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Your Samsung phone might text photos to contacts without permission

So, what's in your photo gallery?

Sean Hollister Senior Editor / Reviews
When his parents denied him a Super NES, he got mad. When they traded a prize Sega Genesis for a 2400 baud modem, he got even. Years of Internet shareware, eBay'd possessions and video game testing jobs after that, he joined Engadget. He helped found The Verge, and later served as Gizmodo's reviews editor. When he's not madly testing laptops, apps, virtual reality experiences, and whatever new gadget will supposedly change the world, he likes to kick back with some games, a good Nerf blaster, and a bottle of Tejava.
Sean Hollister
2 min read
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Samsung's Galaxy S9+. 

Josh Miller/CNET

Drunk dialing and butt-dialing are bad enough, but what if your Samsung phone sent some... private photos to your contacts without you knowing? 

That's what a handful of users at Reddit are worried about (as spotted by Gizmodo) -- including one who claims his Samsung Galaxy S9+ sent his entire photo gallery to his girlfriend while he was sleeping, and another who says it occurred on his or her Galaxy Note 8

Samsung  tells CNET it's actively looking into the matter, but it's not yet clear why this is happening or how widespread it might be -- particularly if it's true that these pictures are being sent without leaving any record.

Redditors were quick to point out that most affected phones so far seem to be on T-Mobile , which has recently been upgrading users to the Google-backed RCS "advanced messaging." There's a post at Samsung's own forums about bugs with the RCS update, but we don't have confirmation of those bugs.  

The issue also seems to coincide with a new version of the Samsung Messages app, which could be related to the RCS update, or not, depending. You could try using a different texting app and/or revoking the Samsung Messages app's photo permissions to be safe.

"We are aware of the reports regarding this matter and our technical teams are looking into it. Concerned customers are encouraged to contact us directly at 1-800-SAMSUNG," reads Samsung's statement. 

T-Mobile tells CNET "It's not a T-Mobile issue," adding "You'll want to check in with Samsung on this one." 

Is this affecting you? Maybe send me a DM on Twitter if so.

First published July 2, 2018 at 2:46 p.m. PT.
Update, 3:22 p.m. PT: With Samsung and T-Mobile comments.

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