Database Info

[Q] MMS in Apps other than Hangouts

Hello all,
For starters, some preliminaries:
ROM: ViperRom 3.2.1
Firmware: Latest (4.4.4)
Kernel, radios: Stock
Has anyone been having trouble with group MMS beyond the Hangouts app? The Hangouts app works like silk when it comes to group MMS - I can send/receive to all my friends (regardless of whether they have a smartphone or cell phone), it can play GIFs within the thread and it doesn't deliver messages at the wrong time (a 5:09pm message gets delivered before a 5:06 pm message). The problem with Hangouts is that it is slow and has odd kinks that drive me insane (when you send a message it doesn't show it unless you exit and reenter the message thread, three second delay to display contact when searching for number). The glaring issue is that it is an app that I simply do not use for it's native purpose - which is to create Hangouts and not use SMS. Nobody I know uses Hangouts, so I only use it for SMS.
I have tried literally every SMS app there is - Handcent, GOSMS, 8SMS, Hello, Textra, ChompSMS, Evolve SMS, Messaging (stock KitKat modified), HTC Messaging.
These apps all have a consistent problem - I cannot communicate with my cell phone friends in group chats. They receive blank messages and cannot read my replies. I've tried modifiying my APN but I am unable to create a new profile in Settings>Networks>APN. This is honestly strange to me because Hangouts works so flawlessly compared to all these other apps. Any suggestions?

genheals said:
Hello all,
For starters, some preliminaries:
ROM: ViperRom 3.2.1
Firmware: Latest (4.4.4)
Kernel, radios: Stock
Has anyone been having trouble with group MMS beyond the Hangouts app? The Hangouts app works like silk when it comes to group MMS - I can send/receive to all my friends (regardless of whether they have a smartphone or cell phone), it can play GIFs within the thread and it doesn't deliver messages at the wrong time (a 5:09pm message gets delivered before a 5:06 pm message). The problem with Hangouts is that it is slow and has odd kinks that drive me insane (when you send a message it doesn't show it unless you exit and reenter the message thread, three second delay to display contact when searching for number). The glaring issue is that it is an app that I simply do not use for it's native purpose - which is to create Hangouts and not use SMS. Nobody I know uses Hangouts, so I only use it for SMS.
I have tried literally every SMS app there is - Handcent, GOSMS, 8SMS, Hello, Textra, ChompSMS, Evolve SMS, Messaging (stock KitKat modified), HTC Messaging.
These apps all have a consistent problem - I cannot communicate with my cell phone friends in group chats. They receive blank messages and cannot read my replies. I've tried modifiying my APN but I am unable to create a new profile in Settings>Networks>APN. This is honestly strange to me because Hangouts works so flawlessly compared to all these other apps. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried Verizon Message+ ? That is what I am using and works well for me. I'm usually not a fan of Verizon Software, but the messaging app has a lot of options and doesn't seam to lag.

jsaxon2 said:
Have you tried Verizon Message+ ? That is what I am using and works well for me. I'm usually not a fan of Verizon Software, but the messaging app has a lot of options and doesn't seam to lag.
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Click to collapse
I tried that app. Super clunky, definitely looking for a better alternative.

Interesting.
I have been running Viper also ( until yesterday actually).
I have been using Handcent and group messaging seems to work fine. At least no one has told me otherwise.
I do notice, with Handcent that from time to time SMS/mms messages seem to get hung up for quite a few minutes( see the spinning wheel next to message). I always though that was a network issue. You have me thinking otherwise now..
I have never tried hangouts for SMS. I might give it a whirl.

genheals said:
I tried that app. Super clunky, definitely looking for a better alternative.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Super clunky, okay. That's one way to describe it. lol. But did it work for group messaging? Have you tried a different rom? Viper is an international rom that has changes made for Verizon to work. Maybe there is a setting or library missing from Viper. Have you asked in that thread to see if anyone else has the same issues on Verizon?

jsaxon2 said:
Super clunky, okay. That's one way to describe it. lol. But did it work for group messaging? Have you tried a different rom? Viper is an international rom that has changes made for Verizon to work. Maybe there is a setting or library missing from Viper. Have you asked in that thread to see if anyone else has the same issues on Verizon?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used CleanRom before this...really have no interest in switching ROMs but I see what you mean about it being international. I always had used Hangouts without compliant but it took a serious speed hit when it got updated/I updated to Viper

Tried many of them and constantly been sticking with Textra.

