Me image in Messaging app

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helfone

Senior Member
Dec 19, 2009
212
20
Right so I know this question has been asked many times before, but none of the answers I find work for me.

Problem: is that in the messaging app (sms) there is no picture of "Me". Its just a grey rectangle with a white border.

Things I've tried:
  • Pressing the grey box to bring up menu: Pressing the box does nothing other the simply changing the border color from white to orange.
  • Clicking menu >> more >> add contact: no such option is available for me
  • Add myself as a contact in the phonebook: Done this with my number with and without country code and with email.
  • Add a picture to my profile in GTalk ('Talk'): I've had a picture there for ages, same one as was set on my google account online before I even got this phone. No luck here
I think that's all ive tried, but I may be forgeting something.

Possible explenations:

I have tested it, and that "unknown" is the cause of greyed out picture.

I have 2 sim cards, one is 3UK, and the other one is one2free from Hong Kong. The phone recognises the 3UK phone number but not the one2free (it shows up as unknown).

I have both numbers under the same contact with a avatar / picture.

Nexus one shows up profile pics correctly with my 3UK sim card plugged in, but it greyed out all those pictures when I've plugged in the one2free sim card.

FYI all those messages were sent and received on the one2free (hk) number.

I know (at least in Hong Kong) there are a lot of carriers who don't put the phone number in SIM cards. It wasn't a big problem until now. :/ I wonder if there will be a solution addressing this problem.
What burnduck is refering to is in 'Settings>>About Phone>>Status>>My phone number'. This slot just says 'Unknown', has been this way in 2.1 as well.

All in all that seems like a plausible answer untill Rusty commented the following:
My phone number is unknown and all contact pictures are fine.

For the record in 'Settings>>Location & security>>Set up SIM card lock' the option to 'Lock SIM card' on/off does not work for me either. I can change the sim pin, but not disable it entirely.

Im wondering if some1 has any clever suggestions or work-arounds I can try. Im using a stock n1 with froyo 2.2. Any help would be greatly apprechiated.


This has now been solved! The problem is that your phone number is not stored in your sim. You need to put your sim in a phone that allows you to alter you "personal phone number". Its usually a setting found under 'special numbers' then something like 'my phone number'. Many people have been using their old phones to do this, some have used iphone. But this has been confirmed to work! Good luck all!
 
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ROBIN50N

Member
May 6, 2009
36
0
i added myself to my contacts. then goto contacts and click add to cantacts. didnt change how number was displayed and didnt add any name and it works fine.
 

helfone

Senior Member
Dec 19, 2009
212
20
i added myself to my contacts. then goto contacts and click add to cantacts. didnt change how number was displayed and didnt add any name and it works fine.
can u please explain this in a little more detail as I didnt quite understand what u did. Did u add urself to contacts threw the Contacs app? then u went to contacts again and added urself again? And u didnt add a name when u added urself to contacts?

im sorry lol that was just really confusing :D
 

ROBIN50N

Member
May 6, 2009
36
0
can u please explain this in a little more detail as I didnt quite understand what u did. Did u add urself to contacts threw the Contacs app? then u went to contacts again and added urself again? And u didnt add a name when u added urself to contacts?

im sorry lol that was just really confusing :D

long press the greyed out pic in sms app then add to contacts.
then it will cgo to contacts page at the top just click add to contacts. dont change name or add number.
once added go to contacts select the contact, your number, and add a photo.
 

piloe

Member
May 23, 2010
6
0
I'm having the same issues as described by the OP. Tried everything but still no picture. :p

I've sent a mail to my provider asking whether it is possible to remotely update my simcard information.
 

helfone

Senior Member
Dec 19, 2009
212
20
long press the greyed out pic in sms app then add to contacts.
then it will cgo to contacts page at the top just click add to contacts. dont change name or add number.
once added go to contacts select the contact, your number, and add a photo.
thx for the answer. But long pressing the picture does nothing for me unfortunately.
 

helfone

Senior Member
Dec 19, 2009
212
20
in the sms app are you long pressing the andorid grey pic? should work.
I originally tested going into the messaging app then into an existing conversation between me and some1 else on my contact list. Long pressing the grey pic then did nothing.

Now I just deleted myself and then sent an sms to myself. In this conversation with myself I now have 'Me' and 'my number(in numbers of course)'. I can't do anything with Me, but I can add 'my number' to my contact list as myself with my number and email. But still wont do anything to 'Me'.

Confusing but hopefully u understand.
 

ROBIN50N

Member
May 6, 2009
36
0
I originally tested going into the messaging app then into an existing conversation between me and some1 else on my contact list. Long pressing the grey pic then did nothing.

Now I just deleted myself and then sent an sms to myself. In this conversation with myself I now have 'Me' and 'my number(in numbers of course)'. I can't do anything with Me, but I can add 'my number' to my contact list as myself with my number and email. But still wont do anything to 'Me'.

Confusing but hopefully u understand.

yes just add you number to contacts. it wont show in contacts as ME.
 

helfone

Senior Member
Dec 19, 2009
212
20
yes just add you number to contacts. it wont show in contacts as ME.
I know it wont show in contacts as 'Me'. Buts its not showing as 'Me' in the messaging app. In the conversation between me and me, me will be grey and the contact I saved will be the name I save it as. Get the difference?
 

helfone

Senior Member
Dec 19, 2009
212
20
i give up then i can only tell you what i did.
yeah and im glad u did, thx for the effort. I think it has something to do with the sim card, as everything else should be the same i presume. I have sent an email to my provider, hopefully they will have some insight to come with tomorrow.
 

drsmisk

Senior Member
Nov 17, 2007
60
0
yeah, same here, think it has to do with the sim card. which is weird,why dont it just use the google pic instead of using something connected to the sim. weird.
 

piloe

Member
May 23, 2010
6
0
yeah, same here, think it has to do with the sim card. which is weird,why dont it just use the google pic instead of using something connected to the sim. weird.

Yeah, I agree. Really strange. I mean the fact that you have to manually add yourself and your number in your own phone book is just kind of funky in my opinion.
 

burnduck

Senior Member
May 23, 2010
82
20
Ealing, London
Yeah, I agree. Really strange. I mean the fact that you have to manually add yourself and your number in your own phone book is just kind of funky in my opinion.

Well I wouldn't say its too funky, adding myself to the phonebook is something I've been doing, so that I can trade contact with others, but I think google could have gone with an easier option which is to use the picture of the google accounts. After all, its associated with the phone isn't it?
 
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piloe

Member
May 23, 2010
6
0
Well I wouldn't say its too funky, adding myself to the phonebook is something I've been doing, so that I can trade contact with others, but I think google could have gone with an easier option which is to use the picture of the google accounts. After all, its associated with the phone isn't it?

Yeah, exactly the point I was trying to make.
 

timothydonohue

Senior Member
Oct 2, 2007
1,583
128
Portland, Maine
i added my phone number to my google voice contact number, then i dragged a photo of myself onto the sd card, then edited my contact picture to use that photo. a long drawn out work around, but now it isn't blank at least.

i agree, it's a little stupid that it doesn't just grab your photo from either google or facebook, seeing as how it's totally synced up with those.