Questions about how VZW Messages "chat" feature works

[JMELL1979]

I get that someone in my contact list who uses Message+ will show up as blue in color. I have a few questions about how it all works when texting with those people.

How will we know if our devices are "connected" and what does that actually mean?

What has to happen for the messages I send to them to change from "delivered" to "read"? Do they have to physically open the app then click on our conversation and then spend a certain amount of time with the conversation open before it says "read"? Because I've known people that have  told me they have read my messages, in the conversation (not on a pop-up), but it still says "delivered" on my end.

What does it mean if the place i write my text to them is dark grey? All my contacts who use other text apps are always light grey. Sometimes, in the text space in conversations with the blue Message+ users, it will be light grey, and sometimes dark grey. Does dark grey mean the app is open on our phone and thus we are "connected"?

Lastly, when I look at Message Details for specific messages, what does it mean when it says "text message (chat)"? Because sometimes we text each other back and forth, and other times, I might send one when they aren't on their phone, or it's even turned off.

Thanks

Jeff

[vzw_customer_support]

JMELL 1979, you have tons of wonderful questions. We never want you to miss any messages. For details, visit: http://spr.ly/65818VlUz

TrinetteW_VZW
Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport
If my response answered your question please click the �Correct Answer� button under my response. This ensures others can benefit from our conversation. Thanks in advance for your help with this!!

[JMELL1979]

I've been to that link that you listed, I've read everything on there, none

of it answered my questions. That is why I posted that post in the first

place. None of those questions I have are answered anywhere in any forum or

help page.

Please find someone that can answer them

Thanks

Jeff

On Mon, Feb 20, 2017 at 4:08 PM, vzw_customer_support <

[vzw_customer_support]

JMELL1979, let's get the answers that you need about Verizon Messages. We want to address all of your concerns. However, we need to get a better understanding on what is going on. Are you having problems while using your Verizon Messages? How are you accessing this app? What are you trying to accomplish with the "connected" option? What app are the recipients of your messages using when there is a conflict of "delivered" or "read"? Do your messages have problems when it shows different gray backgrounds?

There are different classifications of how messages are sent.
 

◦Individual text only messages are considered text messages
◦Group messages and messages with attachments (pictures, videos, locations, sounds and contacts) are considered Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) messages
◦Each MMS attachment (picture, video, audio or media file) smaller than 5 MB is sent and billed as a single MMS message and does not use data
◦Each MMS attachment (picture video, audio or media file) 5 MB or larger uses data over the cellular network, but not over Wi-Fi

JoelR_VZW
Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport
If my response answered your question please click the �Correct Answer� button under my response. This ensures others can benefit from our conversation. Thanks in advance for your help with this!!

[JMELL1979]

To clarify the answers to your questions.

I'm not necessarily having problems. I've sent those through the BUG REPORT.

I'm using the app on my Motorola Droid Turbo 2

The people in question are using the same app, that's why I have the

questions. The very first sentence in my original post clarifies that

exactly.

I don't get how a text goes from "delivered" to "read", Because sometimes

the recipient will tell me in person that they read my text, but in our

conversation, it still remains as "delivered" instead of "read"

I would like to UNDERSTAND the connected option. If you're going to update

the app and add that as a "feature", how it works needs to be explained to

us.

The messages do not have problems with the gray backgrounds, I just want to

know WHY the backgrounds are sometimes dark gray in the text box in a

conversation with a recipient that uses VZW messaging and why sometimes

it's regular white

On Wed, Feb 22, 2017 at 6:46 PM, vzw_customer_support <

[vzw_customer_support]

JMELL1979, we want to make sure you get the answers you are looking for. In order for your message to go from "Delivered" to "Read" the recipient does have to have "Mark as Read on Close" turned on in their Settings. The connected option with the new version of Verizon Messages allows you to connect your Phone to your Tablet or computer and still be able to send and receive Text Messages. As far as the dark gray background, do you notice a pattern as far as who has a dark gray bubble and who doesn't?

YeseniaV_VZW

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If my response answered your question please click the Correct Answer button under my response. This ensures others can benefit from our conversation. Thanks in advance for your help with this!

[JMELL1979]

It's not a dark grey bubble. It's the place where you type your text in the

conversation. It is ONLY dark grey for VZW message users....but I do not

understand what it signifies. Does it mean they are actively using VZW

Messages? Does it mean the app is just open and may be only in the

background? Sometimes it is dark grey but I know they are asleep...perhaps

the phone is on and the app is still open, that is why?

I don't have "mark as read on close" on, and messages show up as "read" on

their phones after they read them.

Here is a scenario. I was texting back and forth with someone the other

day, my messages would go to "read" after a few seconds because she had her

app open and was actively texting. Later, I sent her texts and they said

"delivered". When we were together that night, we both had our apps open

and she was literally reading my texts as I watched and they never showed

up as "read" on my end. A couple days later, she texted me something, and

immediately, those other texts I had sent changed from "delivered" to

"read". I sent her one more about 8 hours later. A couple hours later, I

went to send something else, and that previous one had changed to "read".

