Nexus 6 CyanogenMod

Reddit user vsTerminus has discovered why CyanogenMod 11 and 12 are incapable of receiving MMS through Hangouts. He or she added that this works fine in the default Messenger app but does not if Hangouts is the default SMS application.

vsTerminus used the Shark for Root (Native) app to capture TCP messages while receiving MMS.

The user goes on to explain that a properly received MMS looks like this. Normally, the device downloads the attachment from the URL given by the MMS provider. Next, Rendering Configuration Information is sent from the MMS provider to the phone. The phone tells the provided that it got the file, and the provider deletes its own file. Lastly, an HTTP OK is sent to the device.

If this fails, then this happens. On the last step, the provider sends back an HTTP 204 No Content message. The phone believes the process failed when it already has the attachment.

This is caused by differences in the user-agents of the two apps. The Messaging app gives an agent of “Nexus5.” Meanwhile, the Hangouts app supplies “CyanogenMod.”

vsTerminus determined that the MMS provided is probably not aware of the “CyanogenMod” user-agent given by Hangouts, and so it returns an error. His or her proposed solution is to switch back to Messenger as the default app or use a third party SMS app until it is hopefully fixed.

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6 COMMENTS

  1. I turned off auto-receive mms in hangouts a few weeks ago on my HTC m8 for a few days for data consumption. After turning it back on every MMS sent or received through hangouts will not download. If i switch back to the stock messages app it works fine – sounds like this article has answered my questions as to what is going on.

    • I did the exact same thing on My M8 and now can’t send or receive MMS with Hangouts. Works fine with the Stock HTC message app. Did you solve this issue Kris on yours?

      • I didn’t find a fix unfortunately. I have switched back and forth between stock app and hangouts trying to force a fix. I find the last few weeks hangouts sometimes downloads the mms, and other times do not, sometime it downloads days later out of no where. Annoying

        • I fixed it on mine by restoring my phone factory reset. Anyway it was getting slow so I had to do it. Now worknig just fine.

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