How to fix a Galaxy S9 that keeps sending duplicate texts or photos [troubleshooting guide]

Hello and welcome to another #GalaxyS9 troubleshooting article for the day. This post addresses two issues reported by a couple of our readers. The main issue that we cover here is on how to address an S9 Plus that keeps sending out duplicate messages. The other one is about missing calendar notifications. We hope that our answers will help in fixing your own similar troubles.

Problem #1: Galaxy S9 Calendar app notifications won’t work

I read your article about calendar notifications not working on Samsung phones. I’ve been having this problem with my Samsung Galaxy S9. When I first got the phone, it worked fine. Shortly after I started using “do not disturb” on a regular schedule (I set it to automatically turn on at night and off in the morning), I noticed that my calendar notifications were sporadically failing to pop up. I completely disabled “do not disturb”, but over time, my calendar notifications completely stopped. I checked all of the settings in your article and everything is fine. When I restarted in safe mode and ran 2 test notifications, they both worked. What would you suggest? Are there any specific apps that have been associated with this error? I would really prefer not to factory reset my phone. I don’t know my android software version. Thanks! — Jamie

Solution: Hi Jamie. There’s no third party app in particular that we know by name that can prevent Samsung Calendar app notifications from working. If your Safe Mode observation does confirm that notifications work, that means you’ve added an app that causes the problem. What that app is is for you to find out. If you recently installed an app and the issue started to coincide with that installation, uninstall that app and see what happens.

If you can’t recall ever adding an app lately and can’t figure out where the issue might be coming from, then you’ll have to do the app identification the hard way. There’s no automated way to do this so you need to invest time and effort in this task. Here’s what you need to do:

Boot to safe mode.
Check for the problem.
If the issue does not happen on safe mode, you can start uninstalling apps individually. We suggest that you begin with the most recent ones you added.
After you uninstall an app, restart the phone to normal mode and check for the problem.
If your S9 Calendar app is still erratic, repeat steps 1-4.

Problem #2: How to fix a Galaxy S9 that keeps sending duplicate texts or photos

Recently, 7 weeks ago, I defected from an iPhone to a Samsung S9 Plus, and bought one for my fiance at the same time. Already I am having problems with the phone…duplicate texts being sent, duplicate photos being sent, yesterday the phone froze up. I had to power down and restart the phone. No, there are no background apps running. My fiance is experiencing the same problems. When I search for help to remedy these problems, I see the same answers, “try this and that to see if this fixes the problem.” These answers are weak and unacceptable. THIS NEEDS TO BE FIXED NOW! I did not pay the amount of money for these phones only to have problems of this magnitude already. If these problems are not remedied very soon, I will have no other choice but to pursue legal action. — Pearce

Solution: Hi Pearce. There’s no need to threaten us or anyone else. While this issue may be unacceptable for everyone, you’re really not the first time to experience it. It also doesn’t happen on Galaxy phones or on Samsung phones only. An issue like this won’t be fixed with your threats. If you want a perfect phone or network service, we suggest you wait for it and try to live off the grid. At this time, ALL smartphones and network services are NOT perfect so if you can’t accept that reality, you’re better off living offline.

We really can’t see any reason why you find “try this and that to see if this fixes the problem” comment unacceptable. Unless this is your first time troubleshooting something in your life, it’s really normal to do trial-and-error, especially when it comes to fixing networking issues. There’s no absolute solution to all problems, like the ones you’re experiencing. You need to do a set of troubleshooting steps and solution options to arrive at a fix. Even the best technicians in the world needs to do that. If you think that’s unacceptable too, go find your own perfect world.

As far as solutions to your issues are concerned, you should start by doing two things: cache partition wipe and factory reset.

Clear the cache partition

Android uses partitions to efficiently do tasks. One such partitions is the cache partition. This one keeps the system cache that Android utilizes to load apps faster. Sometimes, this cache gets corrupted (no perfect system here, remember?) for some reason so it’s recommended that you wipe the cache partition so your device will have a new system cache. This often helps in fixing performance issues. Here’s how to do that:

Turn off the device.
Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
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).
Press the Volume down key several times to highlight ‘wipe cache partition’.
Press Power button to select.
Press the Volume down key until ‘yes’ is highlighted and press the Power button.
When the wipe cache partition is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
Press the Power key to restart the device.
Check for the problem.

Factory reset

If clearing the cache partition won’t work, the next thing that you need is to return your S9 Plus software to their defaults. We usually recommend doing a factory reset as the final step but since we don’t know the history of your device, this needs to be done so you can right away establish if the issue can be fixed on your end or not.

Factory reset will erase your personal data so be sure to back them up ahead of time.

To factory reset your S9 Plus:

Turn off the device.
Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
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).
Press the Volume down key several times to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset’.
Press Power button to select.
Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted.
Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
When the master reset is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
Press the Power key to restart the device.

Once you’ve factory reset your S9, set your device up again and check how messaging works. For troubleshooting purposes, avoid installing any app during this time.

Uninstall messaging app updates

If the same problem returns at this point, the next good solution for you is to see if uninstalling updates for the messaging app will work. To do that, follow these steps:

Open Settings app.
Tap Apps.
Tap More settings at the upper right (three-dot icon).
Select Show system apps.
Find your messaging app from the list and and tap it.
Tap More settings at the upper right (three-dot icon).
Select Uninstall updates.
Restart your S9 and check for the problem.

Clear cache and data of messaging app

Should uninstalling updates of the app won’t work, the next logical step is to clear its cache and/or data. Keep in mind that clearing a messaging app’s data will delete your messages. Make sure to back them up before you do this.

To clear an app’s cache:

Open Settings app.
Tap Apps.
Tap More settings (three-dot icon) at the upper-right.
Tap Show system apps.
Find the app and tap it.
Tap Storage.
Tap CLEAR CACHE button.
Restart your S9.
Check if the problem still exists.

To clear an app’s data:

Open Settings app.
Tap Apps.
Tap More settings (three-dot icon) at the upper-right.
Tap Show system apps.
Find the app and tap it.
Tap Storage.
Tap CLEAR DATA button.
Restart your S9.
Check if the problem still exists.

Use another messaging app

As a workaround, you can also use another messaging app. For example, if you’re currently using the app from your carrier, you can try Samsung Messages or any other messaging app from the Play Store.

Contact your network operator for your messaging issue

If your messaging issues persists after doing our suggestions above, make sure to let your carrier know so they can take a look at it. The cause may be on their side and they may or may not be a readily available for it at this time. They’re the right party to talk to about this problem, especially since the troubleshooting steps you’ve done so far has demonstrated that the problem is not phone-related.

Contact Samsung

If the freezing problem won’t go away, even after you factory reset your S9 and there are no third party apps installed, that means you have a possible hardware issue. You need to talk to Samsung so they can repair or replace your device.

If your S9 works fine after the reset but then becomes problematic again after installing your apps, you must have installed a bad app. Follow our advice for Jamie above.