Develop Bugs

[Q] Cyanogen CM6 SMS only converting to MMS after 3x160 characters, not splitting

Hello,
Running Cyanogen CM6 RC1 here. I've been having trouble sending long text messages, which I initially diagnosed as a problem sending MMS.Specifically whenever I tried to send a long text message (longer than 160 chars) it would just hang and say "sending" for like 5 minutes before I get a failure report. Curiously, I had no trouble sending or receiving messages with multimedia content, like images.
After some additional tinkering and web searching, I discovered that MMS was working fine. Rather, my phone is trying to send text messages between 161 and 480 characters as SMS without breaking them apart into the appropriate number of parcels. Above 460, or 3x160, the phone is converting them to MMS and it goes through just fine.
Is there a way to change the threshold before which SMS are converted to MMS? I think all the EVO owners are pretty much on the same plan which gives us unlimited media messaging, therefore there is no point in not sending any SMS over 160 chars as an MMS. Is there a way we could change the threshold to 1? I imagine this is what HTC did in their messenger that was installed with Sense.
*Temporary solution:* If anyone else out there is having this problem, but doesn't have a solution, I have a temporary one. Simply download and use the free Handcent SMS application, and in the settings (settings>send message settings>Split 160) change the value from "Don't split" to "Simple Split". This will automatically break up messages between 161-460 into 2-3 parcels of 160 chars or less.

Handcent i think has those setting parameters.
also, this is a known issue already, and has already been greatly discussed.

infamousjax said:
Handcent i think has those setting parameters.
also, this is a known issue already, and has already been greatly discussed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, I was typing an edit as you made the mention about handcent. However, I haven't found the setting that allows you to change the threshold--only to make the message split. Also, it will allow to turn off conversion altogether. Am I not seeing it?
Also, perhaps I'm not so savvy here, but I've been unable to find any solutions on forums or anywhere. If this issue is already very well discussed, any chance you provide me with a link please?

I have this same problem which is VERY annoying! Like you said I have not seen it discussed before either!

It's not a CM6 issue.
It's an Android issue.
https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=2318
[/thread]

drmacinyasha said:
It's not a CM6 issue.
It's an Android issue.
https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=2318
[/thread]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So it would appear then that there is no solution to this?

yeah, there is a solution. use handcent. chomp probably does it too.
btw, you may want to post your questions in the 'questions' section

timothydonohue said:
yeah, there is a solution. use handcent. chomp probably does it too.
btw, you may want to post your questions in the 'questions' section
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, next time I'll use the questions section. Regarding Handcent, does this actually allow me set the threshold, or just break up longer messages into multiple SMS--I mean, does Handcent present another solution other than the one I specified in my initial post?

AFAIK, SMS length is an agreed upon standard that probably in the near future won't be changed. longer messages will be broken up into transmissable lengths of 160 chars, until a message is long enough that it is actually simpler on the network to send the whole thing as a single MMS loaf.

[Q] SMS / Text Message Timestamp Incorrect

Hi Guys - i've posted this in the HD7 specific forum too - please let me know if multiple posts is frowned upon and i'll delete it.
Anyway...
I've been searching and searching and I cant find anyone with the same problem as me, on WP7 or HD7. Basically the times are completely wack on the text messages i receive. The could be a few hours behind, or usually entire days behind, and my personal favorite, from the future.
No idea what's going on. Everything seems fine in the settings - been over them 100 times. I've seen it as being a common issue with some older phones, but nothing on the latest ones.
Has anyone had this? Or even better, does anyone know how to fix it? The text messages that I send are stamped correctly, so it's just the ones i receive. It looks like the phone is using the time sent from the carrier, and then applying some wacky timezone to it based off my timezone (which is Auckland, New Zealand).
Help!

I have this exact same problem.
My outgoing texts display the time correctly but incomg is off by something like 5 hours. I've searched the forums and google and haven't found anything myself.

