Wait for the retry option shown on screen instead of tapping repeatedly.
- If an older code arrives after a delay, do not enter it if the screen has moved on. Request a fresh code once allowed.
Repeated requests can create a queue and may make the newest code the only valid one. If you discover that the registered number is wrong, do not open a second account to work around it. Use the official support route and ask how to verify or update the contact details.
Why match-night congestion can delay SMS
During an IPL game, an India international, a Pro Kabaddi night or a major football fixture, many people around a stadium, sports bar or housing society can use the same tower. Voice, data and SMS handling may become congested. A 5G or 4G icon only shows that the phone is registered on a network; it does not guarantee instant delivery of a service message.
Regular SMS is separate from a UPI or app-data connection, so switching Wi-Fi off does not necessarily change anything. A radio reset can help because the phone registers again with the nearest usable tower. Move near a window, onto a balcony, into a lobby or to a less crowded side of the building, then test once.
- Turn airplane mode on briefly, turn it off, and wait for the network to return.
- Restart the phone rather than repeatedly reopening the login screen.
- If the phone offers it, try the available 5G, 4G or LTE preferred-network option.
- Ask someone nearby to send a normal SMS, or send one to another phone and check whether both directions work.
If ordinary SMS is delayed too, tower or operator congestion is likely. If ordinary SMS arrives immediately but the FairPlay code does not, move to DND, spam filtering and account-side delivery checks.
Check DND without changing everything
India's DND preference is mainly intended for promotional calls and messages. Service and transactional messages, including many OTPs, are normally handled separately, so having DND enabled does not automatically explain a missing code. Even so, operator filters, message classification or a blocked sender can interfere, especially after a number has moved between operators.
- Check the DND or messaging preference in your mobile operator's app, or ask customer care what is active.
- Open the spam, junk and blocked-message folders in the phone's SMS app.
- Check whether the SMS app has a blocklist, sender filter or protection feature turned on.
- See whether bank, UPI or other transactional SMS messages are arriving. Do not share their contents.
There is no need to switch off all DND protection for one login attempt. If every transactional SMS is missing, ask the current operator to inspect filtering and provisioning. If only the FairPlay message is missing, support should check the account-side request.
Check dual-SIM and eSIM routing
Dual-SIM phones can make the wrong line look active. Mobile data may use one SIM while the registered FairPlay number belongs to the other. That arrangement can work, but a disabled SIM, an inactive eSIM or a confusing default setting can prevent the expected message from being noticed.
- Open the phone's SIM or mobile-network settings and match the last digits with the number receiving the OTP.
- Confirm that the relevant physical SIM or eSIM is enabled, not merely the SIM used for mobile data.
- Move the SIM to the other slot if the phone has two physical slots, then test a normal SMS.
- If you use eSIM and physical SIM together, make sure the eSIM profile is active for the registered number.
- If possible, test the SIM in another phone to separate a handset problem from a network problem.
Using one line for UPI and another for the betting account is not a problem by itself. Both lines need to be active. If the OTP line cannot receive ordinary SMS in any phone, ask the operator about SIM service or replacement.
If your mobile number was ported
Mobile number portability can leave routing and provisioning records out of step. The symptom may appear only for service messages, or it may surface after changing handsets because the message-centre setting or network registration is different. A ported number should be checked with the operator that currently serves it.
- Confirm that the current operator's SIM is active and that calls, data and normal SMS work.
- Restart the phone after the porting process and allow the new network registration to settle.
- Ask the current operator to verify SMS provisioning, the message-centre configuration, DND or spam filtering and port routing.
- Do not manually enter a message-centre number unless the operator gives the correct setting.
If the port was recent, avoid repeated SIM changes while the service settles. If the number worked before and then stopped, tell the operator exactly when the change began and whether other transactional messages are affected.
Phone settings that can hide an OTP
Phone software can hide a perfectly valid SMS. A full inbox, an outdated messaging app, aggressive battery saving or a manufacturer security feature may send the code to junk or stop notifications.
- Free some storage and remove old message threads that are no longer needed.
- Set the intended app as the default SMS app and allow it to read and display messages.
- Turn off aggressive battery optimisation for the messaging app, then reopen it.
- Inspect blocked numbers, spam protection and any carrier security app installed on the phone.
- Install available operating-system and messaging-app updates, then restart.
- If the operator recommends it, reset network settings; remember that saved Wi-Fi details may be removed.
Do not factory-reset the phone or copy a message-centre setting from a forum. If SMS from several unrelated senders fails, the operator is better placed to check the network profile and message centre.
Use the app and registered email as clues
The FairPlay app can help you separate an account problem from an SMS problem. Update the official app, allow notifications and check whether the account shows a pending verification message. Also check the email address associated with the account, including its spam or promotions folder, if the flow offers email contact.
- Use the official app store or the site's app page rather than an unknown download link.
- Allow notifications for the app, but do not assume a push notification replaces a required SMS.
- Check the registered email for a verification or security message and confirm that the address is correct.
- Note what the screen says after the request; a screenshot without the OTP can help support.
If another channel shows activity but SMS remains empty, keep the code request open only as long as the screen allows and then retry cleanly. Never install an unofficial APK or send a received code to someone promising instant access.
When to contact FairPlay support
If the checks above do not work, use the FairPlay customer support route and give a precise, useful report. The FairPlay FAQ may also explain account verification and contact options. Support can check whether the request reached the correct registered number and advise the next step.
- The registered mobile number, without sending the OTP itself.
- The approximate time in IST when you requested the code.
- Your city, mobile operator and whether the number was ported.
- The phone model, operating system and whether you use dual SIM or eSIM.
- Whether normal SMS, calls and transactional messages are working.
Never share an OTP, password, UPI PIN, card details or payment authorisation with anyone claiming to be support. If rupees have debited through UPI while the account remains inaccessible, do not submit the same payment again; send the transaction reference through the official support channel. You can review FairPlay payment methods for the relevant account and payment context.
A practical match-night checklist
- Confirm the country code and registered mobile number.
- Wait for the on-screen retry option instead of tapping repeatedly.
- Restart the phone or refresh the mobile connection once.
- Test a normal SMS to identify tower or operator trouble.
- Check DND, spam, junk and blocked-message folders.
- Verify the correct dual-SIM or eSIM line is active.
- Ask the current operator to inspect a ported number or message-centre issue.
- Contact FairPlay support if only the account OTP is missing.
Most missing-OTP cases improve after the number is corrected, the network is refreshed, or a handset filter is cleared. Work from the simplest check to the operator and support steps. Keep every code private, and use only official FairPlay pages while the account is locked out.
More on how we approach numbers is on about FairPlay, and the tools for setting your own limits are on responsible gaming.