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Google Messages will make it less annoying to chat with your iMessage friends
Google Messages on Android now supports interpreting emoji reactions sent through iMessage, making it less annoying to chat with Apple users.
iOS and Android --as mobile operating systems -- don't always get along well with each other. For example, iPhone users can't send files to Android phones via Bluetooth without using third-party apps. Another incompatibility plenty of Android users suffer from is iMessage emoji reactions. For the unfamiliar, when an iMessage user reacts to a text from an Android user, the latter receives a repetitive text version of it. For example, the Google Messages app would display Laughed at "Apple and Google will eventually be friends!" as a text message sent from the Apple user, rather than actually adding a laugh reaction to the existing text the Android user has originally sent. Google has finally started rolling out a feature that fixes this issue.
PSA: Watch out for this spam text; T-Mobile is not giving you a $100 free gift
A massive wave of spam texts all with a specific image is hitting T-Mobile customers' phones. Don't click it.
T-Mobile's recent data breach might be coming back to bite them once again, as a number of posts on the T-Mobile subreddit indicate a massive spam text campaign is under way.
Carrier suspected of injecting ads into two-factor SMS messages
An unidentified carrier is suspected of injecting advertisements into two-factor authentication SMS messages from Google.
An unidentified carrier in Australia is suspected of injecting advertisements into two-factor SMS messages, according to Chris Lacy, the developer of Action Launcher. The text shows a Google sign-in verification code in the Google Messages app, which funnily enough, even flagged the text as spam.
If you are having trouble receiving OTP SMS in India, you are not alone [Update: UCC framework temporarily suspended]
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has enforced a new regulation to control SMS fraud, but it seems that the process is facing issues.
If you have been facing issues getting an OTP (one-time-password) from your bank, eCommerce platform, or other services, then you are not alone. In India, there has been a nationwide disruption in the SMS service as industry sources suggest that the cause of this are the new SMS regulations called the Unsolicited Commercial Communication (UCC) regulations. These regulations have been enforced by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to control SMS fraud, but it appears to have also caused a number of problems in the process. What this essentially means is that you could face long delays to get an OTP while authenticating payments or even two-factor authentication to log into your accounts online.
PSA: Uninstalling Google Carrier Services app fixes recent SMS sending and receiving issues
If you've been facing issues sending and receiving text messages of late, you can uninstall Google Carrier Services from your phone as a temporary fix.
A recent update for Google's Carrier Services app seems to have broken SMS services for several Android users. According to recent posts on various social media platforms, the issue seems to affect devices from almost all Android OEMs, and it prevents users from sending or receiving text messages. Even when users are able to send a message, they're experiencing delays of up to 30 minutes before the message actually goes out.
Message Forwarder app can forward incoming SMS, MMS, and Call notifications via SMS or email
Message Forwarder is an app which can automatically send notifications about incoming SMS or calls to another device or email ID.
If you own two or more phones but like to use or carry around just one around at a time, chances are that you miss a lot of notifications. By not being almost always available to attend important calls or notifications, you can risk potential business or personal links. So, we have an app that lets you beat it – "Message Forwarder" automatically forwards alerts about incoming calls, SMS, MMS to another number or email.
[Update: Rolling out] Google will let Android users in the UK and France use RCS regardless of carrier support
RCS support relies on carriers and phone makers and the rollout has been painfully slow. Google is doing something about this.
For quite a while now, RCS has been talked about as the long-awaited replacement for SMS. It has many of the modern features we've come to expect from messaging services. Many have even looked at RCS as the "iMessage for Android" savior. However, there's one very big problem: RCS support relies on carriers and phone makers and the rollout has been painfully slow.
Google will remove unapproved apps that use call log/SMS permissions in the next few weeks
Google hasa announced that they will remove unapproved apps that stil use call log/SMS permissions in the next few weeks.
Keeping your personal data safe and secure is vital to the success of Android. If the platform gets a reputation for revealing sensitive data to other apps then it will make people feel wary about getting an Android phone. This was the point of the permissions system and Google has refined it over the years into the granular option we have today. Late last year, Google announced that they would be restricting which applications on the Play Store had access to the call log and SMS permissions. These are integral to the way certain apps work and Google decided not to give the user the choice to deny or allow access.
Google is restricting which apps can request Call Log and SMS permissions
Giving an app permission to all of this should not be taken lightly. Google is updating the Google Play Developer Policy to make protect this information.
Some of the most sensitive information on your smartphone is stored in the dialer and SMS applications They hold your phone number, conversation history, and the personal information of other people in your phone. Giving an app permission to all of this should not be taken lightly. Google is updating the Google Play Developer Policy to make protect this information.
Android Messages and Samsung Messages RCS features will work seamlessly together
Samsung and Google have made a very big announcement for the future of RCS. The features will work across Samsung Messages and Android Messages.
The next big thing in messaging poised to be Rich Communication Services. To understand RCS, just imagine an evolution to the old SMS standard we've been using for years. RCS works basically the same as SMS, but it adds many features that you would find in instant messenger apps. Google has been pushing Android partners to jump on board for a while now, and their working on their own services. Today, Samsung and Google have made a very big announcement for the future of RCS.
