Q: iMessage Delete and Re-Sync

The basic answer is no. What sort of problems are you having?

Hi,

Can't be done.

All iMessages are pushed from the servers then deleted.

In fact each iMessages is duplicated for each device you have registered and then sent to that device only.

Once delivered (or a Time Out period has passed if a device is out of contact for a long time) then the iMessages is deleted.

This can mean an iMessages is waiting to be delivered to a Mac whilst already been delivered to an iPhone.

If you then delete a messages on iPhone there is very few option about recovering it.

If you back up to iTunes  then you might be able to step back to the point you had it.

You would then lose current ones until you re-backed up to the newer date.  You also tend to "miss" new iMessages this way.

On the Mac you can mouse over a Conversation in the list and use th "x" that appears to dismiss the chat.

This does not remove the iMessages from the Chat.db items  and when you connect to that person again your see their "history".

Also if you use "Save on Close" you may have a copy (or possibly several part if it went over days) in ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.iChat/Data/Library/Messages/Archive  - you have to go to this folder manually as there is now no access to the Recent Lists in the File Menu.  (if you do have the Recent items List in the File Menu then you still may only go back 5 or so chats depending on your settings in System Preferences > General pane)

8:31 pm      Monday; April 13, 2015

Ralph, hoping you can help me with a similar issue: On my Mac (running El Cap), sometimes Messages will "miss" a message or part of a thread in syncing, e.g., I'll have two identical copies of a conversation, the original on the iPhone and the synced on the Mac, but a message here and there will be missing from the Mac thread. I've done the standard troubleshooting - logging out of iCloud on the Mac, disabling and enabling iMessage on the iPhone/signing out of Apple ID for iMessage, making sure all send/receive destinations are the same and active (phone number, iCloud email, iCloud account email/personal email that is my Apple ID).

Reading your comment about a delivery "time-out" period, I was wondering if that could be it, however if that's the case, that time period must be pretty short - I had an iMessage received on my iPhone, and opened Messages on my Mac a few hours later. Message missing.

It's not a critical issue, but it's very frustrating to not have the whole conversation sync to my Mac. Any thoughts?

(And let me know if this should be a new topic; I've read through a number and didn't find any that were quite the same as this.)

Hi,

My main use for iMessages is letting my wife know that the time I am leaving work  is going to change.

I have noticed recently that as these are sent from my iPhone that they and the replies are all on my iPhone and where my Mac is Off at home it does not always catch up when I turn it On.

However today I sent my daughter's telephone number various pictures I took when they were down for the weekend and we had gone to Monkey World where I had taken some pictures and I used my iPad and Photos to them send them via Messages to her as my iPad is too old to have Airdrop.

The transfers showed up on my Mac (I opened Messages as I was typing this reply).

The bits that are most often missing in the conversation with my wife are the replies on my iPhone.

All the "Thank you"s and "OK"s are there from my wife's side.

As of yet I have yet to find a cause or trigger as to why some conversations seem to respond differently

Today's test was from an iPad using the same ID.

My iPhone which I use in the conversation with my Wife sends from my iPhone number as the first choice.

I have checked the Mac and the Received items are via iMessages and not text (everything shows up grey of course and you have to mouse over them to check)

Realistically any "fix" is probably going to involve a Reset of the iPhone settings for Messages (and Text Forwarding if involved) and this will only improve things from that point on rather than getting the missed messages.

You could try Signing Out of the Apple ID on the iPhone and then back in again.

This will generate the pop up on the Mac to say what the iPhone is using  which you should Accept again.

8:51 pm      Monday; March 28, 2016