topic Re: Re: Re: Inconsistent sound Google Messages in Galaxy S24

Inconsistent sound Google Messages

cwinkler — Tue, 02 Apr 2024 11:44:00 GMT

Switched to Google Messages to see how I like it. Getting inconsistent sound notifications, and can't figure out why. All notifications allowed (except turned off vibrate) and volume is turned up. I'll get the screen popup notification, but no sound notification. What might cause this? Phone is NOT on DND. Just this morning got one notification to sound, but at least 2 others did not.

Re: Inconsistent sound Google Messages

notforhire — Tue, 02 Apr 2024 12:22:50 GMT

full disclosure: I'm hard of hearing (very) and wear hearing aids. when wearing my hearing aids, all notifications come through the aids, not the phone. it doesn't happen every time, though. in my case, I've chalked it up to either connectivity or competing sounds around me. however, I always feel the notification vibration on my Watch 6 Classic, so I don't pay much attention to it. are you receiving proper notification sounds from your other apps?

Re: Re: Inconsistent sound Google Messages

cwinkler — Tue, 02 Apr 2024 12:35:59 GMT

My other apps seem ok. And Messages sometimes works. Just turned off notification for samsung Messages thinking maybe it was interference

Re: Re: Inconsistent sound Google Messages

notforhire — Tue, 02 Apr 2024 12:44:50 GMT

a couple of things you can play with: wipe your cache partition from the recovery menu on your phone, clear cache and data in the Google Messages app, force stop, then simply open the app again and start using it (you won't lose your messages)

Re: Inconsistent sound Google Messages

realaud — Tue, 02 Apr 2024 13:31:43 GMT

Question: Did you set a default sound for the incoming messages, or did you set the sound within a particular message? If you did it in a message, that's the default sound for that conversation. You have to go to the app settings, choose the default sound for the app by selecting it for incoming messages. You should go through the other categories and make sure the notifications are set for "alert" not "silent" and make sure there is a sound supplied. The default sound should have carried over to the other categories, but you can change the sound for different categories if you choose. If it did not carry over, just choose the sound.

If you want a particular sound for a particular conversation/contact, choose the contact/conversation you want to have a different alert for. You do that by going to your messages inbox, selecting the 3 dot menu at the top right and choosing details. In the section for notifications, you can choose a different sound from the default. Thereafter the sounds for that contact/conversation will be different from the default.

Setup within an app that has many notification categories is a pia but, thankfully, you only have to do it once.

Re: Re: Re: Inconsistent sound Google Messages

cwinkler — Tue, 02 Apr 2024 13:33:16 GMT

Have wiped phone cache and app cache. What do I lose when I wipe app data? Have also restarted phone. Haven't received a text to test yet.

Re: Re: Inconsistent sound Google Messages

cwinkler — Tue, 02 Apr 2024 13:35:34 GMT

Went into app and set default sound, not a particular conversation. This morning was specifically not receiving sound notification from banking OTP. Thanks for tips on changing conversation sounds.

Re: Re: Re: Inconsistent sound Google Messages

realaud — Tue, 02 Apr 2024 13:48:31 GMT

As I said, do make sure all the categories are set to alert. I had found most of them to be on silent by default for some reason.
You probably don't need to bother with the messages for web section, unless you are going to use that component.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Inconsistent sound Google Messages

notforhire — Tue, 02 Apr 2024 13:48:29 GMT

you don't lose your messages. some of your settings? yes. wait to see if wiping the cache partition has helped, along with the suggestions from @realaud

Re: Re: Re: Inconsistent sound Google Messages

realaud — Tue, 02 Apr 2024 14:03:41 GMT

What you lose when you wipe the app data would be your settings, but not your messages. Some apps you would have to log in again, but not anything Google related, since you are logged in to your Google account on your phone.

