Some Samsung users are complaining that their phones are randomly sending photos and scheduled texts to contacts. This news comes according to posts on both Reddit and Samsung’s official support boards, with devices affected including the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy Note 8.
Owners of these phones say that Samsung Messages, the default texting app for Galaxy devices has pushed photos and scheduled texts to random contacts but left no record of the messages being sent.
One Reddit user said that his Galaxy S9+ sent his entire photo library to a contact in the middle of the night while he was asleep and even though there was no evidence of the mass photo sharing in Samsung Messages, it showed up on his T-Mobile log.
The issue also appears to be affecting text messages. On the Samsung Galaxy S9 support board a user said that Samsung Messages became buggy after a T-Mobile RCS/advanced messaging update on his phone. Errors included scheduled text messages ending up in the wrong threads.
Many of the complaints posted online are from customers claiming that they are on the T-Mobile network and those who have recently updated Samsung Messages, leading many to believe that the issue may have been triggered by RCS (Rich Communication Services) updates.
RCS is supposed to improve texting by adding features like group chat, video and GIF support, file and location sharing. Additionally, since a number of accounts have said that photos have been sent to partners or family members, there is also speculation that the problem affects shared plans.
In a statement, a Samsung spokesperson said “We are aware of the reports regarding this matter and our technical teams are looking into it. Concerned customers are encouraged to contact us directly at 1-800-SAMSUNG.” TechCrunch has also reached out to T-Mobile for comment. The carrier told Gizmodo that “it’s not a T-mobile issues” and asked users to contact Samsung.
If you’re worried about this, there are two fixes. First, you can go into its app settings and revoke Samsung Message’s ability to access your storage, meaning it won’t be able to send anything that’s stored on your phone.
The second fix is to stop using Samsung Messages altogether until the company says that the issue has been resolved.