Answer from Microsoft:
Time stamps for Text messages are encoded and sent from the carriers MMSC message system. If the time stamp is showing up wrong, that is because it is being encoded wrong from the carriers network. Unfortunately there is nothing that can be done device side, you'll want to focus your attention on Rogers in this case.
I suppose other phones possibly counter this by just making the receive time the timestamp as well.
http://social.answers.microsoft.com...7/thread/bf92da2a-5bcc-4af9-bb6a-79ce98d74406

I've never had such an extreme case with a five hour time difference, but it does happen with some incoming texts.
I remember I sent my sis a text at 1:43pm and she replied and the timestamp said 1:38pm. So maybe it depends on the person your texting and how their time is set up?

Well that's a pain. I read that reply from Microsoft too, but it's pretty unhelpful. To be honest using the date stamp from the carrier seems like a poor decision, or at least not having the option to chose, as far as the user is concerned the only date / time they care about is the one on their device.
I guess i'll have to wait and see if someone comes up with a way to change this on the phones, I see there is a way to do it on the WP6 phones.

Arrive - 160 characters hard stop for text messages

Hello,
I realize the limit for a text message is 160 characters. I am not asking about changing that.
Currently when I get to 160 characters I just can't type anymore. I want to keep typing. I realize the phone will break the text and send as many messages as needed. I just don't want to have to stop and then submit another text message.
I think this is only happening on the Arrive phones if I am not mistaken. Does anyone know how to change that?

Nimdock said:
Hello,
I realize the limit for a text message is 160 characters. I am not asking about changing that.
Currently when I get to 160 characters I just can't type anymore. I want to keep typing. I realize the phone will break the text and send as many messages as needed. I just don't want to have to stop and then submit another text message.
I think this is only happening on the Arrive phones if I am not mistaken. Does anyone know how to change that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Might want to have someone else with NODO (non Arrive) test that also. I know this does not happen on a pre-NODO Samsung Focus.

Thanks for the reply. Let's see if anyone else with other kind of phone experiments this after NoDo.

Same exact problem here dude, it's driving me nuts!
I made a thread earlier today about it on the 7 Pro forums. My theory is that it's turned off because CDMA doesn't have a good track record with sending txts that have 160+ characters.
Potentially, we will hopefully get a fix to this as our OS version is 7.0.7389.0 and not the 7390 thats being pushed right now.
I really hope they fix this

7090 doesnt have the problem, at least my mozart doesnt have it...

[Q] SMS to MMS Fix

Firstly, I would like to pay respect to the developers who mapped the hardware button for the camera app. Respect to you all. Starting this thread hoping those same geniuses would be able to solve this problem. Android generally has this crazy notion that if i want to send a long sms, it will be cheaper for me to send an mms. I get like unlimited sms but i gotta pay for each mms i send so everytime i need to send a long sms, it costs me money. plus, if the recipient does not have mms configured, its money lost from my side and nothing recieved on theirs. so is there any way to stop the native messaging app from converting sms to mms after 3 sms length.
currently using Handcent sms for long sms but its a pain and it crashes often.

Waqas said:
Firstly, I would like to pay respect to the developers who mapped the hardware button for the camera app. Respect to you all. Starting this thread hoping those same geniuses would be able to solve this problem. Android generally has this crazy notion that if i want to send a long sms, it will be cheaper for me to send an mms. I get like unlimited sms but i gotta pay for each mms i send so everytime i need to send a long sms, it costs me money. plus, if the recipient does not have mms configured, its money lost from my side and nothing recieved on theirs. so is there any way to stop the native messaging app from converting sms to mms after 3 sms length.
currently using Handcent sms for long sms but its a pain and it crashes often.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
uhm.
why would a long sms convert to a mms?
I've never seen this happen.

