Welcome to Quick Fix! A new short segment dedicated to fixing your easy, but possibly obscure, problem. The way it will work is I will put the problem, in bold, at the top of the post. The bottom will have the solution in bold. That way, if you don’t want to read the “What”, “Why”, and “How”, then you can just skip to the bottom.
This week, receiving double text messages on your Android phone.
PROBLEM: DOUBLE TEXT MESSAGES ON ANDROID PHONE.
As far as I know, this is a Verizon-only problem, but may arise for other carriers. It is also a pretty specific fix, so this may not be the same problem you are experiencing.
Apparently, a few months ago, Verizon did something with their network that changed the way texts were delivered to your phone. This caused, for a short period of time, many texts to be delivered twice on third party apps. After a few weeks, apps started updating with “fixes”, but my problem stuck around.
Four months later, and trying a few different apps, the problem was still around for me. A quick Google search showed that most people were experiencing this early in the year, but it went away. There were still a few who posted about it within the last month, but not really any answers for them.
Just when I was about to give up hope and just live with it, someone mentioned that they had two text messaging apps installed. Go SMS and Handcent SMS were named, but I can imagine any non-stock apps will give the same problem.
Now, if you’re having this problem without at least two text messaging apps installed, this solution probably won’t help you. But if, like me, you did, just simply uninstall the one you’re not using. This left me with Handcent SMS and the stock text message app and my double texts have stopped completely.
SOLUTION: DELETE ALL BUT ONE TEXT MESSAGING APP. IF THIS DOES NOT WORK, TRY DELETING ALL NON-STOCK TEXT MESSAGING APPS.
Worked perfectly us cellular flashed to pageplus sg3 on verizion
Glad I could help!
I don’t have Handcent and still get duplicate messages
Hey Sam. It could be ANY app that you’ve downloaded, not just Handcent. Other examples are Go SMS, Chomp, Textra, or many more that are out there. There has also been an issue lately with images being sent twice, but unfortunately it seems like a network problem and not just an app issue.
So if you have any other texting app that uses your services texting, disabling the native texting app (called just “Messaging” on most Android phones) should fix your problem.
Hope this helps, please let me know!
I have this issue, too. My husband has a kyocera torque and receives double messages when using hangouts. He had to use hangouts Si that he can respond to group messages. He has no other 3rd party messaging apps and I have gone into the stock messaging app and clicked the box so that it doesn’t send notifications. He doesn’t get notifications from the stock messaging so, but he gets double texts. The phone won’t let him uninstall the stock. I have a note 3 and dint have this problem, but then, the note 3 gives me the option of using hangouts as my default messaging app. His doesn’t. Ant suggestions?
Sorry for the delay in replying, Jennifer! Are you still having the problem? I’m wondering if it’s an incompatibility with Hangouts and that device (or more specifically the messaging app and hangouts). Does he receive double text messages every time or just on group messages? I ask because group messages are technically MMS messages and that could be the problem. If that is the case, go into the stock app again and make sure the auto retrieve setting is turned off.
Hope this helps!
Late to the party. Trying the “turn off Auto Retrieve” idea…I’ll let you know. I have the stock messages disabled and am signed into hangouts but using Facebook Messenger as my SMS default. Hopefully this works!
Hello
I have the Kyocera Hydro Icon, I had the some problem. I called boost mobile and the Rep told me that you can’t use another messaging app with their service. I used the Handcent but with that one the double texting was still coming in even when I used it as my default. I uninstalled it and found one that will work with boost mobile but only one problem you can’t send any pictures with it but it does stop the double texting, you have to use the original messaging on your phone to send pics, I install Simply Text and it stopped the double texting but like I said you can’t send any pics through it, but im working on finding one that would work or find another solution to this problem we are having. So he can try Simply Text messaging from the playstore.
Thanks for the tip, secretminded! Good to know that these types of apps don’t really work for Boost Mobile.
Have no additional apps. No problems one day, problems the next day.
Problem has continued.
I have a blu phone and I dont have any of those apps on my phone but still get triple messages from the same person. Please help me fix this issue. Thanks in advance.
How I sorted the problem of double texting was to go into settings and reduce my phone to 3g, the problem was a poor 4g signal
Got a new S7 Edge on AT&T. Only have the stock Samsung Messaging app. Randomly sending duplicate SMS messages.
Open to any suggestions.
Hey Donald,
So it looks like this is a known issuing between the S7 and AT&T with no fix. It seems like some people are getting 6+ duplicates.
You can try using a third party sms app and disable the default one and see if that helps.
If I hear any updates I’ll let you know!
I just deleted “Hangouts” app and just sent a text test to a friend and it did not duplicate itself! I have a Moto G4.
Glad that worked for you, Joe!
I have a Samsung Galaxy J-3 eclipse how do I stop the duplication of my outgoing texts my carrier is Verizon. This just started last night. I’m new at this I need explicit and easy directions on how to stop this duplication of my texts. Any help would be more than greatly appreciated thanks Diane
Hi Diane,
If it just started last night after not happening before, and you didn’t download any new apps, it may be caused by your carrier. I have read that some people have problems with this and it fixes itself after a few days. If you have recently downloaded a new app, even if it’s not related to your texting, try deleting it and see if it still happens. If it persists, contact your carrier and let them know.
Do you know how to prevent my Google Pixel 3 from sending multiple texts when i sent a long message to an iphone? It shows up in 2/3 different paragraphs with each one labeled 1,2, and 3. I am using the Chomp messaging app.
Hi Nick, have you found the answer to this yet?
The truth is that it comes down to the technology used by the two types of phones (Android and iPhone) and an incompatibility. Android has gotten much better at handling iOS texts, but unfortunately not the other way around.
I have a One Plus 7 pro and I am getting the same thing from one of my friend android phone and it is just from her. I do not have hangout or any other messaging apps. I am using the factory texting app and this started 3 days ago, I am on T-Mobile
Can I get some help please this is a pain