Default Samsung Messaging App Is Texting Photos to Contacts Without Permission

Sending out a drunk text with an accompanying shameful image is bad, but at least it’s the user’s own choice to do so. This isn’t the case with a new issue involving Samsung’s default messaging app. Apparently, some users have complained that the service has been sending private photos to contacts without their permission.

As nightmare scenarios go, having a potentially embarrassing picture sent to a random person on one’s contact list goes right to the top for some people. Unfortunately, this is the situation that some Samsung Galaxy smartphone users are currently finding themselves in, Slate reports.

Reports started popping up on Reddit, as well as on Samsung’s official forums, where users provided details regarding their experiences. Suffice it to say, many of them are freaking out.

While it’s bad enough that the messaging app is apparently sending out these photos on their own, some reports indicate that no trace of the sent files could be found. To say that this is a baffling incident would be an understatement, which only adds to its severity.

As of this writing, no exact figures or estimates were given on how many users have been affected by this incident. According to initial investigations, it would seem that the devices that are involved in this development are the Galaxy S9, S9+, and the Note 8.

In order to avoid becoming a victim, PC Mag suggests disabling the access of the default Samsung messaging app to users’ device storage. By doing so, the phone will require explicit permission before it can access the photos.

It’s also worth pointing out that, although the initial reports have limited the incidents to the more recent models, older Samsung phones could be affected. As such, those who own Samsung smartphones of any type might want to take precautionary measures just to be safe. Deleting potentially compromising photos might be a good start.