SOLVED: How To Disable Popup Text Window on Android Text Messages

If you have an android device you have likely noticed that new inbound text messages have a round head icon appear on top of any program you are currently running, and that when you click that head icon it pops up a small texting window.

Here is a video explanation and demonstration of the problem and fix:

For many people this texting “enhancement” is frustratingly small and so they want to turn it off.  This is easy to do but it is not in the obvious location.  We expected to turn on / off popup text windows in the “Messaging” app but found it was not there.

Instead, you have to make the change in the Android system settings like this:

1. Swipe down from the top
2. Click the cog icon to go into settings
3. Click ADVANCED SETTINGS
4. Click SMART POPUP VIEW
5. Click MESSAGES to OFF

Bingo!  You do not need to restart or make any other changes.  Now your texts will come in like they used to.