App crashes are annoying, but they’re extra annoying when it’s your text messaging app that crashes while you’re trying to reach someone or — worse — when you’re trying to get a two-factor authentication code.
According to users on Reddit and the Samsung Community forum, the Samsung Messages app keeps closing when they try to open any conversation. This is happening across Samsung Galaxy models, including the S21 and S4 Ultra, and across different carriers, meaning it’s not a device or carrier issue. Many users have reported that restarting their phone, restarting in safe mode, and clearing the app cache hasn’t helped.
The issue seems to be tied to a recent Google Meet update that is somehow interfering with the Samsung Messages app. It’s not clear what introduced the bug, but the good news is that Samsung is aware of the problem and is working on a fix. In the meantime, the best way to resolve this is to force stop the Google Meet app and uninstall the update or change the default messaging app on your Samsung phone. We’ve laid out the instructions for both methods recommended by the Samsung moderator below.
To force stop Google Meet, open Settings > Apps > Type “Meet” into the search bar > hit Force stop. Next, you’ll want to uninstall the app updates. To do this, open Settings > Apps > search “Meet” > Open the hamburger menu and click More options > Tap Uninstall updates.
The other fix is to switch from the Samsung app to another messaging app like Google Messages. Usually, you’ll get prompted to switch your default app when you install a new messaging app. If this doesn’t appear or you already have the app installed, you can do it manually instead.
Open Settings > Apps > Choose default apps > SMS app. This should open a drop-down menu with a list of installed messaging apps to pick from. Unless you’ve installed numerous apps, in most cases there will only be one other option. Tap on the messaging app you want, and it should switch over seamlessly, and you’ll be able to start using it.
Users on Reddit have confirmed this fix worked for them. Until Samsung or Google fix the bug, this will let you keep sending and receiving texts like normal.
Two new highly requested iCloud plugins just got added to ChatGPT, giving people who rely on Apple’s Mail and Calendar services a way to search emails, check appointments, and manage their schedules directly through the chatbot.
The integration is rolling out to all ChatGPT plans, including the free tier. You can access it on the web, desktop, and iOS.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.
Samsung’s scandal over its Game Optimizing Service, or GOS, has returned with a bill attached. South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission has tentatively fined the company 20.1 billion won, or about $15.1 million, over gaming claims made for the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S22, and Tab S8.
The regulator says Samsung promoted the devices as gaming powerhouses without disclosing that GOS placed preset CPU and GPU limits on certain demanding games. Samsung disputes that conclusion, calling GOS a legitimate way to manage heat.