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Google Messages annoyance

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  Google Messages annoyance Bob Henson <q59qr3wnw@mozmail.com> - 2025-09-11 10:26 +0100
    Re: Google Messages annoyance "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-09-11 12:46 +0200
      Re: Google Messages annoyance Bob Henson <q59qr3wnw@mozmail.com> - 2025-09-11 15:05 +0100
        Re: Google Messages annoyance Marion <marionf@fact.com> - 2025-09-11 15:02 +0000
          Re: Google Messages annoyance Bob Henson <q59qr3wnw@mozmail.com> - 2025-09-11 18:37 +0100
            Re: Google Messages annoyance Marion <marionf@fact.com> - 2025-09-12 17:01 +0000

#150530 — Google Messages annoyance

Updating to Android 15 broke my simple SMS program, so I installed 
Google Messages. I have found how to disable the functions I don't want 
(I only want simple text messages)  but every time a text comes in 
Google puts up an extremely annoying box asking me if I want to save the 
number as a contact. I've done come searching online, but cannot find 
out how to stop this. Is there a way to turn it off or remove it for good?

Failing that, does anyone know of a free app which runs under Android 15 
and only does, or can be configured to only do, plain SMS messages? A 
spam blocking facility would be handy (as in my old app Spamhound) but I 
don't want bells and whistles and pretty pictures everywhere - the apps 
I'm forced to use by family connections already do those.

-- 
Tetbury, Gloucestershire, UK

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#150531

On 2025-09-11 11:26, Bob Henson wrote:
> 
> Updating to Android 15 broke my simple SMS program, so I installed 
> Google Messages. I have found how to disable the functions I don't want 
> (I only want simple text messages)  but every time a text comes in 
> Google puts up an extremely annoying box asking me if I want to save the 
> number as a contact. I've done come searching online, but cannot find 
> out how to stop this. Is there a way to turn it off or remove it for good?
> 
> Failing that, does anyone know of a free app which runs under Android 15 
> and only does, or can be configured to only do, plain SMS messages? A 
> spam blocking facility would be handy (as in my old app Spamhound) but I 
> don't want bells and whistles and pretty pictures everywhere - the apps 
> I'm forced to use by family connections already do those.
> 

Google Messages does have antispam. I don't get a prompt so generate a 
contact for every message I get. But then I have version 13.

-- 
Cheers, Carlos.
ES🇪🇸, EU🇪🇺;

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#150533

On 11/9/25 11:46 am, Carlos E.R. wrote:
> On 2025-09-11 11:26, Bob Henson wrote:
>> 
>> Updating to Android 15 broke my simple SMS program, so I installed 
>> Google Messages. I have found how to disable the functions I don't want 
>> (I only want simple text messages)  but every time a text comes in 
>> Google puts up an extremely annoying box asking me if I want to save the 
>> number as a contact. I've done come searching online, but cannot find 
>> out how to stop this. Is there a way to turn it off or remove it for good?
>> 
>> Failing that, does anyone know of a free app which runs under Android 15 
>> and only does, or can be configured to only do, plain SMS messages? A 
>> spam blocking facility would be handy (as in my old app Spamhound) but I 
>> don't want bells and whistles and pretty pictures everywhere - the apps 
>> I'm forced to use by family connections already do those.
>> 
> 
> Google Messages does have antispam. I don't get a prompt so generate a
> contact for every message I get. But then I have version 13.
> 

I'm aware of that - the antispam works well. It would be OK for my 
purposes if it didn't have that hugely annoying "save as contact" box 
popping up.

-- 
Tetbury, Gloucestershire, UK

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#150534

Bob Henson wrote:
> On 11/9/25 11:46 am, Carlos E.R. wrote:
>> On 2025-09-11 11:26, Bob Henson wrote:
>>> 
>>> Updating to Android 15 broke my simple SMS program, so I installed 
>>> Google Messages. I have found how to disable the functions I don't want 
>>> (I only want simple text messages)  but every time a text comes in 
>>> Google puts up an extremely annoying box asking me if I want to save the 
>>> number as a contact. I've done come searching online, but cannot find 
>>> out how to stop this. Is there a way to turn it off or remove it for good?
>>> 
>>> Failing that, does anyone know of a free app which runs under Android 15 
>>> and only does, or can be configured to only do, plain SMS messages? A 
>>> spam blocking facility would be handy (as in my old app Spamhound) but I 
>>> don't want bells and whistles and pretty pictures everywhere - the apps 
>>> I'm forced to use by family connections already do those.
>>> 
>> 
>> Google Messages does have antispam. I don't get a prompt so generate a
>> contact for every message I get. But then I have version 13.
>> 
> 
> I'm aware of that - the antispam works well. It would be OK for my 
> purposes if it didn't have that hugely annoying "save as contact" box 
> popping up.

