ZenSMS FAQ

ZenSMS can import SMS and MMS that Android exposes in the system messaging store. RCS/chat messages are handled separately by Samsung Messages, Google Messages, carriers, and platform services, and Android does not expose old RCS history to third-party SMS apps.

That means ZenSMS cannot recover, import, or convert old RCS/chat history. Turning off or deregistering RCS helps future messages route as SMS/MMS; it does not change messages that were already sent through RCS.

Before switching, turn off RCS/chat features or deregister RCS for your number, then ask important contacts or groups to send a fresh SMS/MMS test.

If you recently switched from Samsung Messages or another default SMS app, your phone number may still be registered with Google's RCS servers. RCS messages are end-to-end encrypted and no third-party SMS app can receive them.

The reliable way to deregister is through the Google Messages app: temporarily install Google Messages, open it once, keep ZenSMS as your default SMS app, turn off RCS chats inside Google Messages settings, wait 5-15 minutes, then test again. You can uninstall Google Messages afterwards. After deregistration, 1-on-1 messages typically start arriving correctly within minutes to a few hours. Existing RCS group chats may take longer to fully transition.

There is also a web form at messages.google.com/disable-chat, but it often fails silently - it can report success while your number stays registered. If you used the web form and messages are still missing, do the Google Messages steps above before anything else.

If every (or almost every) new picture message shows "This MMS has expired" immediately when it arrives - especially starting right after you switched from Samsung Messages or Google Messages - this is not a real expiry. Genuine carrier expiry takes days. An instant "expired" on arrival means your carrier's server reported the picture as already gone the moment ZenSMS asked for it.

That pattern almost always means your phone number is still registered for RCS ("chat features"). The sender's phone delivers the picture through the RCS system, and the MMS copy ZenSMS is told to download has already been removed from the carrier's server - so ZenSMS can only show it as expired.

The fix: deregister your number from RCS using the Google Messages steps in the first question above, wait 5-15 minutes, then ask someone to send a fresh test picture while your mobile data is on.

Pictures that already show "expired" cannot be recovered - the carrier has deleted them from its server. After deregistering, ask the senders to resend them.

If a fresh test picture still shows "expired" after deregistration, generate a Diagnostic Bundle right away (Settings -> Diagnostics -> Run diagnostics & share logs -> Generate Debug Bundle) and email it to support - it records the exact response your carrier returned. See the support page for the full steps.

If an iPhone sender sees "Delivered" but ZenSMS never receives the message, the issue is often RCS routing. Apple may choose iMessage, RCS, or SMS/MMS per message. If your number is still registered for carrier RCS, some messages can be routed through RCS instead of SMS/MMS.

The reliable fix is to turn off RCS registration for your number, then ask the sender to send a fresh test message.

Older ZenSMS versions had group-thread routing bugs that were fixed in v1.1.79 and later. If you still have old split threads, use Settings -> Messages -> Merge Conversations.

If new group replies still arrive as 1-on-1 messages, the sender may be using RCS, or Android may be delivering a text-only group MMS that needs closer diagnosis. Deregistering RCS usually lets those messages fall back to SMS/MMS.

For a fresh split, open ZenSMS before the expected group reply arrives, leave it open, then generate a Diagnostic Bundle immediately after the reply lands in the wrong thread. See the support page for the exact steps.

This is a classic RCS symptom. When a sender's app or carrier decides a message should be RCS but your device cannot receive RCS in ZenSMS, the message can be silently lost.

Deregister from RCS so Google's servers and carrier services fall back to SMS/MMS, which third-party SMS apps can receive.

ZenSMS sends and receives SMS and MMS, but it cannot receive RCS/Chat messages - those only work inside Google Messages or Samsung Messages. Group picture messages are hit hardest: if anyone in the group sends over RCS/Chat, that copy may never reach ZenSMS as an MMS at all.

First: if every new picture shows "expired" immediately - in 1-on-1 chats too, not just groups - see the question "Every new picture says 'This MMS has expired'" near the top of this page. That pattern means your number is still registered for RCS, and asking the sender to resend will not fix it on its own.

If a message shows an "expired" or "no longer available" bubble, the MMS did reach your phone, but your carrier reported the media was already gone from its server before the download finished. Ask the sender to resend it while your mobile data is on. If it fails again, generate a Diagnostic Bundle right away (Settings -> Diagnostics -> Run diagnostics & share logs -> Generate Debug Bundle) so we can investigate.

