The Samsung S9 is one of the devices believed to be susceptible to the bug 
The Samsung S9 is one of the devices believed to be susceptible to the bug 

Why are some Samsung mobile phones sending users' photos to random contacts?

Samsung says it is 'looking into' this reported bug

Rupert Hawksley
Rupert Hawksley
Abu Dhabi

July 04, 2018

Samsung has been forced to investigate a number of claims that some of its mobile phone models are randomly sending photos to users’ contacts via the default text messaging app. Worse, the user doesn’t even know it’s happened until the person who received the photos informs them.

The problem was first raised last week on Reddit, as well as on some Samsung forums, with the majority of complaints relating to the Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ models.

One Reddit user wrote: “Last night around 2.30am, my phone sent my entire photo gallery over text but there was no record of it on my messaging app. However, there was record of it on T-Mobile logs. Why would this happen?”

Another replied: “Oddly enough, my wife’s phone did that last night, and mine did it the night before. I think it has something to do with the Samsung SMS app being updated from the Galaxy Store. When her phone texted me her gallery, it didn’t show up on her end – and vice versa.”

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In a statement to the technology website Gizmodo, Samsung said: "We are aware of the reports regarding this matter and our technical teams are looking into it."

It is thought that the bug might have been caused by an update to the default text messaging app, which enables Rich Communications Services (RCS). RCS is supposed to improve text messaging with features such as improved media sharing.

Since the majority of complaints appear also to involve T-Mobile, a service provider not available here, Samsung users in the UAE are unlikely to be affected by this bug. T-Mobile, however, released a statement advising users to "check in with Samsung on this, it’s not a T-Mobile issue".

If you are concerned, though, technology websites are suggesting two solutions. You can either disable the Samsung messaging app’s access to phone storage, via your phone’s app settings; or switch to a different texting app, such as Android Messages.

The smuggler

Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple. 
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.

Khouli conviction

Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.

For sale

A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.

- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico

- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000

- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950