Galaxy S9 notification numbers for apps won’t show, sending multiple copies of the same SMS

The #GalaxyS9, just like any other smartphone is not immune to SMS problems. In this troubleshooting episode, we show you some examples of SMS problems that can occur on this device and their solutions. We hope you’ll find this material helpful.

Problem #1: Galaxy S9 notification numbers for apps won’t show

My app notification badges (the number that appears on the top of my app indicating how many notifications/texts/emails) do not show if I have unread messages.  If I open the messages app, but do not actually open to read any of my new texts, the notification number disappears. Same things happens with my voicemail and email.  Is there a way to fix this? Sometimes I will go in to read 1 text message but want to leave another unread as a reminder to come back to that later but since my app badge doesn’t show that I have any unread messages, I forget.  Can this be fixed? Thanks much!! — Julie

Solution: Hi Julie. There’s no way to directly change the behavior of the notification aspect in this device so either there’s a bug that prevents the notification numbers from showing, or this is how the current firmware build is supposed to behave.

To see if this is a bug, kindly do our 3 suggestions below.

Clear the cache partition

A lot of times, bugs are fixed by simply deleting the cache partition. This procedure forces a device to delete the system cache and rebuild it later on. Wiping the cache partition can potentially fix problems because your phone will now be using a new set of cache. Sometimes, updates and app installations may corrupt the system cache causing all sorts of troubles. To ensure that your smartphone always uses a good system cache, you want clear the cache partition every now and then. For troubleshooting purposes, you can clear the cache as many times as you want.

To clear the system cache on your S9:

  1. Turn off the device.
  2. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
  3. When the Android logo displays, release all three keys.
  4. An ‘Installing system update’ message will show for 30 – 60 seconds before the Android system recovery menu options appear.
  5. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight wipe cache partition.
  6. Press Power key to select.
  7. Press the Volume down key to highlight yes, them and press the Power key to select.
  8. When the wipe cache partition is complete, Reboot system now is highlighted.
  9. Press the Power key to restart the device.

Reset app preferences

Sometimes, critical system apps may be disabled by mistake. This often happens if a user does it by mistake, or if an app or operating system bug encounters an error. To ensure that you enable all apps and services necessary for default behaviors, you can reset app preferences. Resetting app preferences will have the following effects:

To reset app preferences on your S9:

  1. Open Settings app.
  2. Tap Apps.
  3. Tap More settings (three-dot) icon at the upper right.
  4. Tap Reset app preferences.

Factory reset

Finally, you should consider doing a factory reset if nothing works so far. This will return all software settings back to their defaults. If the reason for the problem is a software bug, factory reset will most likely help fix the problem.

To factory reset your S9:

  1. Turn off the device.
  2. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
  3. When the green Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
  4. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset’.
  5. Press Power button to select.
  6. Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted.
  7. Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
  8. When the master reset is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
  9. Press the Power key to restart the device.

Problem #2: Galaxy S9 keeps sending multiple copies of the same texts  

Hi. My phone (Galaxy S9) is consistently sending more than one text at a time,_ most often 2 but up to 6 or 7. It does this on both the native Samsung messages app and the Facebook Messenger app texting function. I have tried force stopping the apps, reinstalling Messenger, restarting my phone. I tried to clear the cache in the messages app but it’s not an option apparently. I even tried updating them but both apps are up to date. I need to be able to send texts as I don’t always have Wi-Fi or 4G to use messenger. Do you have any other suggestions? Thanks. — Annabel.Smith

Solution: Hi Annabel. The usual set of troubleshooting steps that you need to do in this case should include the following:

  • phone restart
  • force stopping problematic apps
  • clearing app cache and data
  • resetting app preferences
  • resetting network settings
  • factory reset

So far, the only solution option we haven’t described here is on how to reset network settings. Below are the steps to do it:

  1. Open Settings app.
  2. Tap General management.
  3. Tap Reset.
  4. Tap Reset network settings.
  5. Tap RESET SETTINGS button.

Should all the suggestions won’t work at all, make sure that you contact your carrier since you are using their SMS service. There may be a network bug causing the problem so they are in a position to help you narrow down the possible causes on their end.

Problem #3: Galaxy S9 can’t view conversation thread for one SMS contact

I was using the Facebook Messenger app, and just recently went back to normal messaging. I am able to text everyone in my contacts except one. I can send and receive texts normally, but I can’t view anything in that conversation, except through the history. This only happens with one of my contacts and I have made sure that I switched my defaults back and cleared the app’s cache.  — Kai Simmons

Solution: Hi Kai. There are four possible actions that you can do in this situation:

  1. Delete old conversation threads with this contact
  2. Delete and re-add contact information to Contacts app
  3. Delete messaging app data (make sure to create a backup first)
  4. Factory reset (make sure to create a backup first)

If not one of these solution options will work for you, contact your carrier for more assistance.

 


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