So I got bombarded with 2 different sets of group texts from 2 different sets of friends who are iphone users and after the frustrating ordeal I decided to do some serious research.
Here's what I found (mods please move this if its in the wrong place) :
The state of affairs and summary aka the Short Version:
A couple of people are working on an OS level version for ASOP (not the Google core team frustringly and unfortunately).
Use Go SMS Pro or Handcent whichever one works better for you now.
I'm writing this post as a cry for help for those working on this though I'm not affiliated, just somewhat of an informed spectator.
Resource links:
Link of thread from person who has made the most progress:
http://forums.androidcentral.com/ve.../207431-group-text-messaging-jb-achieved.html
And their github: https://github.com/vivekvasani
Google Groups Discussion:
https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups=#!topic/android-contrib/Oh254kDdCas
Google Code Feature Request:
http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=24468
background xda threads:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=774990
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1441941
(if you don't want to read about the whole process and my rant you can stop here...)
The Long Journey Version:
The quest to get this done as far as I can tell began with this xda thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=774990
And 2 years later a member of our commmunity (who join specically to post about this as you can see here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=21539987#post21539987 )
Created a Google Code Feature Request: http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=24468
though many had questions about it before. This was probably what really set things in motion for a solution.
The standard answer to those with desire to have group / threaded mms chat on android has been to use Handcent or Go Sms...
No matter where you look be it here on xda, andriodcentral, droidforums, you name it.
Handcent was the first on the the scene with this working: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1559824
Go Sms a few months later: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1680704
And to prempt all the use <GroupMe/Whatsapp/etc.> posts... I tried to get my friends to do that and they weren't having it. Immediately just started sending new mms group chats :/
And I mean can you blame them? Why install a new app when it just works for you by default?
And I'm an old school smartphone hacker (talking flashing windows mobile 5 roms) who loves a good dig into this kind of stuff; so here was a shiny new thing to hack
My personal story:
For reference I had started this journey on a Sprint HTC Evo 4G and more recently got the Evo 4G LTE which I am on now.
Handcent
I had been using handcent since their inital 4.0 release with the feature but then it started screwing up on me in a number of ways which I reported to them in an email.
the just of which is this:
So I would send messages to the thread and one of several things would happen:
1) it would just eat the message (that is to say it I would press send the message would disappear from the text box like it was going to send and then just do nothing. My friends would say they never got the message)
2) it would work flawlessly (messages disappears from textbox. shows up in green in the thread. friends respond normally)
3) it would wait a while and then finally show up in the original thread
4) it would wait a while then open a new thread to send the message (friends would be confused about new thread, but since they aren't as technical as me about software just carry on with convo in original thread. Confusing us all. It would show up as a new thread on their phones too though )
5) it would wait a while then give up (message would show back up in text box as if I had saved it as a draft)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But the problems were only on the sending side. All messages sent to the group would show up in a group thread prorperly.
Go SMS
So I decided to try out Go Sms. And with it sending works flawless for me but... threading not at all. Every message that is supposed to be in the thread would show up in each indivudual sender's thread...
So I had an epiphany. I could have handcent do the downloading and threading... and have Go Sms do the sending. Which worked like a charm for about a day...
The Event or the reason you are reading this long post
Then the phone crashed... and after a restart things looked fine but then it happened.
I have two 2 different groups threads going one with 6 people in and one with 8.
They all had stuff they wanted to talk about today. Here was the ultimate test for the system right? Failed miserably.
Right now I've got about 8 threads with varying texts that should only be in 2 threads.
I was furious. Its crazy annoying when a conversation is going on and you can't figure out the context properly with that many people. Luckily I had the old threads that had worked to respond in but the new messages were all over the place.
I think uninstalling and then reisntalling first Handcent then Go SMS got it back working again but if I have to do that alot it will get annoying because these groups aren't going anywhere.
And this whole mess is a band aid. Not a solution.
Research time.
I need to know why this isn't working.
I mean long press one of those messages. Long story short it is an mms with extra numbers in the to: field.
Or even simpler all an MMS is a text file with some xml tags tossed in there for metadata. Your carrier sends you an sms with a link in it for where to download the text file from.
