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Can't send international text messages in lollipop??

I'm hoping someone has a way to help me untie my balls from this Google **** up.
I pay for an international texting plan from T-Mobile.
I used to be able to send international text messages via hangouts until lollipop.
Firstly, I'm sick of hangouts constantly asking if i want to send the text via my Google voice number or my carrier. I've tried to default this to no avail. Even when i select my carrier number, I'm informed i am not allowed to send international text? WTF?
So I called the geniuses at Google. Can you believe that after all the work they did to centralized hangouts as the default app (which I like - it's helpful to have both text and voicemail from each contact in one place), no specific support team exists?? Instead they have a general help number, and they don't know much more than anyone doing a Google search. In fact he had to search for his suggestion to open the Google voice app and "opt out" of hangouts for SMS, which I did. This makes hangouts a paperweight, and now the default SMS app is Google voice, an ugly archaic looking thing that clearly they are in the process of phasing out. Anyways, i checked my settings in Google voice and the default number was my carrier number, so tried sending an international text (the UK, definitely a supported country in my plan), and was once again informed that i could not send international text messages?? WTF?
Google is a global company, they should know that people move around the world and need to send text messages. This never used to be a problem, why the international **** block all of a sudden?
Appreciate any suggestions or workarounds, but this will be my last Google phone if they expect me to jump thru hoops to use services that I'm paying for and which are hardly cutting edge!
Thanks.

Do you put 1 before the number?

Replace Rogers Voicemail with Account/Device Based Service

Hey folks. I'm not a huge fan of Rogers' voicemail service on my S4. Access and navigation is clunky, and I'd really rather just use a device based service, or if possible, Google account based service. I understand that in the US, Google Voice has this option, but I also understand this specific option isn't available in Canada.
I was hoping people could give me a couple options based on their own experiences, and also maybe tell me if there's a way to get Google Voice's voicemail service. I can make calls in Hangouts with my own Rogers number, so it would be great to have the voicemail.
YouMail is the top search option, but before I go ahead, I wanted some opinions. Thanks for any assistance.

JavaMac said:
Hey folks. I'm not a huge fan of Rogers' voicemail service on my S4. Access and navigation is clunky, and I'd really rather just use a device based service, or if possible, Google account based service. I understand that in the US, Google Voice has this option, but I also understand this specific option isn't available in Canada.
I was hoping people could give me a couple options based on their own experiences, and also maybe tell me if there's a way to get Google Voice's voicemail service. I can make calls in Hangouts with my own Rogers number, so it would be great to have the voicemail.
YouMail is the top search option, but before I go ahead, I wanted some opinions. Thanks for any assistance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you ever come up with a solution? I have been using YouMail, but their Android app is terrible. I don't receive notifications. There is a discrepancy between messages on the app and messages on their web app. The app is clunky and rarely receives updates.
I am just now investigating InstaVoice. Their app looks great. I am looking into whether they have Canadian phone numbers to forward to.

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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
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?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
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

RCS With Samsung Messages App Android 9

Does anyone know if A7 supports RCS on the default Samsung Messages app on Android 9?
RCS is available through Google Messages.

What is RCS?

danyv77 said:
What is RCS?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a new standard by the GSMA Association for upgrading SMS. This is meant to be as a service provided by mobile carriers.
It works like iMessage works for iPhone.
I can't provide a url due to restrictions of the forum.
Just search "what is rcs". You'll find plenty of information.

Question Messages app - non-carrier version

So, this seems to be the question of the year so far but I can't find an answer anywhere. I got the S22 Ultra, it has my carriers version of the Google Messages app. Of course it will only use the RCS features with other phones on their own network. I know how to remove the app, my question is if I download the Messages app from the play store after removing it, will I get my carrier modified version or the general Google one that uses Googles infrastructure for the RCS features? How can I make sure I install the Google version that hasn't been modified by my carrier?

I would try getting the latest through APK Mirror Latest . I download the Samsung variant and it seems to work fine with mine and other carriers. I have the unlocked version of the S22 Ultra through Samsung directly.

jlivolsi said:
So, this seems to be the question of the year so far but I can't find an answer anywhere. I got the S22 Ultra, it has my carriers version of the Google Messages app. Of course it will only use the RCS features with other phones on their own network. I know how to remove the app, my question is if I download the Messages app from the play store after removing it, will I get my carrier modified version or the general Google one that uses Googles infrastructure for the RCS features? How can I make sure I install the Google version that hasn't been modified by my carrier?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The carriers are using the RCS standard Google started. If it's in Google messages it will work with all carriers that support Google's RCS standard.

is this what you are chasing ??
Messages is pre-installed, but that doesn’t mean your US Galaxy S22 is using Google’s RCS backend
How to fix the problems with the Google Messages app on the Galaxy S22 line
If you're an AT&T or T-Mobile Galaxy S22 owner, you might be having issues with the Google Messages app. Here's how you can fix it.
www.phonearena.com
Messages is pre-installed, but that doesn't mean your US Galaxy S22 is using Google's RCS backend
In a big win for Google, its Messages app is the default client for the Galaxy S22 in the US, but the RCS backend differs depending on...
9to5google.com