Have no idea why this happens. if i use "MyPhoneExplorer" to compose sms on pc and send them, this problem doesn't occur. tonight, i decided to send a long sms directly from my phone and i saw that it converts to mms. so decided to google it and it appears Xplay isn't the only phone with this problem. a quick browse on google shows that loads of device owners are frustrated by this. check it out on your stock device as mine is stock also. just bootloader unlocked and rooted ;-)

Yea, mine does the same, bootloader locked, and does it un-rooted and rooted.
Very annoying. You'd think sony ericsson would have made this an option.
But i did have this issue with 2.1 on my motorola milestone.

mine just gives me a notification saying it will send 2 SMS, it even counts down hoow many characters i have left until it adds another SMS to it (only when below 20 character left)

AriStar said:
mine just gives me a notification saying it will send 2 SMS, it even counts down hoow many characters i have left until it adds another SMS to it (only when below 20 character left)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its after lyk 4 or 5 sms's it turns it into a mms, i can confirm every android phone i have had (hero, desire, desire hd and xplay) have all done this, i resorted to sending half an sms then writing the other half n sending that lol
Sent from my R800i using Tapatalk

I just tested mine to 5 sms. All it does it countdown how many characters I have left for each sms, and then adds another sms.
Converting into an mms sounds like a cheap trick to make more money by some carriers.
I am with Vodafone Uk and they don't use this trick yet it seems, although thanks for this post because now I will be keeping an eye out for this.
Still don't see it as much of a problem though. Just send one sms at a time?

Happens often here (when going into 4th txt), I just break messages down not to get stung with a MMS charge.
It can be annoying as when breaking the message down you can get a reply from the other side before they have read the full message, which can cause confusion.

Laird_Attwood said:
Happens often here (when going into 4th txt), I just break messages down not to get stung with a MMS charge.
It can be annoying as when breaking the message down you can get a reply from the other side before they have read the full message, which can cause confusion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We are both from the uk it seems.
I'm with vodafone and running 2.3.2 still.
Who are you with?

dsswoosh said:
I just tested mine to 5 sms. All it does it countdown how many characters I have left for each sms, and then adds another sms.
Converting into an mms sounds like a cheap trick to make more money by some carriers.
I am with Vodafone Uk and they don't use this trick yet it seems, although thanks for this post because now I will be keeping an eye out for this.
Still don't see it as much of a problem though. Just send one sms at a time?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try expressing your feelings to your GF one message at a time...

Have you tried writing the whole message, copy/cutting half of it, sending half then quickly pasting and sending the rest? Or email/call the person lol? It might just be me but my texts are pretty small.
Sent from my R800a using XDA App

Waqas said:
Try expressing your feelings to your GF one message at a time...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"Taking you shopping, get some new shoes. I love you."
Seems to fit all into 1 text to me.

This post is not for advice on how to limit my sms size. Rather its to try come up with a solution to this problem
Sent from my click click click click click phone using morse code

Waqas said:
This post is not for advice on how to limit my sms size. Rather its to try come up with a solution to this problem
Sent from my click click click click click phone using morse code
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well the solution is to go with a network provider that doesn't adopt this cheap tactic.
Alternatively, telephone them and threaten legal action with demand for all lost money sent on mms.
Changing an sms into an mms can not possibly be legal.

dsswoosh said:
We are both from the uk it seems.
I'm with vodafone and running 2.3.2 still.
Who are you with?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SIM free device on 2.3.3

dsswoosh said:
Well the solution is to go with a network provider that doesn't adopt this cheap tactic.
Alternatively, telephone them and threaten legal action with demand for all lost money sent on mms.
Changing an sms into an mms can not possibly be legal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not something the network controls, its a Android thing.
I guess it make sense to people in the states and how most contracts work over there.
It is annoying though.

Laird_Attwood said:
It's not something the network controls, its a Android thing.
I guess it make sense to people in the states and how most contracts work over there.
It is annoying though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why does my Xperia Play not do it then?
What makes mine different, other than the network providers own software?
It has to be a network provider setup?
I can't imagine an android stock rom ever having this feature.

