[Q] Any fix for Contact-Specific Message Alerts? - Verizon Galaxy Note 3 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I was wondering if anybody has found a fix for Contact-Specific Message Alerts? It uses the default notification no matter what you set up in Contacts / Message alert. I see the problem all over the web. Some say the fixed it by changing from Messages to Message+, other say they fixed it by changing from Message+ to Messages, some say to add SMS PopUp, some try factory reset with no avail. Based on date of posts and the different phones that have the problem, It appears this has been a problem for a long time, and is not not specific to the Note 3. It covers at least from the Note 3 to the Note 4, which would include at least the S4 and S5. In Contacts, I simply select from the standard alerts that came with the phone. I don't have Zedge installed or anything like that. It doesn't matter if I have the microSD card installed or not. Some say that it happens if the contacts are on the SIM, but this is a CDMA phone, and the only SIM it has is for Verizon LTE. I have a Google account, but I don't let Google store my information. I've read about the myriad of reliability and other issues of using 3rd party messaging apps. I just want to use the reliable Messages app that ships as the default on the phone, not some 3rd party app on someone else's server. I want contact-specific alerts so I will jump only when a monitor tells me about a server with issues, not every time there is a text message.
Thanks!

I have figured out my issues, but more importantly I am figuring out how things work. This issue is not specific to any particular Samsung phone or Android version.
Samsung Messages app and requirements
- The Messages app is the default Samsung messaging app. It is designed to work with the default Samsung Contacts app, which has the ability to define a "Message tone"(S5) or "Message alert"(Note 3) by contact. The property may already display in Contacts, or you may have to press a button in Contacts to add the field. Then simply specify the alert/tone you want.
- The contact must be a DEVICE Contact. For example, in my case I use Akrutosync to sync my Outlook with my phone. This requires setting up an Active Sync. Outlook and the phone sync perfectly, however any contact synced like this will only play the default Message tone/Message alert. If you go into the contact, and look at the Connection property, it will show Microsoft Exchange Active Sync. In order for it work work, it must say Device.
- The contact must have a phone number, and that number must be the source of the incoming message. For myself in the IT industry, it is commonplace to have server monitors send a text message via ###-###-####@vtext.com from an e-mail address. We want a different tone/alert for a server down than normal texts. The messages will show as coming from the proper contact, but it will only trigger the default Message tone/Message alert. Samsung said it shouldn't work that way, but I don't have a work-around for the problem.
Verizon Messages+ app and requirements
- Verizon Messages+ app is the default messaging app for Verizon phones. Messages+ can use Verizon's cloud if desired and your account supports it. That makes it simpler to create and respond to text messages for a specific phone number from multiple devices, including computers and tablets. It also means Verizon has access to your personal correspondence. However, even as a local application, It has built-in functionality to record an MMS message, send postcards, pictures from storage or camera, add captions to pictures, markup pictures, make collages, send your location with the click of a button, activate Glympse so people can follow you or link up with you, send someone a contact, send an MP3 or WAV file.
- Messages+ is designed to work with the default Samsung Contacts app, but DOES NOT USE the "Message tone"(S5) / "Message alert"(Note 3) property in Contacts.
- There is no way to do a contact-specific tone/alert in Message+. The best you can do is a conversation-specific tone/alert, and never delete the entire conversation. To do a conversation-specific tone/alert, at the top left next to the contact's picture, there are 3 horizontal lines. Flick those to the right to open a new window. Scroll to "Customize conversation", and then select Tones where you can select your tone for the conversation. Of course if you ever delete the conversation, the tone you set up will be lost also, and the next time you receive a message from the same contact, you will receive the default tone/alert. Message+ does not make use of the Message alert/tone set up in Contacts.
Note: Even when a 3rd party messaging app is set up correctly, you may still get the default tone. You may need to go to the main settings menu, pick 'Sound' then scroll down to 'Messages' under Samsung applications and turn that off.
Let me know if this helps you with your situation.

