Bf (19M) is a bad texter but really great in person

My (19F) boyfriend (19M) and I have been dating for about a year now we met at school in college and we ended up living about an hour away from each other at home. Since we’ve been home for the summer he’s been an awful texter, it didn’t bother me too much in the beginning but as it kept going i started getting more and more insecure because I realized I would initiate most of our conversations and I would always be the one asking to call. As for texting he will go about 5-7 hours without answering and just dissapears and when I bring it up all he says is that he is busy. Which I do understand, I am not expecting he text me 24/7 or anything like that I just want to feel like i’m thought of.

When we’re together everything is really calm and just really good and it’s obvious that he loves me, he calls me his best friend, tells me he loves me, and just overall is very loving. But when we’re apart I don’t feel that at all.

I’ve tried talking to him about this many many times and he says he will be better and is maybe more consistent for a day but then goes right back to being really inconsistent. I know he’s on his phone a lot so I know he is seeing me trying to talk to him. I’ve told him that updates are helpful and just him reaching out more are helpful and as for updates he tries but he really just doesn’t reach out first at all. He says he’s a bad texter and he just forgets to do things, even things that are really important to him.

I know he’s not doing this with any malice and he’s genuinely such a nice and sweet partner but I can’t help but feel insecure and needy. I think I need to accept this or do something else but I don’t know. Am I needy? What do I do?

TL;DR Boyfriend js great in person but incredibly inconsistent with texting leaving me unfulfilled and insecure.