Need help with a bizarre texting problem

[bunburryist]

TL;DR Summary

My wife only receives text (sent throughout the day) from certain people after she enters her mothers living facility and goes up the elevator.

My wife is experiencing a bizarre texting problem that no one – ATT, Sprint, Xfinity (we changed carriers because of the problem) – has been able to solve.
The problem is that there are certain people she does not receive texts from unless she is at her mother’s assisted living facility. These are texts that are sent to her throughout the day – from her sister, our son, our son’s girlfriend, Xfinity, various banks, etc.

• We live in a very populated area near a major city, generally flat terrain, and never have cell phone/texting problems other wise.
• The people she is not receiving texts from have Androids
• She has an Iphone 8
• She can text anyone – including the people whose texts she is not getting - and they get her texts.
• We have changed from Sprint to Xfinity, so she got a new SIM card.
• After getting a new SIM card (and still having the problem), she went to the Apple store and they reloaded her phone from scratch. The problem continues.
• I was told by one of the people at the main desk that people often have trouble receiving texts on the ground floor, and then get them as they go up in the elevator. These are texts they would have gotten while they were in the building. My wife’s accumulate throughout the day.
• If she wants to get texts from these people, she has to go to her mother’s facility and use the elevator. She will get the texts all in a row – bing bing bing bing - either in the elevator, or shortly after she gets to the 3rd floor. Yesterday was an exception – she got the texts as she entered the foyer at the main entrance.

If it was only texts she should have gotten while she was there, I can understand that is would most likely be a reception problem. But these are texts that have accumulated since the last time she was there!
Does anyone have any idea what’s going on? My wife would appreciate any help anyone might give. Thanks

 

[Klystron]

My Android cell phone includes several connection methods. The first connection is through the telecommunications (telecomm) company where I purchased the phone, Cricket, similar to ATT, etc., with signal represented by a bars on a vertical histogram. Second connection "wireless" requires logging onto a network router connected to an Internet service provider (ISP) represented by curved horizontal bands on a representation of an antenna. This wireless connection varies with proximity to a wireless router connected to an ISP.

The cell service, Cricket, varies with line-of-sight distance to a cell tower. The wireless network is selected by the user, varies by proximity to a router, and requires a login. Some facilities such as hospitals offer free guest login. Some phones are programmed to automatically connect as "guest" when available.

Entering mother's facility may provide a wireless connection. Riding the elevator may improve cell tower connection. What do the "bars" and/or "curves" indicate on the Iphone?

 

[FactChecker]

Just some things to consider that might help narrow it down:
I assume that there are people whose texts do come through normally. Are there any patterns regarding the carrier that those people with problem texts have? Are there people with the same carrier that come through normally? (I would have thought that only your wife's carrier mattered, but maybe not.)