To make group messaging reliable:

1. Deregister your own number from RCS/Chat (see the RCS steps above).
2. Ask the Android people in the group to turn off RCS/Chat in Google Messages or Samsung Messages, or to send the test as SMS/MMS.
3. Once RCS is off for everyone, start a brand-new group thread - phones renegotiate SMS/MMS for a fresh group, so older groups may keep failing.

Note: testing in Google Messages or Samsung Messages can be misleading - they may quietly route the message over RCS, so it looks like it "works" there while skipping the SMS/MMS that ZenSMS relies on. If nothing arrives in ZenSMS at all, it most likely was not sent as SMS/MMS.

These labels explain why a message appears in the Spam tab:

• Spam: ZenSMS identified the message as likely spam. It is handled quietly and stays available in the Spam tab for review.
• Filter: A built-in spam check or one of your custom filters contributed to identifying the message as likely spam. A match can be considered with your sensitivity and other enabled spam settings, so creating a filter does not make every match an unconditional Spam decision. It does not add the sender to Blocked Numbers.
• Blocked: You explicitly blocked the sender or conversation. Blocking from a conversation or choosing Block Sender in the Spam & Blocked area creates the same manual sender block.

A Spam or Filter classification does not become a permanent manual block. To release a message, open it in the Spam tab and tap Not Spam, or tap Unblock for a blocked sender. If a wanted message is missing, also review Settings -> Spam Protection -> Whitelisted Senders, Blocked Numbers, and Spam Filters.

No. ZenSMS uses a conservative, review-first approach. Detected spam is not silently deleted by default, and its sender is not automatically added to the manual blocklist. Classification happens on your device, without cloud spam scanning, analytics, or tracking.

Because this is local handling rather than carrier-level rejection, the carrier can still deliver later SMS messages from that number. ZenSMS handles flagged messages quietly and keeps them in the Spam tab, where you can mark a message Not Spam, block a sender manually, move an item to Trash, or use the Delete All action to permanently remove the current spam and blocked messages after confirmation.

Keeping flagged messages reviewable reduces the risk of silently losing a legitimate message from a doctor, school, bank, delivery service, or first-time sender.

Flag unknown senders changes how ZenSMS handles new messages from phone-number senders it does not recognize in Contacts. When the setting applies, the message is labeled Spam and handled quietly, subject to normal safety checks such as Whitelist and recognized service or verification messages.

This happens locally after carrier delivery. It does not reject the SMS at the carrier level, and it does not add every unknown sender to the manual blocklist. The message can still arrive and remain reviewable in the Spam tab.

An unknown message that arrives, is correctly labeled Spam, and is silenced is expected behavior, not a sign that the setting failed.

No. Contacts help ZenSMS recognize known senders, including for Flag unknown senders. Whitelist is a separate, explicit, stronger bypass from spam filtering.

You do not need to copy every Contact into Whitelist, and a Contact and a Whitelist entry are not identical. A saved Contact can still be evaluated by other enabled spam categories or custom filters; add a sender to Whitelist only when you explicitly want that sender to bypass spam filtering.

No. Custom filters currently help analyze new incoming messages for likely spam content. They are not a general sender-number, area-code, or country-prefix firewall. Blocking a whole area code or a whole country or international prefix is not currently supported.

Do not use a broad regular expression as a substitute: it can catch legitimate messages and is not a supported number-blocking method. Use Settings -> Spam Protection -> Blocked Numbers to block a specific sender.

The +1 prefix is the country calling code used by the United States and Canada, so +1 is not a spam signal by itself.

No. Custom filters apply to new incoming messages from the time they are enabled. They do not retroactively reclassify existing messages or imported history.

A matching filter contributes to identifying likely spam under your current sensitivity and other enabled spam settings. It does not automatically add the sender to the manual blocklist.

Messages already classified and labeled Spam should follow ZenSMS's spam-notification suppression behavior instead of the normal new-message alert. Depending on your spam notification settings, you may see no notification or a quiet spam notification, but it should not make the ordinary message sound or vibrate.

If a Spam-labeled message does make a sound or vibrate, email support@zensms.app and include:

• A screenshot showing the Spam label.
• The approximate arrival time.
• The relevant spam settings.
• A Diagnostic Bundle generated shortly afterward.

Follow the Diagnostic Bundle instructions on the support page.

ZenSMS has two folder systems. System folders are free and organize conversations into Personal, Transactions, Updates, and Promotions. Custom folders are premium and let you create your own folders and rules.

To move a conversation, long-press the conversation and choose Move to Folder. To manage folders, tap the + button in the folder tab bar.

