Why can't the messaging app easily text pictures?

[comama3]

When I try to pull up my gallery to text a picture, it spins forever and makes it very painful to select pictures. Most of the thumbnails are black so you don't know what images you are picking and now it just corrupted my SD card trying. These issues started about 6 months ago when I updated the OS. I have received about 5 updates since then and I keep hoping it will be fixed but it never is. I use Signal with anyone else who is on Signal because it works magically compared to messaging. Signal plays nice with Android and Iphones being on the text string where message does not. Signal easily sends images and videos. Just now, messaging wiped out my entire SD card trying to attach photos to a text and I am not happy about this. I am currently at Android version 10.

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! Which phone? Does this happen with photos on Internal Storage? SD cards are not as reliable as Internal Storage, and if an app isn't coded well, it might have problems with accessing the SD card.

Please register on this forum, which will allow you to engage in discussion more easily, as well as post images. https://forums.androidcentral.com/ask-question/409154-join-android-central-community.html

 

[VidJunky]

Welcome to Android Central. We're going to need a bit more information as we move along. To reply to this thread you will need to create an account. This link will help you do that... https://forums.androidcentral.com/ask-question/409154-join-android-central-community-new-post.html

What device do you have?

Honestly it doesn't sound like Signal plays all that nice with anything, corrupting your SD and all. Have you tried another messaging app just for comparison, to see if another app is able to open your gallery and attach pics?

Have you tried clearing the data and cache for Signal? Settings>Applications>Signal>clear data and cache

You may also try doing the same for whichever app is being opened to display the pictures and videos.

Since you feel this corresponds to an OS update, which are notorious for creating bugs, clearing the partition cache may be needed or helpful as well. Since I don't know what your device is I can't look up or give you directions for how to do that but Google your device clear partition cache and the answer should appear.

Do those three things and let us know where you stand and we'll go from there.

Edited: @B. Diddy, how'd you put it, sniped? Well at least we're back to our same old same old. Me being so long winded and all and you jumping in there with your quick reply.

 

[comama3]

Sorry, I thought I clicked on a button earlier to say that this is happening on Samsung Galaxy S9 phone. Signal works GREAT! I love it so much more. Handles images and videos in text like a charm. The only problem with Signal is that everyone has to be on it. So when I encounter people who aren't on Signal, then I can't use it to text them. I was talking about the default texting app called Messages. It absolutely sucks after an OS update. Messages is what corrupted my SD card. And it was SD card vs internal storage that I was trying to pull in images from. The SD card is my primary storage. We were able to take the SD card out of the phone, read it on a computer, put back into the phone and then the Gallery could at least find the images again. So, thankfully the SD card isn't actually corrupt. The Messages app just sucks at being able to do anything with images in my lifetime. I mean I click to add an image and it literally takes 3 minutes to pull up my gallery with a bunch of black thumbnails. Then eventually it shows an image (sometimes) and then I select it only to have it spin for 3-5 more minutes actually adding it into the text so I can get the send button to show up. Press send to send the text...wait same amount of time for it to actually send it. That is all if it doesn't crash itself along the way and automatically close the app.

I'll try to clear the partition cache to see if that helps. I can also try clearing data and cache for Messages. Will that erase my entire text history? That would not be ideal. I occasionally refer back to past texts for info.

 

[B. Diddy]

It's hard to say for sure if your Messages app was what corrupted your SD card, because SD cards are inherently less reliable in general compared to onboard storage. Add to that, counterfeit cards are very common in the market, especially from smaller or more questionable online sellers -- a counterfeit card is programmed to show more storage than it actually has, and if you surpass the actual storage of the card, the data becomes corrupt.

 

[mustang7757]

[Moved to s9 Forum for specific traffic]

 

[RapidTurtle]

I have a problem with the stock messaging app when I try to text a pic or receive a pic while I'm on wifi. I donloaded google messages, and it works fine. You may want to try that messaging app.

 

[mustang7757]

I agree trying another message app

 

[mustang7757]

Sorry, I thought I clicked on a button earlier to say that this is happening on Samsung Galaxy S9 phone. Signal works GREAT! I love it so much more. Handles images and videos in text like a charm. The only problem with Signal is that everyone has to be on it. So when I encounter people who aren't on Signal, then I can't use it to text them. I was talking about the default texting app called Messages. It absolutely sucks after an OS update. Messages is what corrupted my SD card. And it was SD card vs internal storage that I was trying to pull in images from. The SD card is my primary storage. We were able to take the SD card out of the phone, read it on a computer, put back into the phone and then the Gallery could at least find the images again. So, thankfully the SD card isn't actually corrupt. The Messages app just sucks at being able to do anything with images in my lifetime. I mean I click to add an image and it literally takes 3 minutes to pull up my gallery with a bunch of black thumbnails. Then eventually it shows an image (sometimes) and then I select it only to have it spin for 3-5 more minutes actually adding it into the text so I can get the send button to show up. Press send to send the text...wait same amount of time for it to actually send it. That is all if it doesn't crash itself along the way and automatically close the app.

I'll try to clear the partition cache to see if that helps. I can also try clearing data and cache for Messages. Will that erase my entire text history? That would not be ideal. I occasionally refer back to past texts for info.

Never seen stock Samsung message app corrupt the SD card

 

[VidJunky]

Not to muddy the waters with this or create a new debate, but I'm wondering if Signal may yet be the cause of the issue. I'm not saying that Samsung gets anything right with it's apps, haven't found too many that I choose over other apps, not to start a debate, but maybe something about how Signal accesses, saves or transfers data may not jive with the Samsung app. Thus causing small little issues that may accumulate or just don't agree and caused this issue.

All of that aside, hopefully Google's Messages will work better. I skimmed the comments so forgive me if I missed this bit of information, but if you have Verizon Messages+ is an excellent app. I don't go in much for Verizon apps either but Messages+ is a better than expected app and it has a desktop companion if that's something that interests you.

In the meantime it is great to hear that there was no permanent damage to the SD.

 

[xTek4x]

So I have had an issue very similar to this with messanger+ and slack (for work). If I take a picture and then want to attach that picture I have to take a screenshot of the picture I just took in order for it to be attached and be able to be sent.

When I try to attach the original picture I either can't see the picture in the thumbnails to select it (just a black thumbnail image) or I select it and it just hangs up with an infinite spinning loading symbol. I have to force close the app at this point.

I have a Galaxy Samsung S9 (SM-G960U) phone with Android 10. Been happening all year, but not sure when it exactly started. Rebooting the phone doesn't help. Clearing cache sometimes helps.

 

[VidJunky]

@xTek4x Do you by chance mean Messages+ the Verizon app? Messenger the Facebook app does really well with pics and vids, if memory servers, and I thought Messages+ did pretty well also. I don't recall having issues with either when I used them.

The heart of your issue sounds like a problem I used to see where users never deleted anything. Thousands upon thousands of texts and MMS, never archiving or deleting anything. This would also be consistent with why it works for a while when you clear the cache. Try backing up and deleting or archiving some older conversations, thin the heard so to speak, and clearing the cache. See if that brings back some usability. You might also clear the cache for your gallery and even your cache partition, since the S9 got that big OS update not long ago.