The problems I addressed in this post are a combination of #SMS issues and #MMS-related error and problems reported to us by #Samsung Galaxy Note 5 (#Note5) owners. While we may have already addressed similar issues before, we are find it necessary to answer the questions sent by our readers and besides, these issues occurred after the Marshmallow update.
Read on to understand more about them and to learn how to deal with them in case you’ll encounter one in the future. Texting-related problems are often minor in nature but there are times when they cause a lot of trouble.
For those who have other issues with the Note 5, make sure you visit our troubleshooting page for we have already answered hundreds of problems since the release of this device. Odds are that we have already provided solutions to your problem and all you need to do is to find a similar issue and use the solution. Of course, you can always contact us if you need further assistance. Just fill up our Android issues questionnaire and hit submit, don’t worry, it’s free.
Galaxy Note 5 receives group texts as individual messages
Problem: My factory installed text messaging program will show me when i’m receiving a group text. I have no clue it’s a group text until I receive responses separately from those who were included. Is there a way to fix this? I’ve gone through and played with modifying/reverting settings but nothing works. Please help. Thanks.
Solution: There’s a setting that you need to turn on so that messages that are supposed to be group messages will be received as group conversations instead of individual text message. I don’t know what settings you turned off and on but the only way to fix this problem is by going to Settings > Applications > Messages > More settings > Multimedia messages > enable Group conversations.
Can the character counter in Messages app be removed?
Question: How do I get rid of the 160 character count on my phone? Before the software update I used to possibly be able to get rid of the character count & now it seems like I’m not able to get rid of it. I’ve tried & looked up everything I could possibly do & nothing works. I need to know how to get rid of it if it’s possible still.
Answer: No, you can’t remove the counter as it is important for users to know if their text messages will be sent as a 1-page text or more. I’m not sure why you want to get rid of the counter but if you were thinking that your messages are limited to just 160 characters, you’re wrong. You can go beyond that number and if you have mobile data enabled and the APN settings setup on your phone, your message will be automatically converted to MMS.
Voice input missing in Galaxy Note 5, how to get it back
Problem: I use Verizon’s messaging. I used to be able to talk into the phone and the phone would type out what I said into a text message. I can’t do that anymore. Now, when I talk into the phone, an audio text message is sent. How can I talk and get typed text back?
Problem 2: When texting or using my keyboard I no longer have the voice to text button (microphone) button. Is there a way to get that back?
Solution: There’s a couple of things you have to do to get the voice input back. First, go to Apps > Settings > Language and input > make sure Google voice typing is enabled.
Second, when composing a text message, press and hold the gear icon and switch to microphone icon. To use the voice input function, tap the mic icon and being dictating your message.
Galaxy Note 5 can’t download MMS or picture messages
Problem: When someone sends me a picture through the phone’s messaging service. Its listed as No Subject, message Size: 32kb (example) and Expires 8:51 am July 2, I hit the box to download it and it says “Download of (No Subject) from (the number it came from) failed.” I have no clue on how to fix this. Please help.
Solution: Enable mobile data on your device as it is required to be able to transmit MMS. If it’s already enabled, then the APN might not have been setup correctly. I don’t know what your service provider is but you need to call tech support and ask for the APN for your device. Ask the rep to walk you through in setting it up. Once you’ve setup the APN and enabled mobile data on your phone, this problem will be gone.
Galaxy Note 5 Messages app not displaying text messages
Problem: After I updated my phone to 6.0.1 my messages keep on saying refreshing. I can’t open and texts or I can’t send any texts.
Troubleshooting: It’s a minor problem with the app and many actually reported similar issues after the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow update. The most effective solution to this issue is by clearing the cache and data of the Messages app.
- From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
- Find and tap Settings.
- Under the ‘APPLICATIONS’ section, find and touch Application manager.
- Swipe to the left or to the right to display the appropriate screen but to display all apps, choose the ‘ALL’ screen.
- Find and tap Messages.
- Tap Clear Cache.
- Tap Clear Data, then OK.
Just in case this procedure doesn’t fix the problem, you need to wipe off the system cache so that the new system will be forced to create new ones.
- Turn off your Galaxy Note 5.
- Press and hold the following three buttons at the same time: Volume Up key, Home key, and Power key.
- When the phone vibrates, release the Power key but continue to press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key.
- When the Android System Recovery screen appears, release the Volume Up and Home keys.
- Press the Volume Down key to highlight ‘wipe cache partition.’
- Press the Power key to select.
- When the wipe cache partition is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
- Press the Power key to restart the device.
Galaxy Note 5 not display contact information after the update
Problem: I have not downloaded any new apps but just recently upgraded to marshmallow per a notification that I needed to. Now when I receive a group text, I can’t figure out a way to see who else is a part of the group conversation. Everything is working fine but it will just say name #1, name #2, and 5 others but I can no longer tap there to see who the 5 others are. I also can’t add any new people to the group like I used to be able to.
Troubleshooting: Try to reboot the phone first and if you can see on the screen that apps are being optimized, reboot the device for 3 or 4 times just to make sure all apps are well-optimize. If the problem remains after that, then follow the instructions above on how to wipe the cache partition.
After wiping the cache partition and the problem still remains, clear the cache and data of the Contacts app and then the Messages app.
- From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
- Find and tap Settings.
- Under the ‘APPLICATIONS’ section, find and touch Application manager.
- Swipe to the left or to the right to display the appropriate screen but to display all apps, choose the ‘ALL’ screen.
- Find and tap Contacts.
- Tap Clear Cache.
- Tap Clear Data, then OK.
Lastly, if all else fails, then backup your data and do the master reset.
- Remove your Google account and disengage the screen locks to make sure you won’t trip the Factory Reset Protection (FRP).
- Turn off your Samsung Galaxy Note 5.
- Press and hold the Volume Up, Home and Power keys together.
- When the device powers on and displays ‘Power on logo’, release all keys and the Android icon will appear on the screen.
- Wait until the Android Recovery Screen appears after about 30 seconds.
- Using the Volume Down key, highlight the option, ‘wipe data/factory reset’ and press the Power key to select it.
- Press the Vol Down button again until the option ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted and then press the Power key to select it.
- After the reset is complete, highlight ‘Reboot system now’ and hit the Power key to restart the phone.
Owner switched provided, MMS no longer works
Problem: My picture messaging has always worked great. I bought my phone out and switched to Cricket wireless. Now I can’t recieve or send picture messages. No matter what I do. I have reset the network, I have totally reset my phone. I’ve installed different messaging apps to try them to see if they will work but it still will not work. I have worked with cricket many times and the last time they suggested I contact samsung. I don’t know what else to do.
Answer: Installing different messaging apps won’t help but enabling mobile data will. I understand you already worked with Cricket reps and I’m sure they’ve already done one important thing on their part–provisioning. I don’t know if the mobile data is turned on or off in your phone but if it’s already enabled and you’re still having issues with MMS, then call tech support again and this time as the rep for the correct APN for your phone and ask for assistance in setting it up. If this fails as well, then it might be a issue with Cricket or you may need to call Samsung.
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