Carriers route MMS through their own MMSC, which is often reachable only through cellular data, not normal Wi-Fi.

• Switch to mobile data and tap Retry on the failed message.
• Enable Wi-Fi Calling plus mobile data if your carrier supports MMS over Wi-Fi Calling.
• Confirm your carrier MMS APN settings.

Check two Android settings first:

• Background data: Android Settings -> Apps -> ZenSMS -> Mobile data -> Allow background data.
• Battery: Android Settings -> Apps -> ZenSMS -> Battery -> Unrestricted.

After changing those settings, open the conversation and tap Retry on any failed images.

Check these in order:

1. ZenSMS must be your default SMS app: Android Settings -> Apps -> Default apps -> SMS app -> ZenSMS. Only the default app is told about new messages instantly.
2. Notifications allowed: Android Settings -> Apps -> ZenSMS -> Notifications.
3. Battery: Android Settings -> Apps -> ZenSMS -> Battery -> Unrestricted. Aggressive battery savers delay or drop incoming-message handling.
4. On Samsung phones, also add ZenSMS to "Never sleeping apps": Settings -> Device care -> Battery -> Background usage limits.
5. Do Not Disturb, Focus, and Driving modes silence notifications system-wide - check whether one is active or scheduled.

Spam-filtered messages notify differently or not at all by design, so check the Spam tab too (see the spam question above).

Go to Settings -> Gestures -> Swipe Actions. You can customize left and right swipe actions independently. Options include Delete, Archive, Mark Read/Unread, Call, and more. Haptic feedback is supported.

Go to Settings -> Data -> Export Backup or Import Backup. Backups include messages, conversations, and settings, and are saved as JSON files.

Export backups regularly if you want an extra copy of your messages outside the Android SMS database.

Yes, absolutely and you do not have to worry about losing anything. Here is how Android handles SMS and MMS across different apps:

All SMS and MMS live in one shared system store. Every messaging app on your phone reads from the same system database managed by Android. When you switch default apps, your messages follow you automatically because they are all reading from the same place.

ZenSMS's "import" never removes anything. The import simply makes a copy of your existing messages so ZenSMS can organize them into folders. Your messages stay available to every other app (Textra, Chomp, Samsung Messages, etc.) exactly as before.

If you switch away from ZenSMS and come back, you do not need to re-import. Any new messages you received while using another app are already in the shared store. ZenSMS automatically picks them up when you open it. If something seems out of date, you can also tap Settings → Messages → Import from System manually.

One thing to keep in mind: because all apps share one store, deleting a message in any app removes it from all apps. So while you are testing, feel free to switch back and forth, but hold off on deleting threads until you settle on the app you want to keep.

MMS has strict carrier size limits, typically around 300 KB to 1 MB depending on carrier. Instagram and TikTok videos are usually much larger, so they are often blocked before reaching the recipient.

• Trim or compress the video before sending it as MMS.
• Send the post link instead.
• Use another messaging app for large videos.

RCS supports larger files, but ZenSMS uses standard SMS/MMS and must stay within carrier MMS limits.

ZenSMS Premium is a Google Play purchase tied to your Google account, not to the phone, so it can always be recovered.

• If the Google Play payment sheet doesn't appear or the purchase doesn't finish: check that the Play Store is signed in with the right Google account and that you have a working connection, then try again from Settings. If Google Play can't load the product, ZenSMS shows a message rather than failing silently.
• If you already paid but Premium isn't active (new phone, reinstall, or interrupted purchase): tap Restore Purchases in the Premium section of Settings, signed in with the same Google account that made the purchase.
• Still stuck? Email support@zensms.app with the order number from your Google Play receipt email (it starts with GPA.) and we will sort it out.

Some OnePlus, OPPO, and realme phones include a built-in security scanner (powered by the Avast engine) that occasionally misidentifies legitimate apps. Its generic detection, shown as "Android:Evo-gen", has incorrectly flagged ZenSMS. This is a false positive.

ZenSMS is published on Google Play, and Google Play Protect - which scans every app on the Play Store - does not flag it. It contains no advertising or analytics SDKs and no third-party trackers, and it never uploads your messages or contacts. The Exodus Privacy scanner independently reports 0 trackers.

We submit every release to Avast's whitelist program, and the warning usually clears once your security app refreshes its virus definitions, so updating that app can help. To dismiss it now, open your phone's security app -> Viruses & risks -> select ZenSMS -> Add to allowlist.

Read the security scan notes for the current VirusTotal links and how to interpret generic flags.