Here's a new one: Recipient of text msg complains unreadable, "looks like Chinese"
Oct 25, 2016, 5:59 pm
#1
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Here's a new one: Recipient of text msg complains unreadable, "looks like Chinese"
Been texting all day with various folks, but this particular person is the only one who has complained that my texts are coming through looking like gibberish.
I have no idea what sort of phone she has, except it's not an iPhone.
I do have an iPhone but also use Remote Messages http://www.remotemessages.com/ to be able to compose texts on my computer's keyboard.
I haven't changed any language settings on my phone or computer.
I have no idea what sort of phone she has, except it's not an iPhone.
I do have an iPhone but also use Remote Messages http://www.remotemessages.com/ to be able to compose texts on my computer's keyboard.
I haven't changed any language settings on my phone or computer.
Oct 26, 2016, 1:15 am
#2
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When Mrs. Swede used a Swedish keyboard on her Galaxy S6, one friend with an iPhone said that her texts were always gibberish. Never could figure it out except she switched to an English-only keyboard, and the weirdness stopped.
Oct 26, 2016, 12:25 pm
#3
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Are you and/or your friend using AT&T? If so, this seems to be a problem at the network level that's been recently introduced. Basically, the text encoding is getting messed up and a bit is being flipped that shouldn't be, turning things from legible English to nonsensical Chinese characters.
Here's a relatively good blog post explaining what is happening: http://poetryproseandpoppycock.blogs...of-overly.html
AT&T forum discussion: https://forums.att.com/t5/Windows-Ph...rs/m-p/4960407
Based on my knowledge of how things work behind the scenes, it's possible that only one of SMS or MMS is affected; if you're sending messages longer than 160 characters or with embedded emoji, try splitting it up into smaller messages. Conversely, if you're sending short messages, try sending longer ones and seeing if that helps.
Here's a relatively good blog post explaining what is happening: http://poetryproseandpoppycock.blogs...of-overly.html
AT&T forum discussion: https://forums.att.com/t5/Windows-Ph...rs/m-p/4960407
Based on my knowledge of how things work behind the scenes, it's possible that only one of SMS or MMS is affected; if you're sending messages longer than 160 characters or with embedded emoji, try splitting it up into smaller messages. Conversely, if you're sending short messages, try sending longer ones and seeing if that helps.
Oct 26, 2016, 2:31 pm
#4
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If you render normal ASCII text as if it were Unicode you get that sort of thing. While Chinese characters occupy a good portion of the Unicode space the actual result is even more Chinese than simple odds would indicate, I have never investigated why.
If you have an XP machine it's easy to see--create a text file in notepad that consists of "Bush hid the files" (without the quotes.) Save it, load it back in--Chinese gibberish.
As for why such a mistake would be happening these days, I don't know.
If you have an XP machine it's easy to see--create a text file in notepad that consists of "Bush hid the files" (without the quotes.) Save it, load it back in--Chinese gibberish.
As for why such a mistake would be happening these days, I don't know.
Oct 26, 2016, 2:54 pm
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Oct 26, 2016, 8:54 pm
#6
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It's because the characters beginning U+4000 are in extension A of the CJK Unified Ideographs set.