Android Messages' new Material Theme design with Dark Mode rolls out
Android Messages has received a new Material Theme design with Dark Mode, and it's rolling out now. You can install it early if you want!
Google has released the new Material Theme redesign for the Android Messages application in version 3.5.048 to all users. We discovered how to enable it way back in version 3.3 when it was first added as a hidden option, but now it's rolling out to all users. It's not just a completely rejigged UI, but the inclusion of a brand new dark mode as well.
[Update: Official] Android Messages for desktop browsers like Google Chrome, Firefox, and more is going live
Android Messages for web goes live today for desktop web browsers such as Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Microsoft Edge, and much more.
Back in February, we reported that Google's default text messaging/RCS client for Android, Android Messages, would be accessible over desktop web browsers such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, Safari, Microsoft Edge, and more. Then in April, we reported that work on the Android app was complete as the setup process for the desktop integration was accessible. Finally a week later, Google officially confirmed that Android Messages would be available on the web in the near future. Now, that day has finally arrived as Messages for web has gone live.
Here's how to try out Android Messages for web right now [Root]
The long-awaited Android Messages for web client is rolling out. It's available for Google Chrome, Firefox, and more. Here's how to try it now.
The long-awaited Android Messages for web client has started to roll out today. It lets you send text messages from your PC via a web browser like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, Apple Safari, and Microsoft Edge. It's totally free to use and supports emojis, sending images, syncing messages, and notifying you of new messages. The web client has a beautiful Google Material Design theme and even a dark theme. We've posted a tutorial on how to enable Android Messages for web so you can send SMS from your laptop or desktop, but if you haven't received the feature yet and are dying to try it out, we've got you covered. Here's how to forcefully enable the feature right now on any rooted Android device.
How to send text messages from your PC with Android Messages for web
Android Messages for web is now available for Google Chrome, Firefox, and more. Here's how to set up and use it to send text messages from your PC.
Have you ever wanted to send text messages from the comfort of your desktop or laptop computer? Well if you're on Android, now you can thanks to the latest update of the Android Messages app. Android Messages is Google's SMS/RCS chat client on Android devices. It's pre-installed on millions of devices worldwide and thanks to the update, you can now access all of your messages from a web client that works on browsers like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, Apple Safari, Microsoft Edge, and more. The best part? It's totally free!
Google pauses work on Allo in favor of "Chat," an RCS-based messaging standard
Google's messaging client mess may finally have a resolution: The company has announced a new initiative called "Chat," a service based on the Universal Profile for RCS. To focus on this, Google has paused work on Google Allo.
Google's experimentation with chat apps has turned into a meme among the Android enthusiast community. Just to name a few, there's been Google Hangouts, Google Voice, Google Allo, Google Talk, and Google+. It seems like the company has tried over and over to dethrone Apple iMessage's seamless integration across clients, only to fail each time. But now, the company is planning on a major new push it's calling "Chat" that aims to fix Google's messaging client mess.
Textto lets you send Text Messages through your PC without changing your SMS app
Textto, a new app for Android, lets you send text messages from your PC without switching from your default messaging app.
Tight integration between the devices you use every day contributes to a great overall user experience. While SMS might not be as popular in many countries around the world, it's still extremely popular in the United States. That's why many Americans were pleased at the news that Google might bring Android Messages to the web. It's nice to be able to text someone without having to pull your phone out of your pocket, after all. For those of you who don't want to wait for Google to update Android Messages, there's a new application called Textto that makes this possible already, and it's free to use.
How to Change the SMS Limit on Android Without Root
With a couple ADB shell commands, we can change the default SMS limit that Android imposes (which is 30 messages in 30 minutes) without root access.
Android does a number of things to keep you protected. A lot of the user-facing security features for applications and games has recently been rebranded to Google Play Protect, but most (if not all) has already been included in Android for years. Still, there are a number of limitations that Android puts on the user in order to keep us safe and to look out for us in general. With SMS messages costing a lot of money in various places around the world, the software has a couple of built-in restrictions in place to prevent abusive apps from costing you money.
One of the drawbacks of the SMS messaging is its lack solid backup solutions. You have to run a third party app to store or backup your messages periodically, and finding a decent solution can be time consuming.
How Google Detects and Warns about Premium SMS Messages
Google uses a publicly view-able database to detect and warn before a user sends a premium SMS message. This database is constantly updated by Google.
Billions of text messages are sent each year. Though the service is incredibly dated by modern technological standards, the SMS has persisted as among the most popular methods of communication. Google is pushing hard to get carriers on board with a new standard known as Rich Communication Services (RCS), but with so many competing messaging interfaces it will take some time before the ubiquitous text message is put to rest.
Tasker Pro: Copy Two-Factor Authentication Codes without Changing Apps!
This week on XDA's Tasker Pro series, we will show you how to automatically copy two factor authentication codes sent via SMS.
Automation is supposed to be about simplifying everyday tasks to give you more precious time doing the things you love. At XDA, we've shown you how you can use Tasker to secure your device, improve productivity, or make driving safer, all a part of our series called 'Tasker Week.'