Since then, she hasn't sent me anything, but everything I've sent her has

remained as "delivered". The bottom line is, I would like to be 100% sure

EXACTLY when someone has READ one of my texts...as in, they either saw it

as a pop-up notification, OR, they went into the app and opened the

conversation after a new text from me had arrived.

As far as "chat" goes. If I go into the details of a message I've sent,

sometimes it will say TYPE: Text Message (Chat), other times it will just

say Text Message. What is the difference?

On Sun, Feb 26, 2017 at 2:37 PM, vzw_customer_support <

[vzw_customer_support]

JMELL1979 ,

We appreciate the additional details and know how important it is to know the status of your messages. Since this began have you uninstalled and reinstalled the application? Is the application up to date?

AdamG_VZW

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[JMELL1979]

Yes, it is completely up to date.6.4.6

But that is neither here nor there. Someone, somewhere, at Verizon, has to

know the ins and outs behind my questions.

I have attached screenshots from the same time of day, one from a VZW

messages user where the text box is DARK gray, and one from someone who

doesn't use VZW messages and it's LIGHT gray. I need someone to explain the

difference.

I have also attached screenshots from a conversation with someone with VZW

messages where at one time, you can see her name in her box and texts were

showing as "read" (as if we were "chatting", does it work like that ONLY if

BOTH people have their conversation with each other open at the samet

time??), and the other time, there is longer period of time between our

texts and you don't see her name and texts were showing as "delivered".

I tried another experiment: I literally held my phone and a friend's phone

who uses VZW Messages. I opened our conversation on both phones. I texted

her phone from mine. I watched my texts pop up in her conversation on her

phone. Yet, they remained as "delivered" on my phone. I closed the app on

her phone and texted her again. When the text notification showed up in the

top bar on her phone, I selected "MARK AS READ". Yet, on my phone, it STILL

remained as delivered".....If both of those things happen that way, how

would someone EVER know if who they texted actually saw the text if

"delivered" and "read" don't apply like they should??

On Fri, Mar 3, 2017 at 2:10 PM, vzw_customer_support <

[vzw_customer_support]

JMELL1979, we appreciate you confirming what software version of Message + that you are working with. Knowing this information is very beneficial especially if this ‘read’ or ‘delivered’ status stopped working correctly with this update. When did you notice this began? What make and model phone do you have? The ‘read’ status may not be available for other users on a different network you will only see the ‘delivered’ status. You can change the status of the color boxes by opening a message, selecting the three dots in the upper right hand corner, select customize, tap on conversation bubble, and you will see the option to change color.

TionnaB_VZW

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If my response answered your question please click the _Correct Answer_ button under my response. This ensures others can benefit from our conversation. Thanks in advance for your help with this!!

[JMELL1979]

EVERY person is on Verizon, and they ALL use VZW messages. Which is why I

don't understand, why when we are standing right next to each other,

texting each other and we watch as our messages stay as "delivered". yet

other times, they will show as "read", AND then change ALL previous

"delivered" ones to "read" status. Thus, when we are NOT standing right

next to each other, how can we ever be sure they actually SAW (READ) the

text or not? It makes it tough to be upset with someone for not returning a

text if we don't know whether they saw it or not.

The "read"/ "delivered" has never worked as it theoretically should..not

matter what update we have.

I have a Droid Turbo 2. They use an LG Stylo 2V

I understand how to change the CONVERSATION BUBBLE colors. What i have been

asking about, continually now with no good answers, is the TYPING AREA DOWN

BELOW. I attached screenshots to my last email to show the difference

between one person's being LIGHT GRAY and the other's being DARK GRAY.

Isn't there someone from the tech department that designed the update/new

features that understands what I'm talking about? All I get is answers to

OTHER questions.

On Wed, Mar 8, 2017 at 11:00 AM, vzw_customer_support <

[vzw_customer_support]

JMELL1979,

There are so many factors on how the read receipt can show or not show. I understand that you have checked the settings within the Verizon Messages application as well tested it with other users. With so many factors that can come into play like what cell tower the other party is connected to, what make and model phone, what there settings are, the only thing we can guarantee is that the message has been delivered.

The best way to deliver feedback via the application to be submitted directly to the developers is via the application's feedback option.

TionnaB_VZW

Follow us on TWITTER @VZWSupport

If my response answered your question please click the _Correct Answer_ button under my response. This ensures others can benefit from our conversation. Thanks in advance for your help with this!!

[J_w_T]

This last Vzn reply amounts to a confession that the mark-as-Read feature doesn't work well enough for us to rely on it.  Would have saved the customer a lot of time if you'd just warned that up front: the half of the functionality that DOES work -- messages marked "Read" apparently ARE read, only the ones still marked "Delivered" are in doubt -- that much function might be worth having for some users, as long as they know what not to expect.

[kh-taylarie]

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