Related

youmail.com or similar service for voicemail

I have been using youmail.com for a while before I got the google phone but now with the G1 I dont get the voicemail indicator from my service provider. Does anyone have any insight into how to set up the G1 properly or another service that has similar functions?
And I tried PhoneFusion and didnt like it because of the double notifications.
Youmail works on the G1 just like it does on other tmo phones. You get a text message notification when you get a voicemail. The provider's voicemail indicator doesn't show up because the call was never sent to the the provider's voicemail system.
Just make sure you set up your voicemail number as well as call forwarding numbers for youmail, configure youmail on its website, and you're good to go. Also, you might want to add "YouMail" to your contacts, both by its dial-in number and by the four digits or so the text notification comes from, so that your notifications are like you want them.
And yes, PhoneFusion was way too annoying for me as well. I would much rather have individualized voicemail greetings for my contacts, as well as "ditchmail" greetings for the telemarketers. Been using it since it was introduced.
It was all setup and working on my Hermes and it would show the voicemail indicator but on the Dream I only get the text and no indicator. Little annoyances like that always make me go for the default option.
Interesting that it worked on the Hermes. Maybe it's a difference in ATT? I've been using Callwave for a couple years and switched to Youmail when I got the G1, always on T-Mobile and never got the voice mail indicator...which makes sense considering your "network" VM box never gets anything in it. In fact at one point my call forwarding got reset and I was tipped off by the sudden reappearance of the VM indicator!
I used YouMail on my Excalibur (Dash) with WM6.1 and, like the previous poster, only got the standard VM notification when something messed up with the forwarding numbers.
It would be cool if an Android webapp were made that checked YouMail on their site. Then PhoneFusion would definitely be out of the running.
Ya, I am not sure how it worked before but I think it was youmail that would send your phone the voicemail notification. It was basically a straight replacement for the provider service but I was able to have different voicemail messages for each caller.
Youmail works very well on the G1. If I miss a call, I get a notice. If they leave a VM I get a SMS (if they don't leave a message I *could* get a SMS but I choose not too).
Custom answers, ditching telemarketers and getting my VM via email is TOTALLY worth it.
I am to the point where I couldn't stand it if I didn't have Youmail (or some other competant equivalent).
--M
I'm on the total-internet plan instead of the official G1 plan so I don't have text messages bundled. That means it costs me money each time youmail notifies me of a voicemail. I can have it notify me via email, but then the voicemail is lost within the tons of emails I normally get.
Solution: t-mobile email triggers.
Email triggers is a service that t-mobile provided a long long time ago to certain phones like the SDA and MDA. Basically, you login to t-mobile.com and configure the service to periodically check an external mailbox, like gmail, for new emails and then will send an SMS to you. The trick is that you're not suppose to view this SMS as a t-mobile application on your phone is suppose to look for this SMS and when one comes in, it will be triggered to pull down new emails from the mailbox that the SMS indicates. The key is that you're not charged for this trigger SMS.
So in short:
1. Configure youmail to send the voicemail alert to a gmail mailbox
2. Configure t-mobile email triggers to check that gmail mailbox and either alert you for all emails (if the mailbox is dedicated to youmail) or only alert you when certain text is detected (like "YouMail"). You need to tell t-mobile.com that your device is a SDA before you do this.
Now, I will get a free text message alert from youmail. I don't use sms so the text alert will really standout apart from my email alerts.
On another related topic, you can configure the "1" key on the phone to dial youmail, but that reverts back to the t-mobile number on its own. Now I just use a shortcut to youmail's number.
badbob001 said:
I'm on the total-internet plan instead of the official G1 plan so I don't have text messages bundled. That means it costs me money each time youmail notifies me of a voicemail. I can have it notify me via email, but then the voicemail is lost within the tons of emails I normally get.
Solution: t-mobile email triggers.
Email triggers is a service that t-mobile provided a long long time ago to certain phones like the SDA and MDA. Basically, you login to t-mobile.com and configure the service to periodically check an external mailbox, like gmail, for new emails and then will send an SMS to you. The trick is that you're not suppose to view this SMS as a t-mobile application on your phone is suppose to look for this SMS and when one comes in, it will be triggered to pull down new emails from the mailbox that the SMS indicates. The key is that you're not charged for this trigger SMS.
So in short:
1. Configure youmail to send the voicemail alert to a gmail mailbox
2. Configure t-mobile email triggers to check that gmail mailbox and either alert you for all emails (if the mailbox is dedicated to youmail) or only alert you when certain text is detected (like "YouMail"). You need to tell t-mobile.com that your device is a SDA before you do this.
Now, I will get a free text message alert from youmail. I don't use sms so the text alert will really standout apart from my email alerts.
On another related topic, you can configure the "1" key on the phone to dial youmail, but that reverts back to the t-mobile number on its own. Now I just use a shortcut to youmail's number.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am on the total internet plan also but I do get text messages for free... weird. I better check my account!! The rest of your comments are spot on and a great alternative method for notification.
I didn't check the speeddial voicemail (#1) for awhile since I usually dial from the SMS...It did reset it to TMo... interesting. I'll have to watch that more closely.
--M

