Owners of Samsung’s most recent flagship phones are reporting the bundled-in messaging app is randomly texting their contacts photos stored in the camera roll.
Galaxy S9, S9+ and Note 8 users have taken to Reddit and Samsung’s official support forums, complaining of the bizarre and potentially embarrassing anomaly.
In a revelation that’ll have phone owners scrambling to clean up their phones, one Galaxy S9+ user said his device sent his girlfriend his entire photo gallery in the middle of the night.
The messaging app is leaving no trace of the photos in the Sent messages folder within the phone’s default messaging app. The working theory is that this error is something to do with the RCS profile updates that have been rolling out on US carriers.
Related: Amazon Prime Day 2018
Amusingly-named Reddit user Rubsumlotion wrote (via The Register) on the Galaxy S9 subreddit: “Last night around 2:30 am, my phone sent her my entire photo gallery over text but there was no record of it on my messages app. However, there was record of it on T-Mobile logs. Why would this happen?”
Another user added: “Oddly enough, my wife’s phone did that last night, and mine did it the night before. I think it has something to do with the Samsung SMS app being updated from the Galaxy Store. When her phone texted me her gallery, it didn’t show up on her end – and vice versa.”
Worse than the Note 7?
Samsung is aware of the issue and says its technical teams are on the case.
In a statement, a spokesperson told Gizmodo: “We are aware of the reports regarding this matter and our technical teams are looking into it. Concerned customers are encouraged to contact us directly.”
It’s an unsettling prospect for Samsung users who may have photos on their phones that aren’t fit for public consumption.
Another Reddit user summed things up quite nicely: “Give me a spontaneously exploding phone any day of the week, Samsung, instead of this nightmare scenario.”
Have you experienced any problems with your Samsung messages app? Are you scanning your albums as we speak? Let us know @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