Waqas said:
Firstly, I would like to pay respect to the developers who mapped the hardware button for the camera app. Respect to you all. Starting this thread hoping those same geniuses would be able to solve this problem. Android generally has this crazy notion that if i want to send a long sms, it will be cheaper for me to send an mms. I get like unlimited sms but i gotta pay for each mms i send so everytime i need to send a long sms, it costs me money. plus, if the recipient does not have mms configured, its money lost from my side and nothing recieved on theirs. so is there any way to stop the native messaging app from converting sms to mms after 3 sms length.
currently using Handcent sms for long sms but its a pain and it crashes often.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your welcome for the camera XD It can now be found if you click the little android market logo at the top of the xperia play game menu when you slide the keypad out.
Back on-topic, I just successfully send a 6 sms long message, on 2.3.2 and with Three

dsswoosh said:
Why does my Xperia Play not do it then?
What makes mine different, other than the network providers own software?
It has to be a network provider setup?
I can't imagine an android stock rom ever having this feature.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok just to make a few things clear. I noticed this problem on my Xplay which has a stock rom 2.3.2 and i got it sim-free. i have tried it with several different vendors, like vodafone UK, 3, O2 and international vendors in Pakistan as well. Also, i've tried composing a message with no sim in it and still have the same problem. So its a problem with the OS and not network related. Saw the same problem on a stock Galaxy S Sim-free.
So Devs, please find a solution to this if possible.

dsswoosh said:
Why does my Xperia Play not do it then?
What makes mine different, other than the network providers own software?
It has to be a network provider setup?
I can't imagine an android stock rom ever having this feature.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
how can it be network providers?
I got my handset SIM free (generic UK rom) and have used a few networks. it does it on all of them. and reports of it being the same on other Android devices.
It is nothing to do with networks, it Android OS.

Group Texting

Is this only working when everyone uses Windows Phones?
Tried it today and the conversations weren't threaded at all. It basically put my outgoing in one thread and replies from people all in their own threads. It was impossible to follow the conversation.
Has anyone tried it?
Yes it have it set to use MMS for group texting and all the devices I was texting were Android and iPhone devices.
Edit: and yea, I'm 100% sure it wasn't using different protocols for different people, since they were sitting next to me when I tested it...
Also, replies from others in the group were only coming to me, which made it impossible for anyone else to follow the conversation.
Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

N8ter said:
Is this only working when everyone uses Windows Phones?
Tried it today and the conversations weren't threaded at all. It basically put my outgoing in one thread and replies from people all in their own threads. It was impossible to follow the conversation.
Has anyone tried it?
Yes it have it set to use MMS for group texting and all the devices I was texting were Android and iPhone devices.
Edit: and yea, I'm 100% sure it wasn't using different protocols for different people, since they were sitting next to me when I tested it...
Also, replies from others in the group were only coming to me, which made it impossible for anyone else to follow the conversation.
Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did any of the iPhones have iMessage enabled? I know it reverts to SMS if the recipient does not support iMessage. I suspect for Group messaging, it will revert to MMS. I am wondering if there may be an issue if some are MMS and others are iMessage.
Also, with iPhone's the numbers of all recipients are visible to all recipients.
http://www.moxiemoshow.com/group-messaging-iphone/
When you sent messages to the group, were all numbers visible to all recipients?
I am wondering if Mango implemented group text messaging in a way that does not expose the numbers of all recipients. If the numbers for all recipients are not visible to all recipients, then Windows Phone 7 and the iPhone don't implement it the same. So, on one of your friends phones, check to see if all numbers are visible for messages you sent. Since their replies only went to you, I suspect they are not receiving the numbers of all recipients.
I don't know how Android implements Group messaging. Since you didn't say any of your friends had issues, I am guessing it is the same way the iPhone does it. This probably means that iMessage isn't a factor.
Unfortunately, I cannot test this because I ported the number for my LG Quantum to Google Voice to use on my iPhone that work pays for. At some point, I will be getting a prepaid SIM to put in my Quantum so that I can test things, but I have not done so yet.

