iMessage "Tap to Download" Issue

Hi All, I am still having this problem like many of you. I did see on another website someone mentioned Apple are aware of a glitch with Screen Time creating this issue. The fix was to turn Screen Time off. This is not an option for me as I have kids linked via family sharing but thought I would post just in case it helps someone out there.

Had this issue after getting off a plane. Had the issue for a week, but was able to fix it by turning both Wi-Fi and cellular data off and waiting maybe 30 seconds then turning both back on like normal

I was able to resolve this by downloading in Wi-Fi rather than using cell service.

PacoHunter10,

Thanks for keeping us updated.

Based on the information you've provided, and the steps you've already gone through we would recommend reaching out to Apple Support directly from this link here: Get Support - Apple

From that link choose iPhone > Apps & Features > SMS, MMS or Messages not working as expected. From there you should see a few options to reach out, depending on your location.

Take care!

Assuming it isn't a storage capacity issue, I believe you may have already downloaded the pictures once and deleted them but if they are still in your deleted pictures folder still you can't download the same picture unless you delete the picture for the deleted pictures folder, of course you could just restore it at that point. It would be nice if apple at least provided a message indicting it didn't download instead of nothing.

This didn't used to be an issue and only seems to have come up in one of the most recent updates.

I tried everything this forum suggested and was not able to retrieve any pictures or videos. However, when I went to iMessages on my apple computer all the pictures and videos were there and I downloaded them to my computer and then saved them onto my phone. I hope this helps.

FIXED! I had the same issue.

• Go to Settings.
• Tap General > Transfer or Reset iPhone.
• Tap Reset > Reset Network Settings.
• Enter your iPhone passcode.
• Tap Reset Network Settings to confirm.
• Go to Settings again.
• Tap Wi-Fi, then select your network and enter the password.
• Open iMessage to reload all its content, including pictures.

Hey!

You can try this way to fix this issue. I will mention the two things which worked for me earlier.

First, you need to reset the iMessage app on your iPhone. If there is any glitch, it will be fixed once you restart the iMessage app. Second, sign out and sign in to your iMessage app to work properly.

You need to make sure that your phone has enough storage space. Go to Settings app >>> Select general >>> and click iPhone Storage. Check your storage space. Also, it is important to keep your iPhone updated as well. You may find issues if your iPhone is not up to date.

If nothing works, you can contact Apple Support for assistance.

Have a nice day!

The fix is to click the person or the group chat until you get to the Menu area where you FaceTime and see links, scroll all the way down And there should be an option to download the photos. Make sure iMessage is turned on in your iCloud settings and keep messages is enabled in iMessage settings.

Thank you I had to have my wifi connected and my phone plugged into the charger it took an hour for me for the download to complete ..got all the photos back

try going to messages in settings and turning off and on imessage.

I have done ALL the things suggested, spent 12+ hours on the phone with Apple, my carrier, and at the Genius Bar (not so genius). One apple supervisor told me it was my wireless carriers issue - I went to them, and they replaced my phone because it was under warranty, and still no change. With the last supervisor I spoke to, I jumped through more hoops that didn’t work, but would not take “I’m sorry we can’t fix it” as an answer. I asked that he bring this issue to the engineers if all the attempts didn’t work. He did, and I’m waiting for a reply from them.

It it really is disheartening that so many have reached out with this problem, only to

get brushed off without a solution, other than their checklists.

I have been dealing with this issue for the last 2 iPhones. I have spent no less than 250 hours on trying to find a solution. I am now, again, working with a Sr Advisor and we have engineering working on this problem. It has since been sent up the engineering chain, which means that I will never get a solution. Every time I do a hard reset my photos disappear then after scrolling, closing the app reopening it, etc some begin to repopulate. I have now done 12 over-the-air restores, 3 itune/finder restores with a fresh os, and a peer-to-peer using my 13 pro max, which actually worked until I had another issue a few days later after I sent the phone back. I have signed into the cloud, signed out, reset network settings, turned on and off messages in iCloud and in messages, signed in and out of messages, and turned off messages in Siri/Search and Facetime. The last suggestion redownloads/uploads but after it's all done it goes back to a sporadic showing of the photos in a thread. there is zero stability. Another issue that drives me crazy is I can't scroll to the oldest message thread unless I search by name for an old conversation then the scroll allows me to see older conversations/threads. I can safely say I have tried every single possible solution except restoring to new which I refuse to do. I am happy to collaborate with anyone as I think I am unfortunately in the top .0001% of the most knowledgeable on this subject, but still without a solution. This sucks!

Yea I’ve had the same issue for months I have the same iPhone, I factory reseted my phone that worked for like a month then it came back it’s really annoying..

I’ve been dealing with this issue for years as well. iOS 16 has finally solved it for me. Hopefully it does the same for everyone else..