Messaging app: some senders blue, others white?

[zabagabe]

Hey all. Recently I've noticed that the text messaging app makes some people's name appear in blue font, and others appear in white. I can't figure out what this is supposed to indicate. Anyone have any idea? The user manual is silent on this... thanks!

 

[jdbyrd]

haha...been wondering the same thing!!

 

[bytheriver]

Do some of those people also have a galaxy s3? Is the color indicating another samsung owner?

 

[Stigy]

Does it have something to do with ChatON? Is that app installed?

You've also got ChatON as standard with the Galaxy S3 - this is Samsung's version of BBM and is designed to allow you to talk to others on Samsung devices with the app installed. We struggled to find many friends running the service though - even those with Samsung phones didn't have the app enabled or downloaded.

 

[zabagabe]

No... I know my mom definitely doesn't have an SIII - she doesn't even have a smart phone.

 

[zabagabe]

Does it have something to do with ChatON? Is that app installed?

No, this is like half the people texting me, and I'm certain most don't have the SIII, let alone a Samsung. I also thought it might be people with Verizon, but it's also not that.

 

[zabagabe]

Curiously, the names in blue and white also change over time. Now there are fewer in blue than before. But it's not whether they're read/unread either... a real mystery!

 

[Stigy]

Can someone post a screenshot of this? Thanks!

 

[zabagabe]

Here's a screenshot, blurred in consideration of my friend's names/photos. You can see how a few are blue and others white. They seem to change at random. Literally as I was scrolling around to take the screen capture more started popping up as blue.

 

[Stigy]

Do the contacts in Blue vs White have different types of numbers in your Contacts? IE: Work, Home, Mobile, etc?

Just trying to put together some ideas of what may be causing this.

 

[speedfan]

Do the contacts in Blue vs White have different types of numbers in your Contacts? IE: Work, Home, Mobile, etc?

Just trying to put together some ideas of what may be causing this.

The contacts that are blue change randomly. If I go into a message and then hit the back button, or if I back out of the app all together then reopen it the names that are in blue is a completely different group of names everytime.

To be honest, I never even noticed it until it was mentioned here, now it is bugging me.

 

[zabagabe]

Do the contacts in Blue vs White have different types of numbers in your Contacts? IE: Work, Home, Mobile, etc?

Just trying to put together some ideas of what may be causing this.

I don't think so, because like I said, the same contact is sometimes blue and sometimes white. And for almost everyone I only have "mobile". Don't generally use any of the others.

 

[Stigy]

Hmmmmm alright back to the brainstorm session. Thanks for providing quick feedback though since I don't have an S3 to play with.

Hopefully we can figure this one out.

 

[Metfanant]

mine are ALL white lol

 

[clo821]

Never noticed this as I don't really use the stock messaging app but I do have some blue/white colored contact names in the list as well.

 

[zabagabe]

Never noticed this as I don't really use the stock messaging app but I do have some blue/white colored contact names in the list as well.

Hmm. Do you use What'sApp or is there a way to use a different text messaging app? This isn't the end of the world but it's still kind of annoying/puzzling...

 

[Dunkeroo]

I too noticed this just yesterday. Blue names change white not sure what the significance is. Would love to know.

 

[speedfan]

Hmm. Do you use What'sApp or is there a way to use a different text messaging app? This isn't the end of the world but it's still kind of annoying/puzzling...

I use GO SMS

 

[2horses]

You sure it's not read vs. unread on their end?

Or, could it be online/offline status if integrated with Facebook or some other program?

 

[Stigy]

You sure it's not read vs. unread on their end?

Or, could it be online/offline status if integrated with Facebook or some other program?

This may be a good answer.

Is there an option for "Delivery Reports" in your SMS settings? Are the people that are blue on the same carrier as you? Maybe this is how the S3 deals with delivery reports.

This may be the best lead!

 

[speedfan]

This may be a good answer.

Is there an option for "Delivery Reports" in your SMS settings? Are the people that are blue on the same carrier as you? Maybe this is how the S3 deals with delivery reports.

This may be the best lead!

This is not it. The list of contacts that are in blue is constantly changing, networks vary, some that are in there are even email addresses that some how sent me a text (only still in there because I never delete anything). Even the facebook thing doesn't pan out because only about 1/3 or less of my contacts are friends of mine on facebook. I really cannot find anything that connects these contacts. for example a message thread from my mom is white one minute, then I exit the messages app, open it back up and now she is blue and nothing in the thread has changed. I don't understand how it changes randomly.

 

[Kiri]

This happened to me twice because I got an emergency alert text regarding weatherstorms. Did you recently receive one too? If so, delete the emergency text and restart the phone. The blue names should go back to normal after that.

 

[speedfan]

This happened to me twice because I got an emergency alert text regarding weatherstorms. Did you recently receive one too? If so, delete the emergency text and restart the phone. The blue names should go back to normal after that.

I did actually last Saturday. When it went off I was like what is that.

BTW that did fix it but I didn't have to restart the phone. I just force stopped the messaging app. Crazy

 

[Stigy]

So an emergency text from your carrier may be triggering this somehow?

 

[speedfan]

So an emergency text from your carrier may be triggering this somehow?

Apparently so, because when I deleted it and restarted the app it cleared up the problem.

BTW that was the first emergency text I have ever received and it was for a flash flood watch. Last night we had some severe storms, one even blew a roof off of a warehouse about 20 minutes from me and yet no alert then. I don't quite understand the purpose of the alerts if they aren't going to work.