Follow-up to my post on Feb. 18, 2022:
I forgot to mention that…
- my earlier post was based on sending text messages back and forth between an old iPhone SE and a brand new iPad Mini 6.
- when I said that the receiving app was “CLOSED,” I meant that the Messages app was not “OPEN” on the screen, but it was still running in the background.
- “OPEN” means that the current text conversation is on the screen (i.e. the conversation from which you are awaiting a reply.) For example, if you leave the first conversation and go to a conversation with someone else, obviously the Messages app is still open on the screen, BUT in this case, the Text Tone will sound when a reply is received from the first conversation. You don’t have to take part in a new conversation—just have it open on the screen.
So, after testing between the iPhone SE and the iPad Mini 6, I decided to try the same back-and-forth text messages with various other devices. Here are four that I used, testing every possible combination of two:
- iPhone SE: iOS 11.1
- iPad Mini 4: iOS 12.2
- iPhone 8: iOS 14.8.1
- iPad Mini 6: iOS 15.1
The results were the same for all device combinations: the Text Tone sounds only when the Messages app is CLOSED on the screen (running in the background) OR if it’s OPEN but has a different conversation on the screen.
Also, I discovered something that I hadn’t noticed when making the original tests. (It happened during the original tests; I just didn’t notice it.)
NEW DISCOVERY:
When the Messages app is OPEN on the receiving device, the Text Tone doesn’t ring, but sounds do play on BOTH the sending AND receiving devices. The sounds are not any of the standard Alert Tones, and they’re hard to describe. I’d say they’re sort of a very, very quick “OO-OO-OO” sound. This is not three distinct “syllables” as in an owl’s hoot. It’s blended together and not very loud. (Which is probably why I didn’t notice it in my first tests.) Also, it’s not the same sound on the two devices—the sound on the sending device has a rising pitch at the end, but the sound on the receiving device has a falling pitch. Think of it as tossing a ball from one device to the other: the sound is tossed upward from the sending device and then falls downward onto the receiving device.
This happens with messages sent to or from all four of the tested devices with iOS versions ranging from 11.1 to 15.1 (11.1, 12.2, 14.8.1, 15.1). The results were exactly the same with each possible combination of two, and since only one device has iOS 15, that’s clearly not the problem. The same thing occurs when neither device has iOS 15.
I should also note that the tests were done with the devices lying flat. If you have the phone next to your ear when a text message is received, no sound is made until you take the phone away from your ear; then a “da-da” sound plays.
Of course, this still doesn’t make the Text Tone ring each time a reply is received for the conversation that is currently on the screen, but at least there is a sound made, albeit a rather quiet one. The only way to be sure the Text Tone rings when a reply arrives is to change the screen to something other than the current conversation (a different conversation thread, Home screen, Dictionary, Weather app, your favorite game, etc.). Annoying, but doable.
So at least we now we know that it isn’t a problem related to iOS 15; it’s a problem that has existed since at least iOS 11. You would think it would have been fixed by now, but it doesn’t seem to be a high priority for Apple developers.
I hope this helps a little bit. I’ve done all the testing I can do.
