Privacy/security issue! SMS messages go to unintended recipients

O

ot-adam

New Member
Joined
Jul 29, 2010
Messages
6
Reaction score
0
Both my wife and I have had a serious problem with our text messages going to unintended recipients. I was replying to a thread from my son today, and when I thought I was replying to him in that thread, my replies actually went to a co-worker at my place of business that is in my contacts, but was not in an open thread. When she turned and asked if I sent her any messages this morning, I said NO... I looked at my son's phone tonight, and he did not receive either of my two replies. My co-worker got both of my replies. She is on Verizon network. So is my son.

My wife sent a message a few weeks ago, and our friend and neighbor got her message, instead of the intended recipient. The neighbor is an ATT customer. Both my wife and I use the Motorola Droid A855.

My obvious issue with this problem is privacy/security! I do not want to worry that a private message goes to someone other than the intended recipient! Has anyone else had this issue with the Motorola Droid? The only link I've found so far references multiple phones and multiple networks, leaning toward the operating system as the issue. I've reported this problem to Verizon tonight. I asked to have a contact from Google contact me, but Verizon says their is no direct contact at the tech level to Google, that they have to e-mail them. They can't escalate a problem to Google like they can with Motorola or Blackberry for instance...

The web reference is: http://mobiputing.com/2010/06/is-an-android-bug-sendings-text-messages-to-the-wr ong-recipients/

Please let me know who else is having an issue and what possible fixes are known.

Thanks, Adam
 
Both my wife and I have had a serious problem with our text messages going to unintended recipients. I was replying to a thread from my son today, and when I thought I was replying to him in that thread, my replies actually went to a co-worker at my place of business that is in my contacts, but was not in an open thread. When she turned and asked if I sent her any messages this morning, I said NO... I looked at my son's phone tonight, and he did not receive either of my two replies. My co-worker got both of my replies. She is on Verizon network. So is my son.

My wife sent a message a few weeks ago, and our friend and neighbor got her message, instead of the intended recipient. The neighbor is an ATT customer. Both my wife and I use the Motorola Droid A855.

My obvious issue with this problem is privacy/security! I do not want to worry that a private message goes to someone other than the intended recipient! Has anyone else had this issue with the Motorola Droid? The only link I've found so far references multiple phones and multiple networks, leaning toward the operating system as the issue. I've reported this problem to Verizon tonight. I asked to have a contact from Google contact me, but Verizon says their is no direct contact at the tech level to Google, that they have to e-mail them. They can't escalate a problem to Google like they can with Motorola or Blackberry for instance...

The web reference is: Is an Android bug sendings text messages to the wrong recipients?

Please let me know who else is having an issue and what possible fixes are known.

Thanks, Adam
 
I know this is a well documented issue but I haven't read about a fix for it

Sent from my Droid
 
Wow, pretty strange. Well, let's eliminate some obvious but probably incorrect explanations. My first thought: autocomplete of recipient name. Is it the case that the unintended recipients have names with the same first letter as the intended? Unlikely story I know...and I wouldn't ask, except that a female friend of mine occasionally sends me messages complaining about my bad habits, not doing the dishes, etc.

Turns out her husband has the same first name as me, and when she fires off those heated messages, she doesn't always check to see which Matt she's emailing. :) Wish I had a dollar for every time she follows with "Please delete that last message!"

-Matt

PS It just occurred to me that you mentioned "message threads" which I take to mean "when you're in conversation with someone, pressing 'reply' should not bring a new person into the conversation." True...but I'd still confirm who's name is in the recipient field before sending.
 
I wish there was a fix for this.... it happens to me quite often and is definately a security issue.....

Sent from my Droid using DroidForums App
 
ot-adam :welcome: to the boards!
Ive been using Handcent on my D1 since day 2, and have never had this problem (not saying it doesnt happen to YOU). Are you using the stock messaging app? Rooted, stock, all those good questions.
Anyway, let us know what they say, Im interested in hearing.
 
Gadgetrants: what's weird is I've had this and looked and the message is in the intended thread but then someone else replys and come to find out it went to someone else.. but still said it went to the correct person when it didn't. I am using the stock messaging app. My brother and sister both have droid 1 phones also and have experienced the same problem. Assuming this is the same problem the o.p. is referring to.

Sent from my Droid using DroidForums App
 
droider4life said:
Gadgetrants: what's weird is I've had this and looked and the message is in the intended thread but then someone else replys and come to find out it went to someone else.. but still said it went to the correct person when it didn't. I am using the stock messaging app. My brother and sister both have droid 1 phones also and have experienced the same problem. Assuming this is the same problem the o.p. is referring to.

Sent from my Droid using DroidForums App
Click to expand...
Yep, I don't text much, but when I do I use Google Voice (free texts!). Hasn't happened to me or my wife yet, afaik!

-Matt
 
gadgetrants said:
droider4life said:
Gadgetrants: what's weird is I've had this and looked and the message is in the intended thread but then someone else replys and come to find out it went to someone else.. but still said it went to the correct person when it didn't. I am using the stock messaging app. My brother and sister both have droid 1 phones also and have experienced the same problem. Assuming this is the same problem the o.p. is referring to.

Sent from my Droid using DroidForums App
Click to expand...
Yep, I don't text much, but when I do I use Google Voice (free texts!). Hasn't happened to me or my wife yet, afaik!

-Matt
Click to expand...


It almost has to be a network issue.. IMO

Sent from my Droid using DroidForums App
 
Sometimes and I am unable to recall what device, when you sync to a laptop a contact sequence can be different in a phone verses the laptop. Thic can confuse a device. The fix can be as easy as a delete on the last contact you added or pulling your contacts off the device or laptop and lastly only syncing one way. Now...seems this happened on my device prior to droid. Sadly and happily I forgot its name.....cheese grin....I love my droid for that to happen. Small suggestion. It was a fix that worked for me once upon a time.
 
Another tid bit is in droid texting you need to make sure in your contact for your son that when you entered the contacts number for a mobil device that the word next to the mobile number says mobile..this is likely your issue....I am sure I made that error and put home instead of mobile and texting freaked out the message being sent because it did not know how to handle protocol.
 
This is a stock, non-rooted A855 in both cases (mine and wife's). Using the stock messaging app. Not using auto-complete... this was a reply to my son's originating thread, so I never entered the contact name, just replied to his text. So, it should have gone back to the originator!

Warrior21, where have you seen it well documented? Can you point me to some URLs?

onmyway, I only sync to Gmail.
 
Any of you have the.....It wasnt a contact with home selected for a mobile number? I was sending messages to my girlfriend Lisa by responding to her thread and because my contact for my husband is listed J I Love Him so he would pull up first in my J's he was getting the message and walking up to me at the kids ballgames asking if I had gone crazy....then showing me the message I sent him for her thread....Until I corrected Lisas contact with the drop down word mobile instead of home for her cellphone contact entry.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

E
Droid 2 sends blank/garbled text (sms)
2
Replies
15
Views
17K
JeanY
J
D
Android Text Message Bugs Fixed by Google
Replies
1
Views
8K
Martin030908
M
S
lost messages in gmail threads???
Replies
3
Views
5K
gbouten
G
H
Text Messaging Problems
Replies
8
Views
21K
Melissa C
M
I
"reply" messages going to the wrong place?
Replies
0
Views
2K
iaskwhy
I
Back
Top