MoNsTeReNeRgY22 said:
Tried many of them and constantly been sticking with Textra.
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I recently discovered this app. Love it, its like what the new google messaging app should have been.

MoNsTeReNeRgY22 said:
Tried many of them and constantly been sticking with Textra.
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Click to collapse
+1 on Textra. I had group messaging problems too until this app. There is an option under settings to use MMS for group messaging. I think it's off by default. Try switching it on and see how it goes. It fixed my probs, particularly when texting to/from iDevices.
Sent from my Gunmetal Grey M8

Does textra have gif support in the message threads?

madzozs said:
Does textra have gif support in the message threads?
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Looks like it does. Successfully sent and received one.
Sent from my Gunmetal Grey M8

Textra does not work on Viper, tried that one as well

genheals said:
Textra does not work on Viper, tried that one as well
Click to expand...
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UPDATE: Some of the issues I have were actually due to me disabling animations in Developer Settings. Once I re-enabled animations, the issues with Hangouts "hanging" at the second to last message, rather then displaying my newly sent message, went away. The app also seems much smoother on the whole. I guess that disabling animations is a bigger detriment than benefit when it comes to Hangouts.
I still have the same group MMS issues in apps other than Hangout (people with basic feature phones only receive blank lines, rather than text). Hangouts remains the only texting app that works flawlessly with group MMS. It's a shame, because Textra is such a beautiful app.

Hangouts MMS

so i got the Mate 9 a couple days ago and it is an awesome phone! one thing is that for some reason, (i use hangouts for messaging) hangouts wont send or receive MMS. I checked all the APN settings for ATT and it just keep saying "sending failed... try tap to try again."
i downloaded google's messenger, it works.
the messaging app from Huawei works.
hangouts, nada..
i could use another messaging app but if there is a way for hangouts MMS to work just to have one central messaging app (i use hangouts for google voice and for chat) it would be amazing..
any ideas?

Huh. My experience is different.
May I ask - are you using the USA variant of the Mate 9? I have the MHA-L29 international, which might well be the same model number as the USA variant, and I am also on AT&T, but I have been unable to get the native messaging app to handle MMS properly. I don't like or use Hangouts, but I have tried Textra and 3 or 4 other apps that all work perfectly. The native app converts pics to MMS for sending, but will NOT manage group messaging correctly. Responses are isolated from each other instead of truly acting as a "group text."

Brikwil said:
May I ask - are you using the USA variant of the Mate 9? I have the MHA-L29 international, which might well be the same model number as the USA variant, and I am also on AT&T, but I have been unable to get the native messaging app to handle MMS properly. I don't like or use Hangouts, but I have tried Textra and 3 or 4 other apps that all work perfectly. The native app converts pics to MMS for sending, but will NOT manage group messaging correctly. Responses are isolated from each other instead of truly acting as a "group text."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the US variant from Bestbuy.
I couldn't figure out the MMS issue with hangouts so i downloaded google messenger and it works there.
i hate to use multiple apps for messaging but i don't have any choice..
did you figure out yours?

I also have the USA variant of the phone running on T-Mobile network. I cannot get Google's Messanging app to work with MMS group chat. Stock Huawei messaging app works, but I find the performance of the app to be terrible with handling group chats. The screen keeps refreshing when you scroll up or down in the conversation list. Like the screen will be blank (showing only timestamps of messages but no messages), then after a short time all the message bubbles will finally appear. Does this happen to everyone else who uses the stock messaging app?

not on mine. stock messaging app works for me for MMS

clovis_ll said:
not on mine. stock messaging app works for me for MMS
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BTW, Google Hangouts also does not work for me with sending MMS

using the Best Buy version on ATT w/Nextgenphone APN and i have no problem sending MMS messages. did you confirm that Hangouts was the default SMS app?

cortez.i said:
using the Best Buy version on ATT w/Nextgenphone APN and i have no problem sending MMS messages. did you confirm that Hangouts was the default SMS app?
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yeah i did. i use hangouts for google voice number and my messaging for my carrier number.
on google voice number, MMS gets sent. on my carrier, it doesn't.

clovis_ll said:
yeah i did. i use hangouts for google voice number and my messaging for my carrier number.
on google voice number, MMS gets sent. on my carrier, it doesn't.
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Click to collapse
confirmed "send MMS via carrier number" failure on my Mate 9 as well. chit!