Carlos E.R. wrote:
>> Updating to Android 15 broke my simple SMS program, so I installed 
>> Google Messages. I have found how to disable the functions I don't want 
>> (I only want simple text messages)  but every time a text comes in 
>> Google puts up an extremely annoying box asking me if I want to save the 
>> number as a contact. I've done come searching online, but cannot find 
>> out how to stop this. Is there a way to turn it off or remove it for good?
>> 
>> Failing that, does anyone know of a free app which runs under Android 15 
>> and only does, or can be configured to only do, plain SMS messages? A 
>> spam blocking facility would be handy (as in my old app Spamhound) but I 
>> don't want bells and whistles and pretty pictures everywhere - the apps 
>> I'm forced to use by family connections already do those.
>> 
> 
> Google Messages does have antispam. I don't get a prompt so generate a 
> contact for every message I get. But then I have version 13.

Always being helpful by contributing tested knownedge to the group... 

1. I tested every free messenger app on Android years ago.
2. I settled upon FOSS PulseSMS (which you can build from src).

<https://www.reddit.com/r/selfhosted/comments/k7297f/pulsesms_anyone_have_the_latest_source_code/>
   From: Marion <marion@facts.com>
   Newsgroups:
alt.comp.os.windows-10,comp.mobile.android,alt.comp.os.windows-11
   Subject: Tutorial: Build your first Android APK on Windows from Github
WhisperIME source code
   Date: Sat, 23 Aug 2025 09:23:09 -0000 (UTC)
   Message-ID: <108c19t$1o40$1@nnrp.usenet.blueworldhosting.com>
3. But the Klinker Bros. sold to Maple Media (the devil) in Oct 2020
4. You can install the last known good version of PulseSMS at
    <https://tinyurl.com/pulsesms> last known good version
    <https://mobile.softpedia.com/apk/pulse/5.4.6.2816/>
5. It's still working for me (Galaxy, Android 13)
6. Disable automatic updates of course
7. No RCS support (but then, nothing but Google has RCS)

For the average Joe, that's too much effort, but these might work out.
===================================================================
Simple SMS Messenger on F-Droid
 Lightweight, ad-free, and open source
 Handles SMS/MMS with group messaging, backups, and message archiving
 No internet permission = no tracking

<https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.simplemobiletools.smsmessenger/index.html>
===================================================================
QUIK SMS on F-Droid
 A revival of QKSMS, fully open source
 Scheduled messages, backups, message blocking, and voice messages
 Actively maintained by the community
 <https://f-droid.org/packages/dev.octoshrimpy.quik/>
===================================================================
Silence on F-Droid
 Privacy-focused SMS/MMS app with optional end-to-end encryption
 Encryption works only if both parties use Silence (Signal protocol)
 All messages stored encrypted locally; no accounts or servers
 No internet permission; open source (GPL-3.0)
 <https://f-droid.org/packages/org.smssecure.smssecure/>
===================================================================
Fossify Messages on F-Droid
 Modern, open-source SMS/MMS app from the Fossify suite
 Clean Material UI, theming, group messaging, MMS support
 No ads, no tracking, no Google dependencies
 Actively maintained and lightweight
 <https://f-droid.org/packages/org.fossify.messages/>
===================================================================

-- 
Usenet is where kind-hearted people daily gather to help others.