Re: Inconsistent sound Google Messages

cwinkler — Tue, 02 Apr 2024 22:52:15 GMT

OK. Still not 100% sure since haven't gotten a lot of texts today but did successfully get a banking notification after cleaning phone cache, messages cache, restarting phone and blocking notifications from Samsung Messages (although now it looks like Samsung Messages is also no longer seeing / saving any of the texts since it's not my default). I have a package being delivered tomorrow, we'll see if the UPS texts come through OK. Google Messages is going to take some getting used to, there are a number of things about Samsung Messages I liked better (trash, ability to pin contacts to top of message queue). Hopefully it grows on me ... Thanks to all of you for the help, wish I could select all responses as part of the solution!

Re: Inconsistent sound Google Messages

realaud — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 18:00:04 GMT

It is odd that Samsung messages is not seeing the newer texts since you switched defaults. As I said before, I switch back and forth regularly in order to try to help people troubleshoot, and all my messages have been in both apps. As a matter of fact, it irritates me that when I switch to S Messages, all my spam & blocked show right back up in my inbox. So it might take a bit for Samsung Messages to catch up. The messages are actually stored on your carrier's servers, not any individual message reading app, so whichever one you use, your messages should appear in all of them. But you can only have one default at a time.

You can pin conversations to the top in Google Messages. On the inbox screen, long press on the convo(s) you want to pin, and you will see it checked as "selected". On the top of the screen, above the G Messages, will be a bar with a pushpin, download icon and trash. You can select the pin to pin the convo(s) to the top, the trash to delete, or archive the conversation. You can go into the settings (click on your initial/avatar icon) and set the swipe actions (swiping right or left deletes or archives conversations). If you haven't already, turn on the spam protection and all those political fundraising messages will go to spam and help tremendously in keeping your inbox uncluttered. To me, the single best reason to use G Messages is the spam blocker. You can view the spam/blocked folder any time to catch any that might have got through that weren't spam and mark them as such.

Incidentally, archiving messages doesn't actually download them, it just removes them from your view, so you don't accidentally delete something you want to keep. If the conversation is continued at any point from either side of the convo, it comes right back into view. You can also view your archived messages at any time. I do not believe you can retrieve messages from the trash -as I said, they reside on your carrier's servers, so I believe if you delete them from the message inbox, you are also deleting them from the server.

Re: Inconsistent sound Google Messages

cwinkler — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 20:35:17 GMT

Thank you so much!!! Just tested again, and didn't get sound on first test but did on 2nd (maybe a delay). Also got a sound from package delivery, so hopefully all the cache cleaning and restarting has worked (without a data clear). And I did check my Samsung Messages app and the test texts were received and logged there. So maybe that was just a timing thing yesterday. And now I have conversations pinned, and understand better the archiving. I had used the Samsung delete (and retrieval) in the past, so now need to get used to archiving when I want to clean things up. At least the Archive / Delete can now work the same as I have them in Gmail (and I can still get the warning asking if I'm serious about deleting in case I messed up). I did experience the Spam blocker yesterday, and was pretty impressed.

So thanks again to you and @notforhire who offered suggestions and guidance, and are all part of the solution for me!

Re: Inconsistent sound Google Messages

Members_Kn3jW9U — Sat, 10 Jan 2026 21:49:34 GMT

I have the same problem. I will get the alert sound on the first text and then no notifications after that. Then it will randomly start working again. The only way I know I have a text is my Samsung watch will vibrate letting me know, but no notification sound on my phone. It has been happening for over 4 months and is driving me crazy. It makes me seem very irresponsible when I miss so many texts. I have tried all the possible ideas online (clearing cache, restarting the app, uninstalling and reinstalling the app, checking DND, etc.). Is it a Google Message glitch?

Re: Inconsistent sound Google Messages

Members_5NKkdAd — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 15:08:29 GMT

I'm having the same issue (and I receive alerts from every other app, but not Messages) I also am only aware I have a text is because my watch vibrates. I too have tried all the things... still not solution. So it appears to be a widespread issue. Is it Samsung or Google....