Help SMS messages - no sound when received.

[Toddskins]

I installed Textra SMS app onto my Alcatel One Touch Pop ASTRO (T-Mobile) and when I receive messages, no sound is made. I had originally been using some default tone from a list, but when I went into look at the settings I opted to find a custom MP3 to use. Well, that did not work either and now I don't see the list of default ringtones, either.

Can somebody walk me through the steps to find the default ringtones and how to make them work again?

I plugged my phone into my Windows 7 computer using a USB cable, and when I look at various folders on the phone and the added SD Card, the ringtones and notifications folders I discover only have a couple of files in them and they are not remotely similar to the list of sounds I used to see.

1) Are ringtones different from notification sounds?

2) How do I re-establish my list of ringtones for receiving SMS messages?

3) Thanks to anyone who can help, and too, if you could give the location of the folder for Android's basic ringtones on the phone for SMS.

 

[Hadron]

The system ringtones are in a system folder, so you won't see them by plugging the phone into a computer. That's a red herring. I have Ringtones and Notifications folders on my /sdcard where I keep my own tones, and when I select a notification sound in Textra it shows me the system notifications and the contents of my Notifications folder in a single list (labelled, ironically, "ringtones").

So as to how to re-establish the ringtones, the obvious question is "how did you de-establish them"? I am serious actually, because the basic notification tone selection in Textra doesn't include a way of changing the search path, and I've not found any other way of doing that in Textra's settings, but something in your description makes me think that's what you did. If so, how?

In any case, my system ringtones are in /system/media/audio/ringtones, and notifications in /system/media/audio/notifications.

 

[Toddskins]

Thanks for your reply, Hadron.

Things are partially returned to normal, and not sure why. My wife's identical phone, does not have Textra, and last night, she started experiencing a different SMS problem (her phone just quit making the sound it had been making when she would touch the SEND button).

Last night, after I posted the above problem, I tried making my original SMS app the default again. Then rebooted the phone. Things seemed to be fixed by doing that in that when selecting notifications, the list did now have the original list of sounds PLUS the MP3 from my SD card -- exactly like you just described in your post to me.

We still have quirky problems when using SMS (hers the default app, and mine Texta).

Regarding how I chose a search path, my current version of Textra is 2.33. I went into the app's Settings>Defaults for Notifications>Notification Sound (I'm tapping the menus as I write this and now see that the option for the Path is no longer there)... Presently, only a partial list of system sounds, two MP3's I had chosen last night, and another file I was experimenting with, "Facebook Pop" is in the list. Those 3 files I added have replaced 3 sounds of the original sounds list.

I don't know how, but had seen the SDCard0 and SDCard1/storage paths (one on top of the other) which allowed me to explore the directories.

And too, neither of my SMS apps are making the SEND sound when clicking the SEND button. I would have been inclined to say that there was a conflict between the 2 apps on my phone, but my wife only has the default SMS app, so not sure what quirky things are going on now.

 

[Toddskins]

Also, I stated I can no longer choose the Search path, but before that option stopped showing up, it was giving me the option of choosing MEDIA or SDCard. When I chose Media, the list showed up. This option happened a couple of times before going to sleep. Now that I wake up, the options are not longer there. Just the list of sounds missing 3 original sounds replaced by 3 I had selected from my SD card.

 

[Hadron]

Hmm, I can certainly imagine that if it let you specify the path you could get left with that in the wrong state. Chomp (Textra's bigger cousin) let's me search other places, but I've never seen that in Textra. Not doubting you, just don't know how to do that.

I've actually never used a "send" sounds in my life, so not much I can say about that. I've actually got 3 SMS apps on my phone at the moment (the default, Chomp and Textra), which is not unusual for me (which they are has varied at times), and never had a problem with conflicts, so I'd not worry over much about that (though of course all devices and their setups vary!).

 

[Toddskins]

I just did a complete Reset of the phone (back to factory mode) and the "sending sound from the basic SMS app" did not get fixed. Next, I re-installed Textra. The "sending sound" has not returned. So I have no idea what the issue is. It comes and goes on my phone, and has not returned to my wife's phone.

I would make a short "pop" sound when you clicked the send button.