sms and contacts

When I create an sms message
=> Messaging, New message
I wish to access my address/contact list so I can add my contact, without typing a number or such, is this possible? or am I doing it wrong?
I think it's not possible in the stock messaging app.
You can select your contact first and invoke messaging from there, though.
Try handcent sms (free from market). It has replaced the stock app on my Nexus (and Hero before) since day one.....
mp3geek said:
When I create an sms message
=> Messaging, New message
I wish to access my address/contact list so I can add my contact, without typing a number or such, is this possible? or am I doing it wrong?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When using the stock messaging I start typing the name of the contact and it shows. I guess I'm not understand your question. Or just access the contact first then select to send the message. Handset is a good replace in the fact of the options to customize far more that the stock.
We're also talking about this in http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=645616
I noticed I just get facebook contacts listed, but not sim contacts... Why on earth would they not enable that?

[Q] Samsung Gear Live won't send text?

I got the Samsung Gear at IO (yea) and have been going through the user adjustment phase, happily have pretty much everything working (I use a Galaxy Nexus as the phone stock. I receive text and I can send emails (from the watch) but for some reason I can't send text from the watch. It says it is sent, goes through all the motions, asks for recipient, clarifies to send to the mobile number and gets the text via voice and then says it is sending and gives a success green check, but the message is lost does not show on phone hangout or messaging log, nor does the recipient get it.. Anyone have any ideas?? or is my problem unique to me?
Hidden choice message on Phone for sending text
Finally found my "missing texts.. when I was sending, the phone was opening a choice dialog to choose between Google voice or messaging, I chose messaging and checked always and all is now working, buy the way retweeting to twitter using the bunting app has a similar issue, it opens the native vs edit retweet chice, which cannot be set to default one way so you need to pull the phone out...

[Q] Email to Text call log

I recently switched from a Motorola android phone on Verizon to an S5 on AT&T
I spent many hours with AT&T and Samsung phone support over the weekend trying to get to the bottom of a problem I am having -
When the phone receives a text via email. Instead of appearing in the text logs as the FROM email address, it uses some id that is associated with a server somehow. The first text via email I received is showing the caller as 1210100001 and it increments from there. After having received many more texts via email I am now up to 1210100031. When I receive messages from AT&T, I see IDs of different lengths but I don't care about those.
When you receive a text via email the first thing you see in the message is "FRM: [email protected] but in the log it shows up as 12101000xx
On my Motorola/Verizon/Android the FROM email address appears in the log as the sender and more importantly emails from the same address are all grouped together. As a matter of fact I backed up the SMS from that phone and imported it into the S5. I can go back in my history and see the texts grouped by sender so that you can scroll through and see all your conversations on one screen. On the S5 I can only see one text at a time. No grouping of any kind.
AT&T says the problem is with Samsung. Samsung says that's how it works period and I should go back to Motorola (shocking).
I downloaded a third party SMS app but find the same thing in the log. Shouldn't all android phones work the same in regards to this?
Is there a way I can get it to work the way it did on Motorola? I am rooted now. Will a custom ROM correct the problem?
OK I guess this is a difference between AT&T sms gateway and Verizon SMS gateway.
My big problem is not being able to see all the email texts in one scrollable screen in chronological order.
Anybody know how I could view all message logs from sender 12010100xxx in one long scrollable view in chronological order?

Group MMS w/ BCC??

Is there a way in the stock messaging app, or is there a specific messaging app available in the play store where I could:
Draft a txt and then send to multiple recipients without each recipient being able to see the other? Basically the same thing as sending an email to multiple people via BCC option.
Would be handy for business purposes. I don't care if they see my contact. I just don't want them to see eachothers contact since not everyone I'd send to would know the other (and/or want their contact information shared).
Obviously I could copy and paste the same message to multiple people via individual txt msgs... but being able to send a group txt would be way more efficient.
Thanks!
If you go into the settings of the messaging app there should be an option to group text messages as MMS. Just uncheck that. At least that's how it works with hangouts for SMS.

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