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Android's "text gate"

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May 21, 2009
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Looks like the press caught on. (link below)

http://abcn.ws/hHIcsP
(ABC 7 News)

Somewhat ironic that the iPhone's alarm clock issue was all over the news as a major issue but somehow sending text messages to the WRONG PEOPLE was missed. :confused:
 
JuanGuapo said:
Looks like the press caught on. (link below)

http://abcn.ws/hHIcsP
(ABC 7 News)

Somewhat ironic that the iPhone's alarm clock issue was all over the news as a major issue but somehow sending text messages to the WRONG PEOPLE was missed. :confused:
Click to expand...

Probably because this is a random issue not one that effects every Android phone like the alarm issue on the iPhone did. I have never had a text sent to the wrong person.
 
thebubbatex said:
Probably because this is a random issue not one that effects every Android phone like the alarm issue on the iPhone did. I have never had a text sent to the wrong person.
Click to expand...

That you are aware of...it says you could be in the right thread and after you send it still be in the right thread but if you go to the message details it would have a different number. Thats the kind of crap I can't put up with on an Android device, to many little quirks that get annoying.
 
Good thing Tiger's already been outted. Could be embarassing if one of the texts he sent to his many mistresses got sent to his wife instead...
 
Apple got covered because Apple news generates interest, page views, controversy, or whatever else a media outlet might want. Android news does not do the same, especially when Android as a brand is so poorly understood by the general consumer.

thebubbatex said:
Probably because this is a random issue not one that effects every Android phone like the alarm issue on the iPhone did. I have never had a text sent to the wrong person.
Click to expand...
Hmm... isn't it an Android bug? Why would some phones be exempt? Does that have something to do with completely different interfaces for the software? (And is your statement based on actual facts from Google?)
 
Xian Zhu Xuande said:
Apple got covered because Apple news generates interest, page views, controversy, or whatever else a media outlet might want. Android news does not do the same, especially when Android as a brand is so poorly understood by the general consumer.


Hmm... isn't it an Android bug? Why would some phones be exempt? Does that have something to do with completely different interfaces for the software? (And is your statement based on actual facts from Google?)
Click to expand...

If you had bothered to do some some basic research you would know that the Android bug is *much* rarer than the IOS bug, which affected all devices.
 
The reason Apple got more attention is partly because its alarm bug affected everyone around the globe who had that type of alarm set. Who knows how much money in productivity was lost.

The text bug is far rarer. I've never seen it. It supposedly hits people who send and receive a lot.

As anyone who's done a lot of software development knows, some bugs take a long time to reproduce. Once you can do that, it's usually pretty easy to fix them.

This one was not only in the hard-to-reproduce slot, but apparently the programmer responsibile mixed up descriptions and thought he/she had already fixed it a while back. Major goof on their part.

Been there, done that.
 
Xian Zhu Xuande said:
Apple got covered because Apple news generates interest, page views, controversy, or whatever else a media outlet might want. Android news does not do the same, especially when Android as a brand is so poorly understood by the general consumer.


Hmm... isn't it an Android bug? Why would some phones be exempt? Does that have something to do with completely different interfaces for the software? (And is your statement based on actual facts from Google?)
Click to expand...

As I read it, it was random though I guess it could happen to any device/Android version. My only point was the iPhone problem affected more people - and probably more people in the media :) - than the Android problem did/does.
 
The gist of the news article is that you may never know if it was sent to Mr. Hyde instead of Dr. Jecklyl.

There's more information on the Google Code site here...
http://bit.ly/eBMq42

...here was an article offered up by Daily Caller as well.
http://bit.ly/ht51wp

Personally, I wasn't affected by the iOS alarm bug but I can understand that many people were. This texting one seems more damaging to me.
 
