If my phone can show me who is calling by name when a random number calls, why can’t random text messages give me a name too? They just show the number
In: 19
In short, the messaging required to set up a call is different than the messaging used in SMS messages. Carriers can include caller ID details in calls, but not SMS. For a longer explanation, continue reading below.
Most carriers use what is called Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) to set up a call between two devices. This is a messaging format which describes information needed to establish a call. Here is an example of the messaging:
REGISTER sips:ss2.provider.tld SIP/2.0
Via: SIP/2.0/TLS provider.tld:5061;branch=my_branch
Max-Forwards: 70
From: Bob <sips:bob.provider.tld>;tag=my_tag
To: Bob <sips:bob.provider.tld>
Call-ID: my_caller_id.provider.tld
CSeq: 1 REGISTER
Contact: <sips:[email protected]>
Content-Length: 0
Carriers can replace values in the fields to use the customer’s name to identify them, which can then be used to display a value on your device if you don’t have them as a contact.
Short Message Service (SMS) is a different protocol and doesn’t have the same values. This service uses a different protocol called the Short Message Peer-to-Peer (SMPP) protocol. The details are a bit technical, but you can see how the raw messaging is formatted [here](https://smpp.org/#smppexample).
Now, your phone has the capability to identify the person sending a message. Typically, this is done by doing a lookup of your contacts to see if the number matches. Apps can also use third-party databases to identify some numbers too.
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