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. Switching your default SMS app does not require you to turn RCS off first. If messages stop reaching you after you switch, Google recommends turning RCS chats off. Turning RCS off does not convert existing RCS history into SMS/MMS.

If you are leaving Google Messages, start with the Google Messages switching guide for what carries over and when you should stay.

If some messages stop reaching you after you switch messaging apps, your number may still be registered for RCS. Google recommends turning RCS chats off in that situation. ZenSMS cannot receive or import RCS, and it cannot convert old RCS groups.

When you have the device, use Google Messages: Messages settings → RCS chats, and turn RCS chats off. You can keep ZenSMS as your default SMS app. If you cannot use the device, Google provides its deactivation portal at messages.google.com/disable-chat.

For the full switching notes, including when to stay on Google Messages, see the Google Messages switching guide.

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: if messages or pictures stop arriving after you switch, Google recommends turning RCS chats off. Use the Google Messages steps in Why am I not receiving messages from some contacts?, 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 you turn RCS chats off, ask the senders to resend them.

If a fresh test picture still shows "expired" after that, 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 RCS, some messages can be routed through RCS instead of SMS/MMS. ZenSMS cannot receive RCS.

If those messages stop reaching you after you switch messaging apps, Google recommends turning RCS chats off for your number. Then ask the sender to send a fresh test. That is not a guaranteed fix for every iPhone conversation, and it does not convert RCS history into SMS/MMS.

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. ZenSMS cannot receive RCS, and an existing RCS group should not be assumed to become an SMS/MMS group. If you want standard group messaging, start a fresh SMS/MMS group. If messages stop reaching you after switching, Google recommends turning RCS chats off for your number.

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.

When a sender's app or carrier sends a reply as RCS, ZenSMS cannot receive it. Those replies are not converted into SMS/MMS, and an existing RCS group should not be assumed to become an SMS/MMS group.

If some group replies stop reaching you after you switch messaging apps, Google recommends turning RCS chats off for your number. If you need standard group messaging, start a fresh SMS/MMS group and test with mobile data on.

ZenSMS sends and receives SMS and MMS. It cannot receive, import, or convert RCS. Group picture messages are hit hardest: if a copy is sent as RCS, it may not arrive in ZenSMS as MMS.

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.

If you want standard group messaging in ZenSMS:

1. If messages stop reaching you after switching, Google recommends turning RCS chats off for your number. See Why am I not receiving messages from some contacts?.
2. Start a fresh SMS/MMS group. Do not assume an existing RCS group will convert into an equivalent SMS/MMS thread.
3. Ask someone to send a test as SMS/MMS with mobile data on.

Note: testing in Google Messages or Samsung Messages can be misleading - they may send the message over RCS, so it looks like it "works" there while skipping the SMS/MMS that ZenSMS can receive. 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 tied to the Google account that purchased it. In most cases, Restore Purchases will recover it when Google Play is using that same account. If checkout did not finish and you have not been charged, check your connection and Google Play account before trying again; if you already paid, do not purchase Premium again.

• Open ZenSMS -> Settings -> Restore Purchases, and make sure the Google account that originally purchased Premium is available on the phone.
• If the phone has multiple Google accounts and Restore Purchases says "No purchases found", open ZenSMS -> Settings -> Upgrade to Premium and tap the relevant Premium option only to open the Google Play payment sheet. Do not confirm or complete another purchase. Check which account the actual sheet is using and make sure it is the same account that owns the Premium purchase; it may differ from the account you think is selected in the main Play Store.
• If the sheet is using the wrong account, switch or correct the Google Play account context if Google Play allows it, then reopen ZenSMS and try Restore Purchases again.
• As a last resort, a confirmed support case showed that temporarily removing the non-owning Google account from Android account settings forced the correct account context. Do this only if you are comfortable: removing an account temporarily removes its synced mail, contacts, calendar, and other account data from this device. You can normally add the account back afterward; do not routinely remove Google accounts.
• If it is still unresolved, restart the phone, check for a Google Play Store update if appropriate, and retry Restore Purchases. Then email support@zensms.app with the GPA order number or receipt. Do not send purchase tokens or account passwords.

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.