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My friend's android phone associated a name with an unknown person who sent a text message. How is that possible? What might have happened?

I've never seen anything like this before and Google was no help. My friend recently purchased a new Samsung phone and has a new number. Someone who likely knew the former number owner texted them today and, instead of the phone displaying a phone number, it displayed a name, as if that name/ number had been saved into the phone's contacts... but it had not. 

How could the phone have gotten a name to associate with the contact? Is that a new thing? Or some kind of technical glitch?

Posted - November 22, 2020
Tags : None

Responses


  • 53504

     

      Android phones are evil, just as evil or even more so than all other modern-day mobile phone types. Grrrrrrr. 

    :(

      November 23, 2020 12:02 AM MST
    3

  •   November 27, 2020 2:15 AM MST
    1

  • 53504

     

      Folks, immediately break off all contact with Sirena/Martina: her phone has obviously been taken over by infectious bugging devices that will eat all of your data and then somehow enter your brain to gain control of you. (Well, unless you’re wearing aluminum foil lining in your hat, of course.)

      November 27, 2020 6:24 AM MST
    1

  • Data isn't the favourite food of Androids.  They prefer apples.


      November 29, 2020 10:34 PM MST
    1

  • 53504

     

      Hey, wait! Why is my Apple phone melting all of a sudden . . . ?

    :(

      November 29, 2020 10:41 PM MST
    0

  • 17592
    I do think that the information being sent and delivered by the originating carrier has been changed.  I just yesterday noticed that on my land line caller ID I saw "Cell Phone AL" along with the number  when I received a call from Alabama and, yes, she was using her mobile.  Usually, when she calls, I see only her number.  But I am not aware of a name being delivered with calls originating or terminating on a mobile device.   Did your friend look and see if the person's name was also in her call-identifying contacts in her device?
      November 23, 2020 6:47 AM MST
    2

  • 7939
    The texter was not in the person's contacts anywhere. That's what made it so weird. 
      November 26, 2020 1:43 PM MST
    1

  • 10996
     I have caller ID on my android. I don't know if it works for texts as well as phone calls, but I see no reason why it wouldn't. 
      November 23, 2020 2:19 PM MST
    3

  • 53504

     

      Hold on, there’s something that I don’t understand here. If you have caller ID, then my name should be popping up each and every time I call you, so you have to know it’s me, yet you never pick up the . . . hey, wait a second. Grrrrrrr. 

      November 23, 2020 3:09 PM MST
    1

  • 17592
    It does. 
      November 24, 2020 8:23 AM MST
    2

  • 7939
    From what I can find, Caller ID doesn't work on text messaging. The info isn't sent. But, for what it's worth, the name that appeared on my friend's phone was only one word, whereas Caller ID usually shows the first and last name. It could have been the last name only that appeared, but it sounded more like a nickname. It was a semi-common first name with the letters "ski" at the end. 
      November 26, 2020 1:48 PM MST
    1

  • 17592
    It does on both ATT and Verizon.  The originating number is delivered with texts. 
      November 27, 2020 6:50 PM MST
    1

  • 7939
    The number comes through, but not the name.
      November 28, 2020 12:46 PM MST
    1

  • 17592
    That's what I said. 
      November 29, 2020 10:27 AM MST
    0

  • 34251
    Sometimes a phone company will give you Caller ID for you phone when you first sign up. Hoping that when the free period ends you will decide you loke that feature enough to pay an extra fee to keep it. 

    I assume it would also apply to texts as well as calls. My company (MetroPCS) did that but I do not remember any texts at the time.
      November 23, 2020 3:51 PM MST
    0

  • 53504

     

      (like)

      November 23, 2020 9:16 PM MST
    0

  • If your friend signed into Google on both phones, Google moved the contacts to the new phone.  It's automatic.
      November 26, 2020 12:11 AM MST
    2

  • 7939
    They were signed into Google, but this person (by name or number) was not in their Google contacts. 
      November 26, 2020 1:49 PM MST
    2

  • 34251
    You can pay to have a "Sender ID" you assign what shows up in the Recieved from field. 
    This is something normally only a business would bother with for branding purposes.  There is a charge per text sent. 

    https://www.textmagic.com/business-text-messaging/


      November 26, 2020 3:41 PM MST
    2

  • 7939
    Interesting. I've never seen that before. Maybe it was something along those lines. 
      November 28, 2020 12:50 PM MST
    2