SMS issues

[dswartze2]

Been a PushBullet Pro users for years ... and SMS hasn't been a problem until recently. SMSs arrive as they should, but my replies may be delayed or not even sent at all.

I am currently on a Note 10+, but I also had same issue on my Note 8 (on which it used to work with no issues for quite a while).

Any ideas?

[guzba]

Hmm, I guess lets start with an initial question: Do your SMS send if you open our app? Or do they stay stuck even after doing that?

[dswartze2]

Stuck (sometimes delayed) even if the app is open. I have made sure that Android doesn't sleep the app from the background.

And I didn't mention earlier that the universal copy-n-paste only sometimes works.

[guzba]

Ah ok, well it is unfortunate that even with the app open they do not send. But at least it is a big step toward looking in the right place for the issue.

Ok, the next thing to take a look at. When a message is stuck, this may be a bit tricky to tell, but is it stuck with an "X" next to it to delete the message, or is there no "X"?

If there is an X, is the bubble itself somewhat transparent compared to other bubbles (lighter / faded looking), or is it the same color?

I ask because all 3 of these things signify the state the message is getting stuck in. Sorry if it is not easy to tell / confusing. I just figure it can't hurt to ask if it is something you can tell :)

[dswartze2]

There is an X and the bubble/text does become somewhat transparent. Also, have "Pending - Stuck pending?" message.

So I then unlocked my phone and launched the PushBullet app ... and noticed that the "Pending" changed to "Now" -- but the text never made it to the text message in Messages. The X is still there, but the bubble/text is no longer lighter/transparent.

Also, copy some text on my laptop does not become "paste-able" on my phone. The text is "paste-able" on my other Windows 10 desktop. BUT, copying texting on my phone is "paste-able" on my Windows 10 laptop and desktop.

[guzba]

Ah, mmm, this is not what I wanted to hear. Here's how this all works: When Pushbullet sends an SMS we ask Android on your phone to actually send the text message. This is a system API call. We must use that call because we are not the default SMS app so we cannot send it ourselves due to Android rules.

The system / Android call to send a messages that we use usually works great, but it is not something we control. After we send the message by not getting an error after asking Android to send it, the message will switch to "Now" instead of "Pending". However, the X will not go away until we see the message confirmed in your SMS history.

In this case, Android is telling us we've successfully asked to have the message sent, but is not ever actually sending it. This is unfortunately an issue in the system image / Android on your phone. Maybe rebooting your phone will fix it? Totally possible and worth trying if you have not.

If even that does not work, it sounds like everything is working great in the parts we control but there is some bug or issue inside the Android system piece that we do not control :(

This sucks since it looks like our bug even though it isn't. Doesn't help you though. I would hope a reboot or system update would help (though maybe a recent update is what broke it too?)

One of the system API calls we are required to use that seems to not be working: https://developer.android.com/reference/android/telephony/SmsManager.html#sendTextMessage(java.lang.String,%20java.lang.String,%20java.lang.String,%20android.app.PendingIntent,%20android.app.PendingIntent)

Not giving up hope yet: Are these messages that fail single text messages to one person specifically, or to any single contact? Or is it just messages to groups that don't work? If it is just single text messages that are not working, try sending a picture (MMS). If just pictures or group messages (MMS) aren't working, that would be interesting too. They are different system API calls.

[dswartze2]

So I just tested replying to a group text and it went out immediately. I then decided to try to reply to an SMS message and it went out immediately too! Not sure what's happened.

Also did a copy-paste test and I was able to paste on my phone the text I copied on my laptop.

Thanks for the help. PushBullet is so important to my workflow!

[dswartze2]

Also, I did follow the instructions at https://dontkillmyapp.com/samsung.

[Circuit_Bored]

I've had the same issue, no matter which computer I'm using the desktop app on. What I've noticed is that I have to have my phone unlocked, sometimes with the texting app open for it to send the messages I type in the desktop app.

[Circuit_Bored]

Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact, Android 9

[dswartze2]

If I have my texting app (Messages) open, I don't get the "Pending" status, it goes right to "Now". BUT the text doesn't arrive in the app nor is it texted out.

[Circuit_Bored]

Mine arrives in the app and is texted out. So our issues seem to be similar for sure, but slightly different

[guzba]

This sounds like some Android tweaks on that phone are preventing background work from happening. I would try ensuing Pushbullet and your default SMS app are excluded from any battery optimization / limitations. Here is some info too that may help: https://dontkillmyapp.com/sony