Default Android Messages app notification spam - how to stop

[Bruno Genovese]

I am considering moving from an iPhone to the Google Pixel 2. As a smaller jump and to try the Android world I first replaced my iPad with an Android tablet (WiFi only).

I love it but it has been a pain because of spamming notifications that I can't seem to stop. As I rely on Notifications to alert me of important stuff, notification spam is a device breaker for me.

For other apps that spam the fix is simple, just disable all Notifications for the app. But for messaging apps (Hangouts, Android Messages, etc) to be useful I need to stop spam while still receiving new message notifications. This has been hard to do, and I must find a solution before I move to an Android phone:

- First notification spam came from Hangouts. Since I am a user of Google Voice, my GV SMS messages come through Hangouts. But since Google insists that we use Android Messages for SMS (even on devices with no cellular service), Hangouts now constantly spams a notification about it.

- No problem I thought, I'll use Android Messages and it will stop the Hangouts spam. It did, but as soon as I started using that preinstalled app it started spamming me with advertising notifications, and it has no settings to control those spam advertising notifications. I could either disable ALL notifications for the App or get rid of it. Since an SMS app that can't notify you when new messages arrive is worthless and the only other choice was to accept the advertising spam, I uninstalled it. Notification peace returned, but so did the Hangouts constant single spam. Still, better to get one constant spam than many advertising ones.

- Next I figured, maybe I can get rid of the spam by installing a different SMS app that doesn't spam advertising garbage. But no luck, since my tablet has no cellular service they won't even install from Google Play.

Is there any way to turn off Android Messages spam notifications while keeping the notifications for newly arrived messages?

What other options do I have?

Is there ***any app*** that will allow me to receive Google Voice SMS messages on a WiFi-only tablet and that displays notifications when messages arrive without spamming me with other notifications?

 

[Clementine_3]

What tablet are you using?

Have you tried the actual Google Voice app?

I may be missing something important but what 'spam' notifications are you even getting? Ads? Sounds like there is something more going on here...I'm not at all sure it has anything to do with SMS. Can you post a screenshot of what you are getting?

 

[Bruno Genovese]

Thanks!

Installing (and not using) the Google Voice app neatly solved the problem for my wifi-only tablet. GV surprisingly did not receive the SMS messages, but those still go from the GV server to Hangouts and my email... which is what I prefer.

The only thing thing that I still need to find before I buy that Pixel 2 is a good SMS app I can use after I buy the phone that only uses Notifications to alert me of incoming messages, without the spam notifications that Android Messages generates.

Only God might know why Google thought that giving Notifications like "try app xyz", "buy product abc", "blah blah blah" and such idiotic spams was a good idea.

But finding such an app should be much easier since I can now consider all of the apps that require cellular support on the device.

 

[Clementine_3]

The only thing thing that I still need to find before I buy that Pixel 2 is a good SMS app I can use after I buy the phone that only uses Notifications to alert me of incoming messages, without the spam notifications that Android Messages generates.

It's not Android Messages, that (or almost any other legit messenger/app) generates zero spam. You've got an app that's doing it, or some sort of malware.

The next time you get one long press the notification, it should tell you where it's coming from. When did this start? Any new apps installed around the same time?

Again, what tablet is it?

 

[Bruno Genovese]

It's not Android Messages, that (or almost any other legit messenger/app) generates zero spam. You've got an app that's doing it, or some sort of malware.

The next time you get one long press the notification, it should tell you where it's coming from. When did this start? Any new apps installed around the same time?

Again, what tablet is it?

Lenovo Yoga Tab 3.

If the default Android Messages doesn't spam, maybe Lenovo includes a modified version in their products.

The spamming started when I first used Messages, and disappeared the moment I uninstalled it. Haven't reinstalled Messages since.

A few other individual apps also spammed notifications (Netflix, Haystack TV, NPR News, etc), but since I did not need any of their notifications it was a simple matter of blocking all notifications for those few apps. Messages and Hangouts were the only problematic ones.

But your solution of installing the GV app (while leaving Messages uninstalled) worked perfectly (even if I don't use the GV app).

 

[Bruno Genovese]

Update:

- I had assumed success too soon. The Hangouts spam notification "SMS is no longer supported" came back, even with GV installed.

- So I went to the Play Store to re-download Android Messages and try the long press. Surprise!!! This time the Play Store tells me "Your device isn't compatible with this version.". Probably because my tablet is WiFi only.

Looks like the original Android Messages app was indeed a Lenovo-modified ad-spamming version for WiFi-only devices and that the true Google app requires cell service.

That throws me back to the very first problem:. What SMS messaging app can I install on my WiFi only tablet to silence the repeating Hangouts spam notification?

 

[El Presidente]

Do you need hangouts? You could probably uninstall or disable it to make the notifications go away.

Alternatively, try downloading the Android Messaging app from apk mirror - https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/google-inc/messenger-google-inc/messenger-google-inc-3-0-037-release/

Apkmirror is a perfectly safe and legitimate site and anything you download there will be malware free.

 

[Bruno Genovese]

I very much need Hangouts, it is one of my more important IM channels.

TBH, it is Messages I don't need, I am only considering installing it (and not use) to silence the Hangouts notification.

Will check out the alternate install site, in case the problem is with Play and not Messages.

I really don't understand Google's idea of making Hangouts SMS obsolete without giving an adequate SMS alternative for WiFi only tablets.

 

[El Presidente]

Have a look at pulse, I'm pretty sure you should be able to install this on your tablet.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=xyz.klinker.messenger

I think Google are just catering to the majority,, not many people want to use SMS on wifi only tablets so they don't see much point in implementing it in hangouts any more. I'm not saying you're wrong in wanting it, just that the need for that specific feature is pretty small.

 

[Dannydet]

Adguard from the play store will block pop up ads from the apps you choose in it's settings. Made to work on both phones and tablets

 

[zuben el genub]

Just out of curiosity - how does Android deal with wifi calling if you also have a registered Android phone?

Viber, which I use on the phone also turned up on the iPad I got for a couple of apps that Android doesn't have. The stupid thing is wifi only, but Viber works. It was pre-installed and must have had the info available from when I registered the iPad to use it. I wouldn't have downloaded it.

It wouldn't work on my older Android wifi tablets, but with carriers now doing wifi calling I suppose it could be possible.

TMobile was the only carrier with wifi calling years ago over voice network. It did take minutes from your bucket of minutes.