SMS sent but still shows sending

Question

Many of my SMS messages are still showing as "sending" in Samsung Messages app, even though they are already sent. I know they are sent, because they have been replied to.

After a reboot, the messages are still in the log but they show "Sending Failed". If I re-send successfully, the recipient gets a second copy of the message.

I have considered switching apps to resolve this problem, choosing Android Messages as an alternative. However, when I tried this I found that none of my sent messages are in the new app. Everything I've received is there, but nothing that I've ever sent is.

I've considered clearing the app cache of Samsung Messages to solve this. However, I'm worried that this will also lose parts of my message history - particularly, the stuck messages that weren't picked up in Android Messages.

I'm also going through some particular life issues right now, which necessitate keeping an accurate record of sent and received SMS messages. So, any action that risks losing these stuck messages is unacceptable.

What should I do to fix this problem?

Platform:

Samsung Galaxy S8+
Android 7.0
Samsung Messages 4.1.64
Android Messages 2.2.075

Answer 1

This can be one of the reasons below

1. The service that sends and receives messages has some buggy or broken code, which is creating these errors. Wait for an update, if you believe this is the error
2. Another reason for this, which is quite common, is that your phone has the wrong time set, or it has automatically entered daylight saving mode. Make sure the time on your phone is correct and turn of daylight saving (if switched on)

Small tip: Cleaning the cache of the messaging app won't work because of the way Android works. Cleaning cache might result in something worse, so refrain from doing that. Messages stored on the phone are handled by another background app (or service), which makes it available to all apps.

Hope it solves your problem.

PS if it doesn't solve your problem, then find an old phone lying on your house or get one from your friend. Use that to send and receive messages. This is the last bet if you are serious about the messages. Pro Tip After your phone starts working, take screenshots of the messages from the old phone, transfer them on your phone and delete the messages from the old phone.