Samsung Messages glitch could be sending your photos to random contacts

[midian182]

Yikes! If you own one of Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones and use the company’s messaging app, you may want to alter its permissions. According to several reports, a bug is causing Samsung Messages to send random pictures to users’ contacts.

According to Reddit users, the glitch is found on several phones; there are reports of the Galaxy S9, S9 Plus, and Note 8 being affected, with one person claiming his entire gallery was sent to his girlfriend in the middle of the night. It appears that the issue isn’t limited to a certain carrier, either, as people on T-Moblie and AT&T have discovered the problem.

What’s especially concerning is that the devices hold no record of anything being sent. The only way to know is by checking carrier logs—or when a contact asks why they received an ‘artistic nude’ of yourself at 2 am.

It seems as if the phantom photo-sender bug appeared in the latest update of Samsung Messages, so anyone who hasn’t already done so may want to hold off from installing it until the company addresses the issue.

Those who have already installed the update should probably disable Samsung Messages’ storage permissions, which will prevent it from accessing the photo gallery. Just go to Settings > Apps -> Samsung Messages > Permissions > Storage to do so.

Once permissions are revoked, you won’t be able to send photos from Messenger, but you can rest easy knowing your pictures aren’t going to appear on a random contact’s handset. In the meantime, you might want to try Android Messages, which comes with a helpful web version that allows users to send and receive texts from a desktop.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/75302-samsung-messages-glitch-could-sending-photos-random-contacts.html

 

[slamscaper]

Wow this is huge. I have a Note 8 and use Xfinity Mobile as a carrier (switched from 13 years of Tmobile due to the cost savings) and I'm most definitely going to check my call logs to be sure nothing was sent out. I already have Android Messages and have been using it for ages now, but Samsung Messages still had permissions until I just revoked them after seeing this.

I could see lawsuits over something like this. I sure as hell hope none of my private pics were just sent all over to random contacts. That's just a nightmare bug.

 

[gigantor21]

Yikes.

 

[mcborge]

So someone has my Vaping mod and tank photo's plus some pictures of a three legged hedghog that lives in my front garden.. I call him Subsonic on account of his mobility issues.

 

[skinnybuttons]

So someone has my Vaping mod and tank photo's plus some pictures of a three legged hedghog that lives in my front garden.. I call him Subsonic on account of his mobility issues.

Flatlining at 'Subsonic' hahahaha

 

[MaXtor]

Sorry about the **** pic, mom.

 

[Knot Schure]

This reminds of something I read in 'FHM' (I think)...

A woman unable to be with her partner one New Years' Eve, sent a very explicit picture to her long-time partner 'Daz'.

To her horror a simple tipsy mis-click sent it to 'Dad'.

It was of course sent in an oh-no-second.

I was both horrified and amused, in equal parts. Poor, poor girl.

 

[GregonMaui]

Sure its not Alexa's fault? Or maybe the AI's got together to totally prank the world. Be wary, the singularity is coming. You've seen Terminator, right? Don't watch that with Alexa, or your Samsung phone in the room!

 

[hood6558]

That's not a bug, it's a feature! Samsung is helping you stay connected whether you like it or not. No extra charge. If you complain about it, it's no trouble to send the special code that explodes your battery like a grenade and burns your house down. We'll just blame the battery maker, like all the other times.

 

[tipstir]

As an Android developer since 2010, so many glitches in Android source code. I've seen this issue with my T-Mobile Moto Z2 Force both cells have it. My GF was complaining about the issue. I looked into and removed the the shares for Photo app used in Oreo 8.x. Disabled that and it solved the issue for us both. I do not need to have the entire planet know what pictures I am taking. Every time they release the new OS or anything something is wrong. Don't they test everything. Like I said Google hire me, I'll get tot he root of the issue. LOL

Note: It's just not happening only with Samsung, Motorola too. I don't have LG any more and I do still have ZTE ZMax Pro but no sim card in that and it randoms sends singles to my True Caller account making calls to London which appears on my Motorola Moto Z2 Force. Sure I've fix that issue as well another glitch. That's on Marshmallow 6.x. I am not surprised with Google (Android OS) since 2010 I've seen a lot of glitches..Getting worst every new release.

 

[Capaill]

Once it has been sent to a random contact's phone and if that phone also uses Samsung Messenger, could it then be sent on a wild and crazy adventure among many people's phones? If so, I see a very handy excuse forming for explaining that photo message. As long as it's not a nude selfie. Then you're screwed.

 

[Abraka]

Ha ha, Samsung again. The Asian king of spying. Their Smart-TVs are sending conversations over the internet, basically spying on the users. If the TV has a camera, it's probably sending the pictures and video too. And now this.

"Samsung: We first overcharge you, then we spy on you and sell your info to the highest bidder. Aren't we the best?"