Messaging issues with the Pixel 2 - any workarounds?

[rockalittle]

Hey OP, could you and your friends not set up a private locked FB page for you all to post in, then just set FB notifications for that page room, probably be alot faster too...

Or there's Viber, FB messenger

Just an idea

I'm experiencing the same problems and it's really disappointing. Any solution that requires my friends to make changes to their messaging just to accomodate me is ridiculous and unacceptable. I wouldn't even ask. I really want to make this transition work but this is annoying as hell.
It looks like textra is a good way to go if I can have it default to MMS.

 

[gibsonb2]

I just have to say I'm so sorry to hear this and I've had the same problem since I switched from an iphone 2 years ago to an Android. I just got a new Google Pixel phone and the gentleman at Verizon said I shouldn't have any texting issues,
but alas, I still don't always receive text messages when group texting.
It sucks and I feel for you. It seems ridiculous that these cell phone companies have not found a solution. I blame it on Apple and the fact that once an iphone user,
they want to own you.

Everything you said resonated with me. I had the same experience two years ago when I switched and I'd have Verizon reps look at me with surprise and say they never heard of this happening, to other reps repeatedly telling me to deactivate my Apple id, which I had already told them numerous times that I had. Grrrrrr. It sucks to not receive text messages and it seems ridiculous to ask all the iphone users in my world to check their text app settings and make sure it's set to MMS. That's a big ask. Not only annoying and invasive, but seems ridiculous when we seem so technologically advanced in this world.

I have both an iPhone and a couple of Android phones. Currently using Essential.

It's not Apple's fault as I see it. They put the time, money, and effort into iMessage and have created an amazing service for people that use their products and they should be commended for it.

In my eyes, it's a carrier issue. They don't want to work together to provide a seamless and modern experience for all their customers. It's not Apple's job to make up for the carrier's shortcomings for customers other than theirs.

IMO, Google should create their own server-side version for users of Android and bypass the carrier's altogether like Apple has done.

 

[ptkelly]

Hey all - I am coming from an iPhone 6. Although I love the look and feel of my new Pixel 2 XL, there are some deal breakers I am coming to realize that may force me to switch back to iPhone.

90% of my friends have iPhones. All the groups I am in are using iMessage. In the day I've had my Pixel, I've missed dozens of texts because they are still sending as iMessages. I've disabled iMessage on my old phone and online through Apple, but still do not receive texts in a few groups. Extremely frustrating.

I feel like that issue can be fixed with time and tweaking though. This however, cannot. The quality of video sent to me from a friends iPhone is disgusting. It is small, extremely blurry, the sound is awful. It feels like it was taken from a 2007 flip phone. This is completely unacceptable if you ask me. I read that carriers limit SMS file size? So when someone sends a video (they natively took on their iPhone) it's going to come to me looking like crap? Is there any fix for this?

I know Apple is at fault here for enforcing this, which sucks. Its absurd that in 2017 iPhone and Android users can't share videos and text in their native messaging apps (I've found threads from 2-5 years ago complaining about the same things!) There has to be a workaround.

I know I can ask friends to send me the video in Snapchat, Instagram, or Whatsapp, but that's a little ridiculous and I'm not comfortable asking them to constantly jump through an extra loop because MY phone cannot perform.

Is it possible to switch SMS to always use MMS? I understand the phone carriers LIMIT the size of videos and such in SMS, so idk if it'll be any better in MMS. Probably not.

While these may be minor issues for some, it's pretty important to me. I feel handicapped and a nuissance to my friends. I don't WANT to use iPhone anymore (the User Experience of the Pixel is infinitely better) but if something as simple as group texting and video sharing is this inhibited, I may have to go back.

Hopefully you guys know something I don't and can help! Thanks~

Apple does work hard to prevent escapes.

 

[ImTurningViolet]

What I do now is share photos through Google photo. It will create a shared folder for you and whoever you're sharing pictures and videos with and will send them a link to it in a text. It's annoying that we have to do that, but at least it works and you can easily share your full res videos and pictures.