Brikwil said:
May I ask - are you using the USA variant of the Mate 9? I have the MHA-L29 international, which might well be the same model number as the USA variant, and I am also on AT&T, but I have been unable to get the native messaging app to handle MMS properly. I don't like or use Hangouts, but I have tried Textra and 3 or 4 other apps that all work perfectly. The native app converts pics to MMS for sending, but will NOT manage group messaging correctly. Responses are isolated from each other instead of truly acting as a "group text."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What's a US variant? As far I know from the announcements, there is a Chinese model and an International model.
Can anyone shed some light on this please?

ravennyc said:
What's a US variant? As far I know from the announcements, there is a Chinese model and an International model.
Can anyone shed some light on this please?
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Best Buy (and some US online vendors) are selling the Mate 9; that's where I purchased mine. I consider this a US variant.
Sent from my MHA-L29 using Tapatalk

cortez.i said:
Best Buy (and some US online vendors) are selling the Mate 9; that's where I purchased mine. I consider this a US variant.
Sent from my MHA-L29 using Tapatalk
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Yes, Amazon and Newegg as well....

Variants for the Mate 9
ravennyc said:
What's a US variant? As far I know from the announcements, there is a Chinese model and an International model.
Can anyone shed some light on this please?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am aware of three variants: the L00, the L09, and the L29. As I understand it, the L00 is the Chinese and the L29 is the European/International model. The L09 is a single-SIM version of the L29 (again - as I understand it.)
HOWEVER - there is a definite difference between the model MHA-L29 which went on sale in the US in early January and the Euro/Int'l MHA-L29, even if the model number is the same (per Amazon listing). That version carries a US warranty, and it reports that warranty to the user in HiCare. The version I purchased in late December is MHA-L29, but does not carry that warranty. This could be as simple as the IMEI database detecting those phones which were marked for sale in the US. I simply don't know.
What I do know is important enough for me: for whatever reason, BOTH versions of MHA-L29 seem to share a problem with handling MMS using the native app that ships with the phone. This continues to be the case for mine, even after upgrading it to B138. I have not checked for a newer firmware release.

Is there an official Huawei forum for this phone where we can notify them of these issues?

trace1er said:
Is there an official Huawei forum for this phone where we can notify them of these issues?
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Huawei responds to emails rather quickly. I asked them about tap to wake and they pointed me to use the voice option to wake the screen "not want I wanted" but still the response was appreciated. [email protected]
Probably best to talk to them from here: http://consumer.huawei.com/us/contact-us/index.htm?tag=email

Many thanks for the clarification on the models. Not sure if the US Warranty/or lack of one, actually changes any of the physical and OS specifications of the L29, I believe L29 is same Internationally, be it USA or Europe or the rest of the world.. except China.
From a MMS prespective, even Google Messenger (which is another app vs Hangouts) also doesn't work for MMS/PICS sent via sms.

ravennyc said:
Many thanks for the clarification on the models. Not sure if the US Warranty/or lack of one, actually changes any of the physical and OS specifications of the L29, I believe L29 is same Internationally, be it USA or Europe or the rest of the world.. except China.
From a MMS prespective, even Google Messenger (which is another app vs Hangouts) also doesn't work for MMS/PICS sent via sms.
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Click to collapse
I found that the messaging app "Textra" works perfectly, for SMS, MMS, and pics. HOWEVER - since Huawei specifically warns against using third-party apps due to potential battery drain issues, I think it behooves them to make their built-in app work as advertised. I don't think they should call a phone "GSM-compatible" if its native app can't handle SMS/MMS properly. I consider that a serious failure.

Having the same mms/group texting issues with the native messenger app. I ended up switching to Textra which works fine.

UPDATE regarding MMS failures
I took the major step (for me) of rebranding my Mate 9 MHA-L29C636 using Funky Huawei, and I am happy to report that running it as a US variant (MHA-L29C567) on build 167 has SOLVED the MMS issues I reported earlier in this thread. Of course this required unlocking the bootloader, thereby voiding any warranty, but since Huawei and the reseller had utterly failed to provide any support for the problem, I figured I couldn't be any worse off if I tried. So - kudos to Funky Huawei. Even for a novice like me, the rebranding process worked very well.