JS_racer said:
is this what you are chasing ??
Messages is pre-installed, but that doesn’t mean your US Galaxy S22 is using Google’s RCS backend
How to fix the problems with the Google Messages app on the Galaxy S22 line
If you're an AT&T or T-Mobile Galaxy S22 owner, you might be having issues with the Google Messages app. Here's how you can fix it.
www.phonearena.com
Messages is pre-installed, but that doesn't mean your US Galaxy S22 is using Google's RCS backend
In a big win for Google, its Messages app is the default client for the Galaxy S22 in the US, but the RCS backend differs depending on...
9to5google.com
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, that is what I am referring to and yes it is true. The messages app has been modified by my carrier (AT&T) so that the RCS features will only work with other devices on their network. When it communicates outside of the network it goes back to sms/mms. So, jasonamd is not correct in that just because it is Google messages it will go on the Google backend. That is false.

jasonamd said:
The carriers are using the RCS standard Google started. If it's in Google messages it will work with all carriers that support Google's RCS standard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just because they support it doesn't mean they are using it. Like I said below, AT&T is limiting the RCS features to only when communicating with devices on their own network, they even admitted as much on their customer support forums. When going out of their network they automatically switch to sms/mms. They "claim" that they will eventually allow RCS across to other networks but that was 3 or so years ago and they have done nothing. It is a bigger issue now because they modified the Google Messages app, which is now the default, as opposed to their messaging app being the default and you could change to Google Messages on your own. They modified it so that it will only use RCS on internal to the AT&T network only. Otherwise it uses sms/mms.

How to you actually know when your sending and receiving in RCS mode ?

Markeee said:
How to you actually know when your sending and receiving in RCS mode ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AT&T is trying to take over Google's RCS and users aren't having it
An AT&T RCS system is taking over Google's within the Messages app, and it's causing all sorts of problems for users.
www.androidauthority.com
https://www.reddit.com/r/ATT/comments/szgk2j
T-Mobile / AT&T / Verizon missing messages (RCS) - I am seeing message in stock app but not in Textra – Support
Messages is pre-installed, but that doesn't mean your US Galaxy S22 is using Google's RCS backend
In a big win for Google, its Messages app is the default client for the Galaxy S22 in the US, but the RCS backend differs depending on...
9to5google.com
If your Galaxy S22 is having trouble sending messages, here's why
Google Messages debuted as the default on the Galaxy S22, but the transition might take a while for some users.
www.androidcentral.com
How to fix the problems with the Google Messages app on the Galaxy S22 line
If you're an AT&T or T-Mobile Galaxy S22 owner, you might be having issues with the Google Messages app. Here's how you can fix it.
www.phonearena.com
Is that enough proof?

jlivolsi said:
AT&T is trying to take over Google's RCS and users aren't having it
An AT&T RCS system is taking over Google's within the Messages app, and it's causing all sorts of problems for users.
www.androidauthority.com
https://www.reddit.com/r/ATT/comments/szgk2j
T-Mobile / AT&T / Verizon missing messages (RCS) - I am seeing message in stock app but not in Textra – Support
Messages is pre-installed, but that doesn't mean your US Galaxy S22 is using Google's RCS backend
In a big win for Google, its Messages app is the default client for the Galaxy S22 in the US, but the RCS backend differs depending on...
9to5google.com
If your Galaxy S22 is having trouble sending messages, here's why
Google Messages debuted as the default on the Galaxy S22, but the transition might take a while for some users.
www.androidcentral.com
How to fix the problems with the Google Messages app on the Galaxy S22 line
If you're an AT&T or T-Mobile Galaxy S22 owner, you might be having issues with the Google Messages app. Here's how you can fix it.
www.phonearena.com
Is that enough proof?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just got a Google Msgs new update today . I'm just trying know if there's something that I can see when I txt that tells me if my msgs are sending and receiving in RCS mode is all do you know ?

Markeee said:
I just got a Google Msgs new update today . I'm just trying know if there's something that I can see when I txt that tells me if my msgs are sending and receiving in RCS mode is all do you know ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what I can tell, in so far as for AT&T, if you go to setting in Messenger and the "chat features" menu, if it says powered by jibe it is going through Googles backend and will let RCS work across any/all providers network. If it says "powered by AT&T" then it is only using RCS on AT&T's network.

jlivolsi said:
This video seems to explains it Samsung Msg app don't even have the verify phone number option according to this video its not working for me coz my phone number won't even verify
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
jlivolsi said:
I just joined the Google Msg Beta for the app maybe that will work to enable it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

I installed Google Messaging followed that above video and got RCS to enable took like 2 hrs for the app to verify my number on my S22 Ultra

Unlocked S22U here on ATT. I think the issue is actually that Jibe and ATT are not communicating.
My device works fine with anyone who doesn't have a carrier S22U, and anyone who is on Jibe.
My friends with Carrier S22U can only RCS message people on carrier S22U and previous devices, including from ATT to TMobile, but they cannot RCS back to me on Jibe.
It is a ridiculous problem, and Goog/Sammy should never have agreed to jump onto carrier RCS in the app, knowing the track record they have with screwing up these types of things (updates mostly).

Is this a problem as well on t-mobile or just at&t?

The other issue is the message size is cut from 100mb to 50 mb on AT&T

This thread needs to be revived. We should write a letter and see if any of the media outlets will publish it. We'd need only a couple of well-known devs on here to back it. If anyone is interested, please PM me.
Our primary intention is getting a direct line of communication to someone who can actually help resolve this problems with each of the carriers. It can't be that complicated.