Galaxy S9, S9+ MMS bug randomly sending photos to contacts

Some Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ owners in the US are complaining about an MMS bug that is causing photos from their devices to be sent to contacts on a random basis. The photos are being sent through the default Samsung Messages app. The app doesn't show the photos that have been sent, with users only alerted to the issue when informed about the photo being sent by the recipient.

A Samsung spokesperson told The Verge that it is "aware of the reports" and that the company is actively "looking into it." The issue is being reported on Samsung's own forums as well as through Reddit with the Galaxy S9 and S9+ models the only devices that appear to be affected by the issue at this stage. Samsung is asking US users experiencing the issue to contact the company directly at 1-800-SAMSUNG.

Early speculation about what is causing the issue is centering on a RCS message update that was recently pushed to devices from carriers including T-Mobile. The update is designed to make the Messaging app work more like a chat app with read receipts and typing indicators, but could also include erroneous code that is causing the issue.

A workaround for the MMS bug involves S9 owners revoking Messages storage access permissions. Given the sensitive nature of people's photographs, that sounds like good advice to us.

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