weird symbols in incoming sms

I keep getting weird symbols, mostly black blocks when I receive SMS's. It happens most with international sms messages. Anyone with similar issues?

Do you have Asian language support on your device?

Posted from my BlackBerry using BerryBlab

How do I check?
I remember installing Arabic language when shrinking, although I can't see Arabic in the language settings.

Note, the black blocks usually come in Arabic text messages, never had them in English.

I've just installed the same OS release but an official copy, and have installed the arabic language input. Let's see if that solves anything. Though viewing the old messages with the black blocks still appear the same. Probably not a correct way to confirm problem solved or not though.

Nope! not working. Not only that, I don't get complete texts if the message is long.

Okay, so I am at loss here.
Should I try using the UCS2 coding instead of the 7bit one? since the only messages that sometimes get messed up are in the Arabic language, am thinking it might need 16bit coding rather than 7.

Nothing is working. Fed up with this nonsense!

it might be partially a network difference.
I'm not 100% positive, but i'm pretty sure In north america SMS messages are limited to 140 characters, but in eurasia they use 200 characters and unicode (to display non-Roman alphabets). When you receive the messages they may be truncated to 140 characters and the black boxes are probably where characters that your carrie can't support are.

I have the same problem. I live in Holland, use a 9900, with vodafone as a carrier. I get the black blox instead of characters too, but it has only happened when my GF texted me. It happens once every 40 texts or so, so it could be a problem on her side. On the other hand, i dont text with other people a lot (bbm) so i dont know.

I tried: ordering a new SIM-card, Having my sim-card reactivated on the network, copy pasting the blocks, upgrading the OS, nothing works.

Does Anyone have a (possible) solution to this?

If someone is trying to send you smiley faces using an app such as iSmiley for the iPhones or anything for Android, BB can't read it. Friend of mine loves using smiley faces when she sends me a text and on my Storm2 it comes through as a black square or ??????. On my iPhone, I see them, but on my Storm2 I don't. It could be that the person who is texting you is using a smiley app and your phone can't read them.

Thanks for your reply. Thats not the case though. She uses a samsung phone, so its Android, but she uses the native texting app. Allso, its the last two or three lines that are black boxes, like 60 characters in a row, not just one smiley. Sometimes there's a "!" or the letters "sm" (but really small), but mostly black boxes