This cannot be that hard to fix and if it is I want to know why.
Google (search) time.
I searched for the Google Code thread I had seen a while back first. http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=24468
843 stars. Many comments by people just as baffled as me this isn't done already.
I even have a post there asking about where the code is so I could try to poke around.
Then I remembered I had just had a good conversation with one of the chrome developer tools devs on Google Groups so I decided to look there too
More info: https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups=#!topic/android-contrib/Oh254kDdCas
Apparently a guy tweeted the person who is the lead Google Employee over AOSP and he told him to post there. Then the thread got closed because they had no soultion...
BUT wait! There is hope!
Shortly after that, a guy started working on a solution. Check his stuff out here.
http://forums.androidcentral.com/ve...07431-group-text-messaging-jb-achieved-2.html
And this person is freaking amazing because he has gotten this far with little prior knowledge of the project, java, android, git or gerrit to begin with.
Here is also the github where he is working on his stuff https://github.com/vivekvasani
And the trails ends there.
His last commit was about 2 weeks ago and he was asked to contribute it to master a 3 days ago
I'm posting all this to say if there is anyone out there listening who cares and can help this guy get this done please do.
Its ludicrous that we don't have this completely solved yet.
Thanks for you time,
Will
Same problem here. A good portion of my friends are iPhone users, and they love to group text. I'll have to keep my eye on this one. Thanks for doing the research!
Talamor said:
Same problem here. A good portion of my friends are iPhone users, and they love to group text. I'll have to keep my eye on this one. Thanks for doing the research!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're welcome. Thanks for appreciating it.
And I've got it pretty stably working now.
Here's my setup:
1) Install Handcent first.
2) Make it default sms provider.
3) Turn on threading (it does this really well)
4) Install Go Sms
5) Set it's (Go Sms) option to send group mms in the send settings (its sending works well)
6) disable notifications in handcent if you don't want double notifications
7) MAKE SURE to disable popups in both programs
- I think this is what was causing the fc's and the crashing. They both try to access the sender's thread and download the mms to get the text but have to fight over access.
Just as a side note the MMS app on recent Motorola phones does group messaging perfectly. On my RAZR MAXX both the GB and now the ICS version is great. My iPhone friends use it all the time and it does it perfectly. No issues with lost messages or miss-threaded messages. Same for my friend using an Atrix 2 (on AT&T)
Perhaps someone can rip the APK for other people to use?
Also Verizon wireless in the US offers a SMS/MMS app for free on Google Play that also does group messages. I used to use this on my older phone which didn't naively support it.... sadly it won't install on non Verizon phones but perhaps someone can port that? I'm quite sure this is nothing but an artificial limitation.
williscool said:
You're welcome. Thanks for appreciating it.
And I've got it pretty stably working now.
Here's my setup:
1) Install Handcent first.
2) Make it default sms provider.
3) Turn on threading (it does this really well)
4) Install Go Sms
5) Set it's (Go Sms) option to send group mms in the send settings (its sending works well)
6) disable notifications in handcent if you don't want double notifications
7) MAKE SURE to disable popups in both programs
- I think this is what was causing the fc's and the crashing. They both try to access the sender's thread and download the mms to get the text but have to fight over access.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
:/ I'd really rather use the default android messaging app. I'd just like it to be able to do group texts. I'd love it if this enhancement ended up in CM10 or something. Did I misunderstand your original post? I thought you were saying that someone was working on a modified version of the default messaging app that would be able to handle group texts.
And adrianblack, you're saying that the default messaging app handles SMS/MMS group texts? That sounds pretty much exactly like what I'm looking for. Only issue is that I think a lot of the apps on the stock roms (i.e. non AOSP) are pretty tied in to those particular roms. Which is why they can't just port the camera or contacts from sense and put it on the Galaxy Nexus. Without the rom behind it, the apps won't run. Hopefully the messaging app on the RAZR MAXX isn't like that. Or, at the very least, it'll give someone something to reverse engineer in order to get the AOSP messaging app working with group texts.
Nope no misunderstanding.
Its just not done yet.
You can check out those threads I linked to.