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#150540

On 11/9/25 4:02 pm, Marion wrote:
> Bob Henson wrote:
>> On 11/9/25 11:46 am, Carlos E.R. wrote:
>>> On 2025-09-11 11:26, Bob Henson wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> Updating to Android 15 broke my simple SMS program, so I installed 
>>>> Google Messages. I have found how to disable the functions I don't want 
>>>> (I only want simple text messages)  but every time a text comes in 
>>>> Google puts up an extremely annoying box asking me if I want to save the 
>>>> number as a contact. I've done come searching online, but cannot find 
>>>> out how to stop this. Is there a way to turn it off or remove it for good?
>>>> 
>>>> Failing that, does anyone know of a free app which runs under Android 15 
>>>> and only does, or can be configured to only do, plain SMS messages? A 
>>>> spam blocking facility would be handy (as in my old app Spamhound) but I 
>>>> don't want bells and whistles and pretty pictures everywhere - the apps 
>>>> I'm forced to use by family connections already do those.
>>>> 
>>> 
>>> Google Messages does have antispam. I don't get a prompt so generate a
>>> contact for every message I get. But then I have version 13.
>>> 
>> 
>> I'm aware of that - the antispam works well. It would be OK for my 
>> purposes if it didn't have that hugely annoying "save as contact" box 
>> popping up.
> 
> Carlos E.R. wrote:
>>> Updating to Android 15 broke my simple SMS program, so I installed 
>>> Google Messages. I have found how to disable the functions I don't want 
>>> (I only want simple text messages)  but every time a text comes in 
>>> Google puts up an extremely annoying box asking me if I want to save the 
>>> number as a contact. I've done come searching online, but cannot find 
>>> out how to stop this. Is there a way to turn it off or remove it for good?
>>> 
>>> Failing that, does anyone know of a free app which runs under Android 15 
>>> and only does, or can be configured to only do, plain SMS messages? A 
>>> spam blocking facility would be handy (as in my old app Spamhound) but I 
>>> don't want bells and whistles and pretty pictures everywhere - the apps 
>>> I'm forced to use by family connections already do those.
>>> 
>> 
>> Google Messages does have antispam. I don't get a prompt so generate a 
>> contact for every message I get. But then I have version 13.
> 
> Always being helpful by contributing tested knownedge to the group...
> 
> 1. I tested every free messenger app on Android years ago.
> 2. I settled upon FOSS PulseSMS (which you can build from src).
> 
> <https://www.reddit.com/r/selfhosted/comments/k7297f/pulsesms_anyone_have_the_latest_source_code/>
>     From: Marion <marion@facts.com>
>     Newsgroups:
> alt.comp.os.windows-10,comp.mobile.android,alt.comp.os.windows-11
>     Subject: Tutorial: Build your first Android APK on Windows from Github
> WhisperIME source code
>     Date: Sat, 23 Aug 2025 09:23:09 -0000 (UTC)
>     Message-ID: <108c19t$1o40$1@nnrp.usenet.blueworldhosting.com>
> 3. But the Klinker Bros. sold to Maple Media (the devil) in Oct 2020
> 4. You can install the last known good version of PulseSMS at
>      <https://tinyurl.com/pulsesms> last known good version
>      <https://mobile.softpedia.com/apk/pulse/5.4.6.2816/>
> 5. It's still working for me (Galaxy, Android 13)
> 6. Disable automatic updates of course
> 7. No RCS support (but then, nothing but Google has RCS)
> 
> For the average Joe, that's too much effort, but these might work out.
> 

Not necessarily too  much effort, but most people (like me) don't have 
the know-how or the or the skill to assemble things from scratch. The 
others from F-Droid (whatever that is) might be fine, but I only get 
apps from the official channels - I don't know enough about the others. 
Thanks very much for the ideas though.


-- 
Tetbury, Gloucestershire, UK

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#150550

Bob Henson wrote:
> Not necessarily too  much effort, but most people (like me) don't have 
> the know-how or the or the skill to assemble things from scratch. The 
> others from F-Droid (whatever that is) might be fine, but I only get 
> apps from the official channels - I don't know enough about the others. 
> Thanks very much for the ideas though.

I understand. With PulseSMS, you can download the last known good version
but you have to sideload it, and you have to keep it from updating also.

It's too much work if you already have something else you like, which is
why I had suggested apps that are commonly used to replace Google messages.

The only thing Google Messages does that other messaging apps don't do, is
RCS, so if anyone knows of a non-Google RCS-capable app, let us all know!

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