SMS corruptions, Windows Phone 10, Skype and Microsoft Messaging apps

It’s been a while…

 

I belong to the diminishing community of users of Windows Phone 10.  I still like it and although I have both android and iOS devices (not phones), I still prefer the WP interface by far.  But recently an update from Microsoft seemed to knacker the phone (well, specifically the Test Messaging database) and I was:

• no longer receiving incoming text notifications (and missing some important stuff)
• seeing corruption in the list of names in the messaging app (the wrong name and avatar).
• And a few other oddities that I’ve since forgotten.

 

It reached the point after a few days of this; knowing the phone was out of support (both hardware and software); and that reporting a bug to Microsoft was unlikely to yield results I started to look at replacement handsets.

 

My initial thought was that the database of 2½ years of texts might have overloaded and set about deleting threads from unimportant sources (shipping confirmations I’d not deleted at the time, and that sort of thing).  It held the visual corruptions back a little, but notifications were still screwed up.

 

Then, I found it.  At some point an update from Microsoft (they are still coming through now), had updated Skype.  In hunting around through this path:

• All settings
• Messaging
• Scroll down past SIM to Default Apps

Skype had installed itself as the default messaging app.  Reverting to Microsoft Messaging fixed all the problems.

 

It’s happened again since, but as I knew what to look for it took less time.  As much here for me the next time this happens, but hopefully if you’ve had this problem you found this fix quicker than I did!