The guy got it working but it hasn't been merged in anywhere.
Which means nobody in any of the release teams has tested it which means it will probably be a while before you could just download or flash it.
I was just sharing my, admittedly kludgy, way of having it work now
Talamor said:
:/ I'd really rather use the default android messaging app. I'd just like it to be able to do group texts. I'd love it if this enhancement ended up in CM10 or something. Did I misunderstand your original post? I thought you were saying that someone was working on a modified version of the default messaging app that would be able to handle group texts.
And adrianblack, you're saying that the default messaging app handles SMS/MMS group texts? That sounds pretty much exactly like what I'm looking for. Only issue is that I think a lot of the apps on the stock roms (i.e. non AOSP) are pretty tied in to those particular roms. Which is why they can't just port the camera or contacts from sense and put it on the Galaxy Nexus. Without the rom behind it, the apps won't run. Hopefully the messaging app on the RAZR MAXX isn't like that. Or, at the very least, it'll give someone something to reverse engineer in order to get the AOSP messaging app working with group texts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hope it gets merged with CM soon. Both Go SMS and Handcent suck.
just recently found out about handcent working with group MMS, cannot wait to have this in CM10!
From the androidcentral thread linked in op, there are at least two CM10 nightly based ROMs with Vivek Vasani's (playa1257) changes included:
One from invisiblek and the other by euroskank
I've seen some threads thath this has been added to the AOSP JB 4.2 messaging app (sorry for no links. I'm a new user).
Can anyone confirm?
Has this issue been fixed yet? I do a lot of group texts with several different people (for my job mainly) and have been using GO SMS on an EVO3D for some time now. It doesn't work terribly (still slow though) when it is only 1 or 2 messages at a time (as long as I am in a good service area or else it doesn't work for ****) but when the messages come flying in (or god forbid I have more than 1 text chain going at once) the phone lags so badly that it is unusable. I can't see the messages and can't even get a message out because the phone is so busy processing the incoming messages. It freezes the phone until the activity settles down.
Is this a problem on ALL Android phones or is it because I have an older EVO3D? I am going to be purchasing a new phone in the near future and if group texting isn't even working on the flagship phones I am afraid I am going to have to jump ship to the iphone. Can anyone provide an update as to the status of group text on Android flagship phones?
Related
I was really excited to see the new version of Go SMS Pro supported group messaging like the iPhone. however every time I sent a group mms the responses got their own thread. I want to see all of the responses in one thread. I tried Handcent also and still no luck! I was wondering if anyone else has had problems with this feature or gotten it to work in either app?
*so fun fact... installing the beta made it work. The play store version won't.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1559824&highlight=handcent+beta
Actually I have noticed that for a while even mass sms, any replies would appear under their own thred. I know it doesn't help the situation but at least you're not the only one.
~PsyCl0ne
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using XDA
BUMP
I was going to make a thread but found this old one. I too had been using Go SMS Pro to communicate with my iPhone group messaging buddies. It wasn't perfect - sometimes messages would be received in individual threads or seemingly not at all - but overall it was bearable. I have been waiting for a better solution and I found it in the newest version of the Slim Bean rom posted in the skyrocket android development forum. Using the stock messaging app with the new "group messaging" option in settings checked, I have been enjoying more fluent group conversations.
I am writing this for two reasons. The first is simply to make yall aware that this exists and works well from my limited experience (going on two days with this rom - but over 50 group messages). The second is to see if it would be possible to apply this tweak to any of the other great CM10 roms floating around. I have flashed many CM10 roms that are really quite awesome, but lack this functionality. I use it so much that I always go back to slim bean. I have no dev experience but I am curious to learn, and I'm hoping learning something like this would be a nice way into that world. If it's too complicated (or even too easy to learn anything from) that's ok too, but I am very interested in applying this functionality to roms without it baked in.
handcent SMS works with Group messages, including with people who have an IPhone. It's a bit quirky at times, but generally it works well.
I understand, but my point is that in the newest slim bean the default messaging client works and is NOT quirky as third party remedies have been up until now.
Hji
Is there a maximum number of messages per conversation?
