Help Handcent vs Stock text message app?

[EKG]

What's the difference in Handcent as opposed to the normal stock text message app? I see a lot of you are using Handcent instead. What is better about it? I want to be ready by the time I get my phone!

 

[Scynthetic78]

The main reasons for me are the customization level, and the pop up window. You might want to check into swype as long as you're looking at messaging options too. It takes a bit to get used to, but it can speed up your "typing" quite a bit once you get it down.

 

[weihl165]

I use handcent for all my texts and the stock app to send out pix and vids. Handcent seems to have a hard time sending the mms files

 

[davros]

The main reasons for me are the customization level, and the pop up window. You might want to check into swype as long as you're looking at messaging options too. It takes a bit to get used to, but it can speed up your "typing" quite a bit once you get it down.

+1

 

[enserio]

sometimes, when i get a new message - the last message I received appears in the notification bar and quick reply, as if I never saw it. How do I stop that?

 

[DawnGP143]

The biggest reason for Handcent for me is the ability to customize the notification sound for each person. I know without even looking at the phone when someone "important" to me has texted by the sound my phone has just made.

 

[AdmSuvvuk]

The biggest reason for Handcent for me is the ability to customize the notification sound for each person. I know without even looking at the phone when someone "important" to me has texted by the sound my phone has just made.

Really? I haven't stumbled across that feature. Would you mind pointing me in the right direction?

 

[davros]

mmm ya i noticed handcent some times has a hard time with video sending but i still use it with swype... love it


i belive if you long press the persons txt messages on the first screen you can assign each their own sounds ..... i found it in chomp when i had to use it before handcent updated and fixed its problems... now handcent is back and i am happy

 

[DawnGP143]

Really? I haven't stumbled across that feature. Would you mind pointing me in the right direction?

Launch Handcent. If you already have a text from the person you want to customize it, select that person's message thread. Once open, on the top right corner, you will see a gray "person" with a gear button. Select it. Once selected, you can select how it sounds and how it appears on the screen.

If you DIDN'T already have a text from that person, select them like you're going to text them and follow the same instructions.

(I'm not real good at giving instructions. Hope that works for you.)

 

[davros]

Launch Handcent. If you already have a text from the person you want to customize it, select that person's message thread. Once open, on the top right corner, you will see a gray "person" with a gear button. Select it. Once selected, you can select how it sounds and how it appears on the screen.

If you DIDN'T already have a text from that person, select them like you're going to text them and follow the same instructions.

(I'm not real good at giving instructions. Hope that works for you.)

ya i meant that.... lol it works just like she said..... its different than chumpsms...

 

[tdtran]

The biggest advantages of handcent is the notification option for missed mms messages. You can set the frequency and the interval of the reminders. I have been using it for my on call duty from my work.

 

[mrhomiec]

i'm facing a problem now, where my Notification Bar is still putting
an alert by the stock Messages app, so when i receive a text, i get
2 alerts for the same text. i have every single setting disabled from
within the Messages app. i even enabled a notification so i could
manually disable the parts linked to it, then disable the whole thing.

 

[Rossco_Pee]

i'm facing a problem now, where my Notification Bar is still putting
an alert by the stock Messages app, so when i receive a text, i get
2 alerts for the same text. i have every single setting disabled from
within the Messages app. i even enabled a notification so i could
manually disable the parts linked to it, then disable the whole thing.

Double and triple check to make sure you have alerts disabled for your stock message app. If that doesn't work, trying clearing cache and data from the stock app from 'manage applications' in your settings.

 

[mrhomiec]

here are my settings from inside the stock Messages app:
Delivery reports, unchecked
Auto-retrieve, unchecked
Roaming auto-retrieve, grayed out and unchecked.
Priority setting, normal
Maximum message size, 1.2M
Connection settings, everything grayed out
Received notification, unchecked
Play notification sound, grayed out and unchecked.
Notification sound, grayed out.
Vibrate, grayed out and unchecked.
Sent notification, unchecked.
Failure notification, unchecked.
Play notification sound, grayed out and unchecked.
Notification sound, grayed out.
Vibrate, grayed out and unchecked

i checked the Manage Applications place for the Messages app,
the Clear cache button is grayed out, i clicked on Clear data,
but that just reset the above settings to default. Clear defaults
button is grayed out, and i can Force stop it. and it still does it.

