Lifehacker: How to fix the most common iMessage problems

[Kaido]

http://lifehacker.com/how-to-fix-the-most-common-imessage-problems-1577447675

 

[Kaido]

I put my personal notes up here:

http://catch42.pbworks.com/w/page/80676350/iMessage

 

[Tweak155]

Had that stupid Android problem recently. I will have to try that fix.

 

[Kaido]

Had that stupid Android problem recently. I will have to try that fix.

Yes, this is the biggest issue I've encountered with iMessage (other than the occasional flaky service). I support a few dozen iPhones at work & see this ALL the time. Basically when you switch to a non-iPhone cell phone, iMessage doesn't automatically turn off. You then have 3 options:

1. Turn it off yourself, in settings (assuming you still have the phone)
2. Turn it off in your device list on Apple's website (best method imo)
3. Wait 45 days for it to clear out of the system

The only confirmation I have about the "45 days" bit is from people posting it on support forums. Apparently Apple tech support isn't aware about the "unregister" trick on their Support Profile site and pushes an iMessage deactivation message into the system for your account. I don't know if the 45 days applies to non-usage as well (i.e. it will quit working after 45 days of non-use automatically).

I have found this to be a huge hassle when friends have switched to a different phone brand & have stopped receiving my messages; Apple does not make this information readily available, even through searching. This is a glaring issue for the iPhone; they are actually being sued over it right now.

 

[Eug]

My fix is to never use iMessage.

Instead, we just got plans with unlimited SMS/MMS.

 

[Kaido]

My fix is to never use iMessage.

Instead, we just got plans with unlimited SMS/MMS.

Yeah, I addressed that in my second link. Turn off iMessage & just use SMS/MMS. Downside is you lose high-res photos & videos, but if not many people you know have iPhones, then it's not a super big deal. It seems like it would have been smarter to go with a separate app like BBM, but they would have lost the convenience. I hope the lawsuit forces them to implement a fix.

 

[Tegeril]

My fix is to never use iMessage.

Instead, we just got plans with unlimited SMS/MMS.

• iMessage also unifies texting across devices. So I can respond to texts from my laptop or my iPad.
• Read receipts.
• International "texting" over wifi.
• Single-part messages when length > 160.
• See when others are typing
• Higher quality image/video

SMS/MMS isn't exactly interchangeable.

 

[Eug]

• iMessage also unifies texting across devices. So I can respond to texts from my laptop or my iPad.
• Read receipts.
• International "texting" over wifi.
• Single-part messages when length > 160.
• See when others are typing
• Higher quality image/video

SMS/MMS isn't exactly interchangeable.

No not interchangeable, but better in many respects.

1. Cross platform.
2. More reliable.
3. No issues when switching phones. SMS follows the SIM card.
4. People DON'T see when I'm typing.
5. Did I mention cross platform? It even works with dumb phones.

 

[Eug]

Apple’s iMessage Issue Goes From Bad to Worse With Server Glitch

Apple’s iMessage system is a model of convenience when connecting between iPhones. But trying to leave the ecosystem is the very definition of horror.

The Internet is filled with tales of frustration from those who have traded in their iPhone for an Android phone only to find their text messages trapped within Apple’s cloud. The issue arises when an iPhone customer trades in his or her phone for, say, an Android device, but keeps the same phone number that Apple’s messaging system recognizes as an iPhone.

A recent server glitch made the problem worse, rendering moot one of Apple’s key methods for trying to remedy the issue.

--

Personally I don't understand why this is an issue in the first place. All Apple has to do is allow the user to make these changes in his/her online account settings. Should be easy as pie. But it isn't, and that floors me.

 

[Kaido]

Apple to fix iMessage bug that causes ex-iPhone users to lose their texts:

http://www.engadget.com/2014/05/22/apple-imessage-bugs/

Apple says it's fixed a server bug that was affecting "some" former iMessage users who had tried to switch to Android or another OS. However, it admits there's another problem with its messaging platform that it still hasn't managed to address. According to Re/code, the first bug was making it difficult for Apple staff to keep track of which phone numbers are currently associated with an iPhone -- information that is essential for the proper running of the iMessage. Without an accurate database, ex-iPhone users could find that some of their SMS messages are mistakenly treated as iMessages and sucked into the bowels of an Apple's datacenter, from whence they may never return. As for the remaining flaws, and iMessage's broader dependence on up-to-the-minute record-keeping, Apple says it's working on a fuller solution that will come in a "future software update." In the meantime, the best advice for any iPhone leaver is still to manually disable iMessage and return to regular SMS before they power down for the final time.

 

[Eug]

You just posted an article that references the article I posted just above yours.

 

[smackababy]

I guess I am in the minority when I have no problems with iMessage. The only "glitch" I ever get is when I have very low signal and it "fails to send", but sends as SMS instead. It shows up as SMS in the think as well.

 

[Tegeril]

^this. I don't understand people saying iMessage is unreliable. I also don't understand the desire for it to be cross platform. That's what texting is. Messages supports both and works with both for people who do and do not support it.

Following the SIM card is meh. Apple does need to support turning iMessage takeover off more easily, but otherwise...

 

[Eug]

^this. I don't understand people saying iMessage is unreliable.

There are threads like this all over the internet.

iMessage is terribly unreliable lately

Is anyone else having constant issues with iMessage over the last week or so? It's gotten to the point where it's practically unusable. While I have posted this in the iOS 6 forum, since I believe it to be an iOS 6.1.3 issue, it is only happening to my iPhone 5, not my iPad (also running 6.1.3) or Messages.app on the MBP.

iMessages successfully send for some people, not for others. for some, i can receive iMessages, but cannot send them back (forces as SMS, even though the send as SMS toggle is off). Some folks are only "green", meaning SMS only, even though I know they are on iMessage, even at the exact moment where they are iMessaging with others but it won't work with me. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to it.

---

Anyhoo, I tried it for a while, and found it glitchy, so I turned it off and never used it again.

I just use SMS and MMS.

For the occasional times I want to send a full-sized picture (for example for printing), I just send an email.