I've got 179 conversations holding ~20k messages. The longest thread is 5,5k and it doesn't work. The loading takes more than 10 minutes. The second longest thread is nearly 2,5k and loads completely fine.
I googled a bit but didn't find a solution for this though 5k was mentioned in many places. Is that true?
I'm using the Sense 4.0 default messaging app.
If 5k is the limit, how can I easily delete messages from beginning of the thread? Or are there any other solutions?
Thanks a lot in advance!
check apps settings, I think there was possible to set "limit". Dont have my S now, cant tell u where it was.
Stiflerlv said:
check apps settings, I think there was possible to set "limit". Dont have my S now, cant tell u where it was.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
General settings of SMS has "Delete old messages" option which gives you possibility to delete messages per conversation. When it's tapped and you try to set the limit, it gives you range of 10-5000.
So according to this, 5000 is the ultimate limit which the phone/ICS/Sense can hold comfortably? Is that right or are there any solutionts [to keep the messages in the conversation, they're of course backed up]?
If the limit is 5k per thread you might want to look at SMS Backup and Restore. You can export the messages to XML and maybe modify the XML with a text editor to hold the "oldest" 5k messages of a particular thread in a different thread.
1. You make a XML backup with the app
2. Edit the backup on your computer to replace the phone number in the overflowing thread to a different one
3. Wipe the entire message contents off the phone or even just selectively the thread in question
4. Restore the messages through the app and that way they should be put into the new thread you modified the XML with.
That way you could hold all the messages on the device at all times, but not in the same single thread I think.
Thanks psych0t1c! That sounds like a good idea and will surely work.
But I just came up with this third-party SMS app GoSMS Pro. Weirdly it does NOT have the problem of conversations longer than 5k messages. It loads them as fast as all the other, shorter ones.
So the limit must be in HTC Sense's messaging app. Or is it the default ICS app in One S?
Anyway, problem solved! Lets see if I stick to GoSMS as it got pretty nice other features too or if I follow your suggestion.
Sorry to bump a slightly old thread, but having the same problem with my sensation, 8k on one thread and seems it can't open the thread, and screws up all the others until I restart the phone, though handcent works fine. Probably something to do with being a port!
A develops input to this would be cool! Is there any way of hacking the apk to allow more messages to be stored? it's obviously not a problem with loading them as the sensation loads 3k conversations as quick as 1k ones...
Sorry to bump this old thread, but is there a solution to this? Or do we have to actually back it up and start a new thread?
Thanks
Okay, guys... GoSMS is starting to become a BOTHER. It was great, but since its "cloud" features, and constant bombardment of "buy this, do that" I am fed up with it. I just did a backup before I wiped and flashed, and it is NOT reading that my backups are there (local, not in the cloud... apparently Cloud is not working?).
So, I am off to find a newer, better app.
I would like Backup features (especially if it can restore from Go's backups), themeing support, and general customization, and possibly facebook contact picture support (i know with the recent updates, facebook has made this nearly impossible).
What are you guys using? Does stock "do" it for you? I am running CM9 on a Nexus S 4G (Crespo4G).
Thanks, everyone!
AngelosDracul said:
Okay, guys... GoSMS is starting to become a BOTHER. It was great, but since its "cloud" features, and constant bombardment of "buy this, do that" I am fed up with it. I just did a backup before I wiped and flashed, and it is NOT reading that my backups are there (local, not in the cloud... apparently Cloud is not working?).
So, I am off to find a newer, better app.
I would like Backup features (especially if it can restore from Go's backups), themeing support, and general customization, and possibly facebook contact picture support (i know with the recent updates, facebook has made this nearly impossible).
What are you guys using? Does stock "do" it for you? I am running CM9 on a Nexus S 4G (Crespo4G).
Thanks, everyone!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi!
Have you ever tryed Handcent SMS ?!
Furitu said:
Hi!
Have you ever tryed Handcent SMS ?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, yes. Waaaay back when I got my first Android (Epic 4G). Might have to give it a go again.
hmm, i haven't received any spam or cross sell proposals through go sms, maybe it's because i use adfree?
Also not sure what you mean by the cloud being a bother. I don't see that option.