 

[Lagos]

What's the difference in Handcent as opposed to the normal stock text message app? I see a lot of you are using Handcent instead. What is better about it? I want to be ready by the time I get my phone!

Its faster, better and has more options than the stock message app. Try it and you'll probably love it too.

 

[ExcessiveIdling]

I tried handcent way back when I was not rooted and didn't think it was any faster than the default messaging app. I did and still continue to use smspopup though. Works just as fast and obviously pops up the message when I receieve it. I also did try the other messaging app..cant remember its name cosmos? crunch? it was c something. I thought that app was faster than handcent as handcent just seemed to have too MANY features and bogged down. Also I didn't see why I would want another messaging app ONTOP of my default one. I might have to check back with handcent though since I am now rooted and I'm assuming would be able to remove the default msging app and replace it with handcent?

 

[rick311]

hancent & chomp >>>> stock messaging app. The stock app is SLOWWWW!!! and if you receive a picture message you can only see it as a slide show and it will only stay up for 5 seconds. freakin weak-sauce!

 

[busybee]

Just for a different perspective, I'm someone who has tried both the stock messaging app and Handcent. I actually tried Handcent for a couple of days and switched back to the original for several reasons:

1. I prefer the message notification that shows up on the lock screen with the native app, rather than the popup option Handcent gives you. You can turn that off in Handcent, but you don't get the lock screen notification in exchange. And if I wanted an iPhone popup, I'd have an iPhone.
2. Handcent didn't seem any faster for me. But I'm rooted, so that may be why.
3. The icon in the notifications bar kept going screwy on me. I tried several different custom icons, and each one would work for one or two text messages, then the image would scramble and no longer be recognizable. Switch up the icon, and the process starts over.
4. While I had Handcent, I had friends complain that they didn't receive texts I'd sent. It definitely registered as going through on my end, but they never got it. I've never heard of this happening to anyone else, but it happened to me two or three times. And they weren't mms messages, either - just vanilla ones. This was really the dealbreaker for me

 

[Demache]

You can turn off pop ups in Handcent btw.

And my sister said that her messages send as blanks sometimes too. I haven't had that issue yet, but I'll keep a look out for it.

 

[CR1050]

I`m surprised that there isn`t more posted on this subject here. Ya know all i want is to be able to assign an alert message of my choice for incoming texts , not just the factory presets which sounds like a dingaling and thats it. Not to much too ask from a smart phone?


Samsung Captivate

 

[Demache]

I`m surprised that there isn`t more posted on this subject here. Ya know all i want is to be able to assign an alert message of my choice for incoming texts , not just the factory presets which sounds like a dingaling and thats it. Not to much too ask from a smart phone?


Samsung Captivate

It isn't. That's why you put your sounds in /sdcard/media/audio/notifications/.

 

[ch3l!ss73]

i'm facing a problem now, where my Notification Bar is still putting
an alert by the stock Messages app, so when i receive a text, i get
2 alerts for the same text. i have every single setting disabled from
within the Messages app. i even enabled a notification so i could
manually disable the parts linked to it, then disable the whole thing.

What kind of Droid do you have??

I have the Droid X.

All I had to do was go into Message Settings (Stock Messaging App) and under "Text Message Settings" uncheck Notifications -Status Bar-. I no longer get my Stock Messaging App notifications, just Handcent one's.

Hope that helped!!

=)

 

[CXXV]

I didn't find Handcent to give me anymore benefits than stock. However, I did load Missed Calls which allows me to set all types of reminders and repeats for everything not just SMS.

So, with one app I was able to resolve all the notification issues that are not available with the stock OS.

 

[cmajpwc]

I posted this in the applications section too, but since it may be device specific and this thread is right here, I figure I'll ask again.

I just changed from Chomp when I got my replacement phone, and I use the pop up. I would like it private (so I have to click the view button before seeing the message text). However, even with that enabled, it still goes right to the full text. I can see for just a few seconds the "View" button, but it disappears without me even touching it. Any ideas as to how to get this to work right? I love Handcent so far (faster/better pop up) but this is the only qualm I have with it.

 

[rick311]

anyone else using the popup on handcent notice it becomes laggy when you do? or is that just me?

i used to use smspopup with it but if i get a message while on a call it will still vibrate so i had to uninstall.