Brikwil said:
I took the major step (for me) of rebranding my Mate 9 MHA-L29C636 using Funky Huawei, and I am happy to report that running it as a US variant (MHA-L29C567) on build 167 has SOLVED the MMS issues I reported earlier in this thread. Of course this required unlocking the bootloader, thereby voiding any warranty, but since Huawei and the reseller had utterly failed to provide any support for the problem, I figured I couldn't be any worse off if I tried. So - kudos to Funky Huawei. Even for a novice like me, the rebranding process worked very well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can u provide steps on how to do this? I'm on build 167 right now also.
I'm a noob...thanks
Sent from my MHA-L29 using XDA-Developers Legacy app

Screen flashes when receiving text message using Samsung app

Hi all. I recently got an S7 as a warranty replacement. Using Nougat and the stock SMS app, I see that the screen flashes/turns on when text messages arrive. I have already seen on the Web that this seems to be the default way the app works with no workaround except using a third party app. I'd like to keep using the stock one, as it's already using some RCS features not seen yet in the Android/Google app or on Textra.
Are other users seeing the same behavior with the stock app? Is there any fix available? Thanks in advance.

RCS in Android Messages

So I was thinking about using Android messages as my text app and have read it is supposed to have RCS function just like the default app on our Note 8 does. But Everytime I send a text as a test to my fiance there's never a delivered, read or any other RCS notable features. So I'm wondering is this app issues or carrier?

With Textra, this is available. I turned it on and it works. They are fixing the issue with Live messaging right now. I am with AT&T.

Where at in Textra do we turn on RCS? Didn't know that was available yet

I used textra at a time but I really want to use android messages since it seems to be the only app that lets me use Google keyboard to it's fullest. As far as bitmoji and gifs go lol

powerstroke said:
Where at in Textra do we turn on RCS? Didn't know that was available yet
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Same. I remember them talking about it an eternity (more than 6 months) ago, but never saw a mention of it going live; and I'm one to usually read their changelogs. Only reason I havn't set Textra as my default messaging app like I want to.

Poetique said:
Same. I remember them talking about it an eternity (more than 6 months) ago, but never saw a mention of it going live; and I'm one to usually read their changelogs. Only reason I havn't set Textra as my default messaging app like I want to.
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Yeah I messaged support and they said it's on the table but hasn't been officially added yet

According to Textra's Twitter, Google haven't released the API so it's not going to happen until they do

KingVekxin said:
So I was thinking about using Android messages as my text app and have read it is supposed to have RCS function just like the default app on our Note 8 does. But Everytime I send a text as a test to my fiance there's never a delivered, read or any other RCS notable features. So I'm wondering is this app issues or carrier?
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Click to collapse
Anyone have an answer to the OP's question? I was wondering the same thing.

brandon_powell said:
Anyone have an answer to the OP's question? I was wondering the same thing.
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AT&T only supports an older version of RCS (not Universal Profile) at the moment. AT&T has it integrated into the bundled samsung messages app so it works there, but Android Messages only supports the current version of RCS (Universal Profile). Hopefully AT&T will upgrade their RCS system soon...

KingVekxin said:
I used textra at a time but I really want to use android messages since it seems to be the only app that lets me use Google keyboard to it's fullest. As far as bitmoji and gifs go lol
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FWIW - It does work to its fullest in Textra. I've been using both for months, and I can insert emoji, GIFs, everything.

But the stock Samsung Messages app does not allow you to message users on iPhone without compressing the hell out of everything. So I don't think RCS is fully up yet on AT&T's side. From everything I've read, universal RCS allows for message sizes similar to iMessage. That's the only thing I miss from iPhone and is why I use Facebook Messenger or Allo for texting now. I'm sick of not being able to send gifs, videos or pictures of decent quality. No apps including Textra work for me without the crazy compression or other limitations.

What messaging app

What messaging app is everyone using?
I'm using stock messaging app but when I get sent videos it looks small extremely pixelated and you can barely tell what's going on. What are you guys using and is there a way to fix this. I do have the sms chat all set up and working auto download 105mb
Thanks

You need to use WhatsApp to send & receive videos that aren't compressed beyond recognition.

lmacmil said:
You need to use WhatsApp to send & receive videos that aren't compressed beyond recognition.
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I have used stock, Messenger, and Verizon Message+ (that came from the ex-Verizon S7 the Pixel 3a replaced - and now is the backup). All three support SMS; the only reason I am using stock is in the off chance of my GETTING an RCS message. (So far - none.)

PGHammer said:
I have used stock, Messenger, and Verizon Message+ (that came from the ex-Verizon S7 the Pixel 3a replaced - and now is the backup). All three support SMS; the only reason I am using stock is in the off chance of my GETTING an RCS message. (So far - none.)
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SMS simply cannot set videos that aren't horribly compressed.
Untill RCS is globally available the only alternative is messaging apps like telegram, Facebook messenger, WhatsApp, etc.
Sent from my Pixel 3a XL using XDA Labs