The customization of go sms is awesome, i don't know if any other sms app that even comes close.
~Samsung Galaxy SIII (SPH-L710) - Blazer ROM v1.6 - TWRP~
I haven't used GO or Handcent in awhile, but I really did like Handcent. It was pretty nice and not much lag.
-K
For SMS I'm more than happy with the AOSP SMS app. Runs just fine but to be honest I'd rather that everyone I text was a whatsapp user instead as the delivery status is really useful. A less iPhoney theme would be nice for whatsapp too.
Just an FYI, there are messaging-app-independent...apps (lol) for backing up and restoring text messages on the market. Like SMS Backup Pro and a ton of others.
I tried numerous Messaging apps, but in the end, I went on using only "SMS Enhancer" app, which is essentially just a nicely stylized popup widget. Any other application just slowed down my already slow Wildfire.
Now, I'm on Windows Phone, and I don't have to worry about such things. Though, would like at least SOME customization of default messaging app...
Default ICS
Personally, I like the default messaging app in Ice Cream Sand which. (Or at least the one in CM9)
I mean, It has Emoticons native support (for those people who use it or people who's friend's beg them to use it) and a whole other bunch of useful settings.
I don't know why you haven't tried handcent yet. Its the best in my opinion.
Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using xda app-developers app
Handcent, hands down!
I have the nexus s 4g on sprint (still love it =D).
My favorite features:
Handcent Backup
Popup Window
Split Message Options (split by word & add counter, awesome for cdma carriers like sprint)
Customization
Plugins (Emoji especially)
Thanks for the responses, guys! Once the thread got moved, it seemed to really do good.
I have used Handcent in the past. And I found GoSMS and was completely happy with it, until all their "sign up, and login" crap. I liked being able to backup locally before updating.
The rom I am running now (a JB variant) has SMS issues, and I am a HEAVY texter, so I was looking for other options. Right now, I am still using stock, so I will look into the standalone backup option. Thanks again!
Hi.
I dont change phones too often my last phone was HTC 10, last me 4years , and still do, just hidden in drawer. I just upgraded to LG G8X Android 9.0, good phone proper hardware nothing could go wrong right? All producers change UI little bit so I accept that, but couldnt imagine the Messaging app will be fck up so badly compared to this what was a STANDARD on HTC, my brother who is computer geek, confirmed my problem but he doesnt care. Ive had gone mad looking for replacement, installed dozen of them and still cant find proper. So whats the point?
On HTC 10, You open messaging app have all threads listed and recent messages same like everywhere so far so good, then you want write message then click + icon>new menu opens and you can write and add recipient, perfect.
Now in these days, same open the app, recent messages listed, then to write new text click +icon or (start chat), and now its a problem, I NEED to ADD recipient first before can compose my message, this is so bad, no chance to make a message DONT add recipient and save it as draft and continue later, or just quickly write something and have it as notepad.
How these days function so simple could be removed, when back in days nobody could think to remove it and make so complicated.
I was looking everywhere installed most top apps and no function or looking **** or adverts or wants too much personal data. And yea HTC app .apk doesnt work, crashes, tried this too.
Thank you for any help, regarding I have 0 posts on this forum
I recently got a Pixel 4a 5g and originally tried GrapheneOS and now I'm on Calyx. The issue I have is the stock texting app on either OS does not support group texting which I use a lot with my family. So I had to find a 3rd party app, found QKSMS which supports group texting.
However I don't know if this is an OS or app issue, but at random, I will get old texts back. It will basically be as if it's a new text, but it's an old conversation that just replays itself. It's super annoying and also confusing because sometimes at first I think it's a real text I just got.
Is there a way to make this stop? I'm also open to suggestions on an alternate app but it needs to be something that's in the F droid store, since I don't really want to put Google play on here as it kind of defeats the purpose of having a privacy oriented phone if I start putting apps that spy on me.
I also want to stick with SMS/MMS and not signal etc, because not everybody uses all the same chat app, but SMS is just universal. Everyone I know uses it.
Anyone else ever run into this and found a fix?
Just bumping, hoping someone has a pointer for how I can troubleshoot this?