Question difficulties with SMS apps since Android 15 update

[FTA]

I have been using premium version of MYSMS for years. Currently using a Pixel 7.
Latest Android 15 update caused MYSMS app to stop functioning. I contacted the App support. They gave a one line answer that they are working on a solution since Android 15.
I can't do without text so I uninstalled MYSMS and made Google's Messages App my default SMS handling App. I have been reading posts on net on how to change notification sounds and I can't find anything that matches 15. All of what I find is for previous versions and I just can't get the notification sounds to work like they did on MYSMS. My needs are pretty simple. I want a notification sound of my choice that I can find in the settings. I want to assign a unique different sound for each of two numbers that contact me a lot. I am at wits end trying to figure out how to fix. For now, I have a very low volume sound that I did not pick for outgoing messages and a different one that is also not loud enough for incoming. I cant seem to change it. The sound I used for MYSMS incoming messages is now my default notification sound. I feel like I am just missing something obvious or my phone maybe needs to be reformatted.

Never had trouble figuring stuff like this out in previous Android versions. I hope someone can help me to get things resolved.

Frank

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! It can be a little tricky when it comes to messaging apps. On Pixels, you can set a customized ringtone for a contact in the Contacts app, but in order to set a customized messaging notification tone, you have to do it for a specific conversation thread. So in your Messages app, open an existing conversation thread, then tap the 3-dot menu button at the upper right. Then Details> Notifications. Makes sure that's set to Default (and not Silent), and tap Sound. There you can customize the notification tone for that specific conversation.

 

[FTA]

Thanks B. Diddy for the reply.
The steps you outline are logical and made sense as I implemented.
I continued to be stumped. Then a bit later, it worked. I realize now that Google Messages android 15 version has what seems to be a new feature that my old MYSMS app did not have. I learned that if the conversation is on the screen that there is no notification. No wonder I was so frustrated . It’s a learning curve to try and replace MYSMS that I was so happy with a few years. Will look in the app forum to see if there is any wisdom on when MSMS might be able to be supported in android 15. In the meantime I found some Google ways to work around to giving me the functionality I enjoyed with MYSMS.

 

[B. Diddy]

Oh yes, what you're describing has long been the behavior for the Google Messages app (i.e., if the conversation thread is open, any new arriving messages will not trigger an audible notification). The rationale is probably that since the user is presumed to be actively looking at the screen, there's no need for the notification. This kind of complaint is common enough that it would be reasonable to send feedback to Google about it from the Messages app's settings, asking them to consider adding the option to turn on notifications even when the message thread is open.

There are 3rd party messaging apps that do give a notification even when the message thread is open -- namely Textra. But I don't think you'd be able to take advantage of RCS (Rich Communication Services, aka Chat Features) with that app. (You can read more about RCS here: https://support.google.com/messages/answer/9487020?hl=en#zippy=,what-are-rcs-chats)