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Android P text notifications

T

Tom Olandese

Lurker
Can people in the Android P beta keep those of us on other devices aware on how it handles text alerts and sounds? One of the biggest across the board complaints in Oreo was the way notification channels screwed everyones sound features. Specifically, I want to know if it added back the option to have text alerts set for each contact on your device instead of in the 3rd party apps where you have to reconfigure them every single time. I am also curious on if badge notifications reverted back to the way nougat managed them.
 
Tom Olandese said:
Can people in the Android P beta keep those of us on other devices aware on how it handles text alerts and sounds? One of the biggest across the board complaints in Oreo was the way notification channels screwed everyones sound features. Specifically, I want to know if it added back the option to have text alerts set for each contact on your device instead of in the 3rd party apps where you have to reconfigure them every single time. I am also curious on if badge notifications reverted back to the way nougat managed them.
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That wasn't a general problem with Oreo though. It was a problem with 2 manufacturer's stock message apps: other manufacturers have no problem doing this with Oreo, and third party apps have no problem.

So experience with the Android P beta on a Pixel will tell you nothing, because Pixels don't have that problem in the first place: Google's Messages app can set individual message tones in Oreo, as, from my own testing, can Chomp, Textra and Evolve SMS, and I'm sure many others.

So the correct question would be to ask Samsung/Sony why their message app no longer allows this when other manufacturers' apps and third party message apps do? But I'm sure they'll fob you off by trying to blame Google, because that's the default position of a corporation: fobbing the customer off is cheaper than acknowledging error and fixing it.
 
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From what I've read the badge notification issue seems to be with Samsung devices only with their Touchwiz launcher on their version of Oreo. Hopefully Samsung are aware of the problem and so may fix it.
 
Hadron said:
That wasn't a general problem with Oreo though. It was a problem with 2 manufacturer's stock message apps: other manufacturers have no problem doing this with Oreo, and third party apps have no problem.

So experience with the Android P beta on a Pixel will tell you nothing, because Pixels don't have that problem in the first place: Google's Messages app can set individual message tones in Oreo, as, from my own testing, can Chomp, Textra and Evolve SMS, and I'm sure many others.

So the correct question would be to ask Samsung/Sony why their message app no longer allows this when other manufacturers' apps and third party message apps do? But I'm sure they'll fob you off by trying to blame Google, because that's the default position of a corporation: fobbing the customer off is cheaper than acknowledging error and fixing it.
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The problem is all of the apps you listed assign them to the message thread and not the contact. Delete the thread and you have to reassign it. Its not permanent. So I want to know from P testers if the devices they are using have this functionality. More than just Pixel phones are in the beta. And yes, they already are trying to pass the buck and play the blame game, I want to know if we have something to look towards otherwise.
 
A Sony user would be the best: the XZ2 can join the beta, and Sony are one of two where this has been reported.

I admit I'd never thought of deleting the message thread for someone I'd thought it worth having a personalised tone for. Everyone has different ways of doing things.
 
Maybe it's just the way I have been used to doing, but I routinely delete text threads. I don't carry on conversations beyond a day usually unless I forget. I like it tidy and short when I go through the list. Everyone does have different ways and I still don't comprehend why you wouldn't just assign it to contacts if that where the messaging app gets its data from anyway. Any sony beta users out there want to weigh in?
 
The contacts database is owned by an app called "Contacts Storage", so it's not actually the contacts app that has this. My impression is that Contacts Storage just stores the contacts, and that stuff like this is purely the responsibility of the message app.

Of course you could code the message app so that it assigned a notification tone to a contact, but since the message app manages message threads and doesn't manage contacts I can see how associating tones to threads rather than contacts might be easier to implement. I'd just not thought about it before you mentioned it.

There was an app a few years ago that allowed you to view messages in the old pre-smartphone "inbox" style (i.e. not threaded). It doesn't seem to be in the Play Store any more, which is a shame because this got me curious about whether it could manage custom tones, and if so whether they'd be associated to contacts or messages.
 
That makes more sense. I have always assumed that "contacts" was the default data archive and other apps would call to there for info when searched. But correct me if I am wrong, if it resides in "contacts storage" and "contacts" can recall the necessary info, then I would imagine messages could do the exact same. Maybe you are saying thats how it was and im not grasping that. I need to do some research on how notification channels works so I am informed. But it still all seems so silly and that could just be because its so new and Samsung half baked the idea and failed to properly implement it. I mean, my ESPN app that has the very specific ESPN sound that everybody recognizes for alerts was missing as well! That was reverted to the default sound. How silly is it that an app for a company heavily invested in a person hearing that specific sound and associating it with score updates didn't even have it functioning?
 
This issue has been resolved! Its not the way most will want it, but it works for now like all the other apps do.

If you want it now, google search "Samsung Messages Version 4.4.30.5" and then download the .apk and enable internet app installation. Once its done you can assign the separate notifications a different sound!



NOTICE: It is set on a per-conversation basis, so it WILL disappear when you delete the text thread. So they did the easy way out which still took forever. They proved themselves liars by saying it couldnt be done. Yes, I am happy I can use the function but they better be searching for a way to properly fix it the RIGHT way, becuase to me there is still a lot of ill will I can't forgive when my phone contract ends.
 
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