Perhaps this is why my mother's texts (from a Droid) are not getting out most of the time. :confused:
 
macsrcool1234 said:
If you had bothered to do some some basic research you would know that the Android bug is *much* rarer than the IOS bug, which affected all devices.
Click to expand...
Had you bothered to read what I wrote, you would have noticed that I didn't say a single word about the bug's frequency, nor did I even compare it to the alarm bug or the alarm bug's frequency. Did I even bring up iOS? Relax. If you see everything as some kind of platform war you're not going to retain accurate information.

thebubbatex said:
As I read it, it was random though I guess it could happen to any device/Android version. My only point was the iPhone problem affected more people - and probably more people in the media :) - than the Android problem did/does.
Click to expand...
No doubt. But I'll bet you if that Android bug had impacted every user the iOS alarm bug would still have been far more prevalent in the media. It just comes down to what is more familiar and relevant to viewership, not to mention what inspires more emotion and interest (positive or negative) in them. :)
 
Apples corporate culture and leadership operates on an attention seeking hype based model. Apple portrays most everything they produce as "Revolutionary". Therefore it's only natural for them to draw the attention they so desperately seek. When that spotlight is turned on them, they love it, the media loves it, and their followers are thrilled.
 
Aatos.1 said:
Apples corporate culture and leadership operates on an attention seeking hype based model. Apple portrays most everything they produce as "Revolutionary". Therefore it's only natural for them to draw the attention they so desperately seek. When that spotlight is turned on them, they love it, the media loves it, and their followers are thrilled.
Click to expand...
Exaggerated and completely nonsensical, but with the very slightest fibers of truth at the foundation. This also does not answer the topic about why Apple receives coverage on something like this at all. It doesn't matter how much a company likes to drum up media coverage, they're not going to get it unless they do something worthy of that attention (in the media's eyes). Apple is a subject of interest to a huge portion of their demographic and people are opinionated about the company—that's pretty much it.

And some of those revolutionary products (e.g. the iPod, the iPhone) have actually been revolutionary. ;)
 
kdarling said:
...
As anyone who's done a lot of software development knows, some bugs take a long time to reproduce...
Click to expand...

Actually by definition the hardest bugs to eradicate are the last ones found. Perhaps off-topic, but I wonder when Apple/Google/Microsoft will find a way of eliminating bugs based on computer testing rather than consumer testing...
 
VulchR said:
Actually by definition the hardest bugs to eradicate are the last ones found. Perhaps off-topic, but I wonder when Apple/Google/Microsoft will find a way of eliminating bugs based on computer testing rather than consumer testing...
Click to expand...
Not as a rule. Various bugs are treated with different degrees of priority. This bug, however, may very well have been one of those needs-to-be-patched-but-damn-hard-to-isolate sort of things.
 
Agreed. And there is also the fact that the android sms bug only happens when using the stock messaging app (even then its very rare). People using non stock apps (htc, samsung, maybe moto) or anyone using another 3rd party app like handcent, go sms etc were not effected.



kdarling said:
The reason Apple got more attention is partly because its alarm bug affected everyone around the globe who had that type of alarm set. Who knows how much money in productivity was lost.

The text bug is far rarer. I've never seen it. It supposedly hits people who send and receive a lot.

As anyone who's done a lot of software development knows, some bugs take a long time to reproduce. Once you can do that, it's usually pretty easy to fix them.

This one was not only in the hard-to-reproduce slot, but apparently the programmer responsibile mixed up descriptions and thought he/she had already fixed it a while back. Major goof on their part.

Been there, done that.
Click to expand...
 
FWIW, I was never afflicted by this. I'm not a huge texter but I do send my wife texts from time to time.
 
kdarling said:
News is that Google has finally found and fixed the bug.

Now each maker has to roll out the fix (if it affected their SMS client).

Nexus S is supposed to be first to get it.
Click to expand...

And *that* is where the problem is with the open android platform - users have to wait until the phone manufacture decides the roll out an update (after re-adding all their crap) - and updates are often not done since a 6 month old phone is considered 'outdated' and not worthy the update. Each maker has to roll out the fix, many won't (at least not for all models)
 
kdarling said:
News is that Google has finally found and fixed the bug.

Now each maker has to roll out the fix (if it affected their SMS client).

Nexus S is supposed to be first to get it.
Click to expand...

I got it pushed to my Nexus One yesterday. I imagine the S already has it.
 
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