Galaxy Watch LTE duplicate messages

After 3 days between TMobile and Samsung, i have some concrete info finally. It's NOT a resolution, but it is an explanation. The initial duplicate messages issue, where i was also registering answered calls as missed calls even when connected to Bluetooth, was resolved following a full reset on the watch and, i suspect, completely setting up my Samsung account on both devices. It also stopped putting all my group messages into separate threads once reconnecting to LTE. Even on LTE, the phone and watch syncs remotely as long as both have signal. But thru LTE, ONLY the notification panel is synced.

That brings up a separate issue. Phone calls and text messages received while the watch is on LTE are treated as independent from the main phone line. That's why connecting to LTE floods the watch with a backlog of text messages. If the watch software is working correctly it will put them into their respective threads and not show as unread on the watch face or notification panel, but does show as unread within the messaging app itself. Why? Because it received them as messages to the independent watch line itself, not as a mirror (like thru Bluetooth). This is the same reason why, when connected to LTE, calls answered on the phone show as missed on the watch - it's registered as a missed call to the WATCH line. As an example, if (while on LTE) you don't answer a call on either the watch or the phone, then your watch registers 2 missed calls at exactly the same time. 1 missed on your watch line and 1 missed on your phone line. If you clear the missed call notification on your phone, then you'll automatically clear one of the notifications on your watch, the one reflected from your phone. Vice versa works also, if you clear the correct missed call on your watch relating to the missed call on your phone it will clear the notification on your phone. But you cannot clear notifications to your independent watch line from your phone. The same thing is happening with text messages.

Basically, phone calls and text messages are not data features, they're line level features and are forwarded to the watch thru DIGITS. There is currently no ability to sync remotely the messages or phone calls thru DIGITS. In fact, AT&T is currently the ONLY carrier capable of this with Android thru it's NumberSync service. Apple watches don't have this issue because everything is proprietary and they manage their devices directly (in essence). For Android, it's dependant on the service providers sharing service.

Again, currently AT&T is the only one able to sync calls and messages remotely, as well as have your message replies delivered as if from the main phone's number. I asked TMobile Advanced Troubleshooting about it and they said they've requested information on that specifically but have not gotten a response. It could be that it's in the pipeline but they haven't been told anything about it at all, so it could just be the way it is.

And that kind of stinks. I'm usually connected via Bluetooth and on the occasion I'm out of range, my watch starts buzzing for 10 minutes straight with all my spooled messages. And even though it doesn't use the notification panel, it still shows them as unread in the watch messaging app. Plus, if i reply from my watch, it comes from a different number and doesn't post to my phone. Additionally, ten minutes of constant buzzing kills your battery before you're even out the gate! Switching LTE on & off manually, only when you know you'll need it, could prevent unnecessary LTE switching (because you walked across your apartment or something and out of Bluetooth range), but for that i start to wonder the value of the more expensive LTE watch plus a monthly service cost. If you have to actively avoid the LTE, then it's kinda self-defeating.

I'll be asking TMobile if they'll honor the BOGO special if i suspend DIGITS until there's a fix, but i have a feeling they'll say no   . This was VERY long, sorry but hope it helped.

How is it working? Still good??

Thank you for the thorough update, @magenta6238774​! How's the battery life on your Watch now?

Has anyone noticed improvements in the Watch behavior after the latest update? For those that have worked with our DIGITS team and found success, I'd like to see if you'd be willing to share your T-Mobile ID with me (only via PM) so I can pass that along to the team I've been working with. I'd like to see if I can get solid information written internally so others don't have to jump through hoops to get this solved.

Hola dupsla-

It is still good. There seem to be some message synchronization behaviors I am not familiar with (i.e., would have implemented differently) but the core issue of getting a stream of duplicates when going onto LTE hasn't come back. Did your update work?

Hola Amanda-

Battery life has gone back to multiple days since I leave the watch connected to the phone by bluetooth most of the time. The original issue of duplicate messages hasn't come back when switching to LTE, so major step forward. As before, I don't think this can be called solved until a reproducible process is in place. In that direction, how do I PM my ID to you?

Also, I'm not sure if the current update solves the independent line issues, detailed nicely by magenta6898941.

Hey, hey! I have noticed a difference from the end of November update. (R815USQU1BRJ6). Also so far no duplicate messages. I would be happy to send my info if you let me know where to send it. Also, thank you Amanda for following thru on this for all of us that hung in there! Hopefully tmobile will continue to update and it will continue to progress!

Hola @tmo_amanda​ I dont what happened since my last update, however, my watch battery is not even lasting me 1 day. I have not changed the settings from before. And now, my watch turned off because it said it needed to cool down. anybody else with similar issue?

I just had these steps done to my watch and it did not work at all. Still getting duplicates and the DIGITS support team argued that the steps do not work and then DIGITS thinks it is acceptable to keep the watch in LTE mode all the time. Is there a specific person that knows what to do or maybe a support ticket reference number that can assist the person to perform the proper steps to fix.  I am getting tired of messages via bluetooth and then going into LTE mode and my watch overheating because of the amount of messages that I receive.

I landed here after a search for the same issue. I just got the Galaxy watch LTE this week and each time my watch disconnects from phone and switches to LTE, I get flooded with message notifications for every text I received since the last time my watch connected to LTE. Like others stated, I understand that this is because when paired with phone the message notification is from my default sms app on phone mirrored to watch from my primary number. When watch connects to LTE it's getting a native notification from tmo for the secondary digits line. What I wish was pretty simple, the watch should not receive native sms notifications sent during the time it was connected to the phone. Getting flooded with old messages each time the watch occasionally connects to LTE is rediculous. Pixel 2 XL with Android Pie and Google messages app.