How to make Handcent default SMS software.

[Addie_Goodvibes]

How to make Handcent sms default sms software & stop double notifcations.

If you installed a secondary SMS/IM app such as Handcent or Chomp.. You may want to know how to disable double notifications & make your preferred app the default Messaging App.. I use Handcent
First install your preferred IM/Messaging App. Once installed, then initiate /compose a text message, a pop-up window will be ask "complete action using?"" and there is a box to check to "use by default for this action".. 1st check the box use default.. then select Handcent ( your newly installed preferred IM app). Once Handcent is your default IM App you will receive Handcent notifications and alerts.. Be sure to enable notifications for your new app.

Another useful tool is go into the stock messaging app and disable notifications for it.. Problem solved no more duplicate notifications.

Tip..
With Handcent you can customize individual notifcation alert sounds, icon colors, even message background for individual contacts, so you can tell by icon color or sound who is im'ng you with out having to pull down your notifcation bar.
Handcent FAQ

 

[murso74]

when i disable my stock messagin app my phone stops ringing for texts.. even if i have notifications enabled in handcent. its either double notifications or nothing

 

[murso74]

i take it back its working now.... FINALLY!

 

[mntackle]

I like to keep a clean "home screen" and wish I could use the stock message icon for Handcent. any ideas?

 

[ericdives]

I like to keep a clean "home screen" and wish I could use the stock message icon for Handcent. any ideas?

Actually, when you change your default (as noted above or on my Android SMS blog post) the message icon will, for a lot of functions, switch to Handcent.

 

[mntackle]

I will try it again. but last time I tried it when I would use the message icon it would go to the stock samsung messaging app.

 

[ericdives]

There are a couple of cases where it will - if you:

- Click on it to view threads
- In that, click to send a new message

You're using the default app still. However, if you click on a message thread, it will open it up in Handcent, and after that you'll likely be using Handcent to send messages, etc.

 

[mntackle]

it doesn't work. it still goes to the stock app.

 

[ericdives]

1. Go to your “Home” screen, and select “Menu”, “Settings”, “Applications”, and “Manage Applications”.
2. Select “Menu”, “Filter”, and “All”.
3. Find “Messaging” (or whatever other SMS program you may have set your default to) and click on it.
4. Under “Launch by default”, click on “Clear defaults”.
5. Hit the “Home” button.
6. Providing you have an existing SMS thread, click on the “Messaging” icon, and then click on (one of) the thread(s). You should get prompted with a window that says “Complete Action Using” and offering you the list of apps capable of performing the action requested.
7. Make sure “Use by default for this action” is properly checked, and select the application you want to use.

 

[Mike77]

1. Go to your ?Home? screen, and select ?Menu?, ?Settings?, ?Applications?, and ?Manage Applications?.
2. Select ?Menu?, ?Filter?, and ?All?.
3. Find ?Messaging? (or whatever other SMS program you may have set your default to) and click on it.
4. Under ?Launch by default?, click on ?Clear defaults?.
5. Hit the ?Home? button.
6. Providing you have an existing SMS thread, click on the ?Messaging? icon, and then click on (one of) the thread(s). You should get prompted with a window that says ?Complete Action Using? and offering you the list of apps capable of performing the action requested.
7. Make sure ?Use by default for this action? is properly checked, and select the application you want to use.

Its odd, for me "Launch by Default" is grayed on both messaging and Handcent. It was working before, but i think i installed Chomp (and uninstalled shortly after) to try it and it hasn't given me the choice since. I have never clicked the box to keep my choice since I am trying to find one I like.

Anyone have any ideas? Thanks.

 

[Addie_Goodvibes]

Its odd, for me "Launch by Default" is grayed on both messaging and Handcent. It was working before, but i think i installed Chomp (and uninstalled shortly after) to try it and it hasn't given me the choice since. I have never clicked the box to keep my choice since I am trying to find one I like.

Anyone have any ideas? Thanks.

Mike.. Try uninstalling Handcent..

1. reinstall Handcent
2.launch Handcent then click the default option in the window that pops up.

That should do the trick.

 

[Mike77]

Mike.. Try uninstalling Handcent..

1. reinstall Handcent
2.launch Handcent then click the default option in the window that pops up.

That should do the trick.

That didnt but you know what did? I entered messenging from the Buddies Widget then I got the choice, and it also stuck for the messaging icon. One odd thing, don't know if this is just how it works. I click on messenger and it takes me to the Handcent Contracts screen (active conversation strings). I pick one and then i try to back out and this is how it goes. Conversation>Handcent Contacts Screen>Default Messenger Contacts Screen>Program Closed. That normal?

 

[shortie789]

i need help i cant even get that pop up in the beginning im so lost

 

[cluefree]

my handcent thoughts

I just switched to handcent yesterday (when I got my EC05 update)... ok - here's the deal... I'm well entrenched into my 40's (ok...old), but despite that, I use my Epic for texting quite a bit! And... well... cartoon text bubbles just weren't my thing! ("Hey - here's my $250 phone... do you like my nice cartoon bubbles?"...hmmm) So I switched to handcent and configured it to effectively have no bubbles (they're just completely transparent)!

So far, this seems to work great! I've turned off notifications to the normal messenger app, and, for that matter (since I now have Froyo), I replaced it in the home page "static 4 links" so that now the handcent app is always there!

Sorry for the fuzzy picture... I don't have a screen capture app (they all seem to require root... give me a week or so)...

 

[Skunkape60]

Deleted by KV

 

[Skunkape60]

Sometimes you need to turn off the defaults in the stock app first. settings/applications/manage applications / all tab (at top)/messaging/ clear defaults.

That should do the trick.

 

[Skunkape60]

I've had handcent for close to 3 months but still had my default set to the stock messenger because for messaging, I liked it better. I kept handcent because it also makes it easy to use mp3's stored on your phone for ring tones, alerts and notifications.

Now that the wonderful software developers decided kiddie chat with their bubble messages were what we needed, I will use handcent as my default. While it's format isn't as clean as the old stock app, it's still pretty good with some tweaking.

 

[Okeagle]

Sometimes you need to turn off the defaults in the stock app first. settings/applications/manage applications / all tab (at top)/messaging/ clear defaults.

That should do the trick.

clear defaults is grayed out on mine.
Epic 4g

 

[Death Roe]

clear defaults is grayed out on mine.
Epic 4g

Same here. Can't clear that default on the stock messaging app.

 

[george1614]

Did anyone ever solve this?

I have an EPIC 4g and have handcent but cant figure out how to use handcent as the default messaging. I was hoping to replace the messaging icon with handcent