All I could see on the vibrant was that I got a message from myself. Nothing about other numbers. Biggest reason I wanted to do this is so that I can cc myself in every thread I start, giving me the ability to respond transparently from any of my devices.
Was traveling for 12 hours and people got confused when I swapped devices (and.sometimes I plain.just don't feel like switching off what I'm using at that moment). Don't think I message was the issue, since the android phones aren't working either.
I knowbiys sending an mms cause.I can see the empty subject field on all of the devices.
Maybe it only works for instant.messages?
This keyboard has the worse Autocorrect ever.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using Tapatalk

There are lots of legitimate shortcomings of this wonderful platform, this is not one of them.
I mass-text enough. And I have never expected their responses to show up in the mass text field. How on earth would that be engineered?

sure haven't said:
There are lots of legitimate shortcomings of this wonderful platform, this is not one of them.
I mass-text enough. And I have never expected their responses to show up in the mass text field. How on earth would that be engineered?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Although i haven't used the group texting, i wouldn't expect it either to do what i think he is thinking it would do.
Windows Phone keeps history on all your contacts and what each contact has said under that contact. It's not a forum with all of your users joining a thread and posting for all to see. It would make sense that the response to your text came from just that person. It's not designed to let everyone see the response, only the response coming from that person to you. If it allowed more than it would be group instant messaging or group chat. That is not what it is.
Also... isn't what you are trying to do, what email is for? would make more sense.

sure haven't said:
There are lots of legitimate shortcomings of this wonderful platform, this is not one of them.
I mass-text enough. And I have never expected their responses to show up in the mass text field. How on earth would that be engineered?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Funny thing. The OP posted about this in another thread stating that Android doesn't support group messaging. Somehow it became a Windows Phone 7 issue.
In any case the mods removed that post for other reasons and disabled his account. I only saw the post in an email, because I get emails of all posts to the thread he posted in. When I actually went to the thread it was all cleaned up. Since this is the 2nd disabling in a short period of time, it may be permanent.
iPhone does implent group sms so that when iPhone users text each other using group SMS, it effectivey is like a chat room. Responses go to all recipients. All recipients receive the phone numbers of all recipients which allows reply to send responses to all recipients.
I am not sure if Windows Phone 7 group SMS does something similar to this when all phones are Windows Phone 7. To me this feature is primarly useful for event organizers, such as the captain of my softball team that sends things out to all of us, such as weather updates or asking if we know of anyone that can sub. Not as much for a big chat.
I don't have an active SIM for my LG Quantum, so I can't test it.

I have always thought of group texting as more of a way to send for example a merry xmas to all your friends (like 80 or so) in one clip. You don't want all your friends getting all 80 responses (that may kill someones text plan if they have limited)
Interesing that the iphone does that. you would think it wouldn't due to the above issue or to use a different transport.

ROCOAFZ said:
I have always thought of group texting as more of a way to send for example a merry xmas to all your friends (like 80 or so) in one clip. You don't want all your friends getting all 80 responses (that may kill someones text plan if they have limited)
Interesing that the iphone does that. you would think it wouldn't due to the above issue or to use a different transport.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On the iPhone,
It doesn't send 80 messages to each recipient. It just includes all 80 phone numbers with the message.
But, if they reply, it will reply to all 80.
Somehow the replies from iPhones doing this only count as 1 message though.

JVH3 said:
On the iPhone,
It doesn't send 80 messages to each recipient. It just includes all 80 phone numbers with the message.
But, if they reply, it will reply to all 80.
Somehow the replies from iPhones doing this only count as 1 message though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah i meant on the reply. hmm interesting ... maybe they included it in there plan... actually can you get limited messaging on an iphone plan? Maybe that is why?

ROCOAFZ said:
yeah i meant on the reply. hmm interesting ... maybe they included it in there plan... actually can you get limited messaging on an iphone plan? Maybe that is why?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think it is because group messing is actually MMS, not SMS.
This blog explains it well. http://shawnblanc.net/2010/12/iphone-group-messaging/
So, it uploads the message once.
Also, iPhone users have the free benefit of iMessage which gives unlimited messaging regardless of carrier between all iPhone OS 5 users. This also applies to iTouch and iPads.
So, on AT&T with my iPhone, I can message and iPhone on Verizon and Sprint for no charge. And to us it seems no different than SMS, except the background color is blue instead of green.

I turned group text off the minute I found out what it was I have a feeling most people don't know what they are actually doing when they use it. Whenever one goes out, I always end up with a bunch of unnecessary texts from people I don't even know.