when texting myself, suddenly I started getting two copies of each text

Question

Level 1

4 points

when texting myself, suddenly I started getting two copies of each text

This problem started maybe a month ago: whenever I text myself, the sent text is blue (it used to be green), and I get a second pale grey copy, which would be the received text. So it's as if I'm two different people!

I have always texted things to myself as a quick way to transfer images (sometimes Airdrop is more of a bother), and to send myself written material, etc. Sometimes I start to compose tricky emails by using the microphone to speak my thoughts so I can revise later (yes I know there is VoiceMemos but that requires more to really make it work as well - naming, transferring, deleting when done, etc - texts are easier to manage).

I have found texting things to myself to be a really handy strategy, but now all of a sudden I get these double texts and it really clutters up my text app. The worst thing about text is when you have to scroll forever to find things, and deleting the extra copy of each text is an added task that is making my handy strategy less efficient.

I should note that this happened once before in the past, but it didn't last long and went back to single texts before I tried to troubleshoot how to make it stop. So I don't have any info on what may have changed to make it stop. I assumed it was a bug that got fixed.

I read an earlier question about this issue, and followed a couple of suggestions from the answers, so here's what I checked:

Settings / Messages / Send & Receive - My phone number and main email address are enabled, and "START NEW CONVERSATIONS FROM" has my ph# checked. (I don't want my email checked for the latter, and I hope that is irrelevant)
Settings / [user] / iCloud / Message - I don't see messages in the iCloud settings, which was one of the suggested places to look for a solution, so I am guessing that is an older version iPhone OS.

I have an iPhone SE (not sure the version but I think it was offered as an option when v.10 or v.11 was the latest), running iOS 14.4.2

Any suggestions?

Thx

iPhone SE, iOS 14

Posted on Mar 29, 2023 1:43 PM

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Answer 1

Mar 29, 2023 2:49 PM in response to vixyfluff

From other threads I've read on this issue, you are not the only one having this problem. And the reports date back a month or so. There aren't a lot of them, I suspect, because not very many people do this. I just tested it and am seeing exactly what you're seeing. I have the latest version of iOS. I would guess that Apple changed something, possibly in the underlying architecture of iMessage, either intentionally or as a by-product of some other change.

"Hey, Siri, take a memo", in addition to amusing me, is a really handy command. It will create a note with the text you dictate.

You can let Apple know your thoughts on the matter here:

Product Feedback - Apple

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Answer 2

sberman

Level 10

272,208 points

Mar 29, 2023 2:06 PM in response to vixyfluff

vixyfluff wrote:

Any suggestions?

Yes, many suggestions!

The original iPhone SE, released by Apple 7 years ago, can be updated to iOS 15.7.X. You should do so. Update your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support
You should never attempt to send text messages to yourself. It’s amazing you had as much success as you did.
You have rejected these solutions worthy of reconsideration:
- AirDrop
- email
- Voice Memos
You might also consider:
- Reminders
- Using Siri to invoke a suitable application
You mentioned iCloud Messages, which is both irrelevant to your issue and was added to the Apple ecosystem after your iOS version. Forget about it for this discussion.

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Answer 3

vixyfluff Author

Level 1

4 points

Mar 29, 2023 3:18 PM in response to IdrisSeabright

Thanks for your response. It's always good to know I'm not alone. :)

I just tried the Siri memo method, and it creates a single note with overly large text (first line is interpreted as a "title"), which is ok I guess. I'll have to get used to it.

Cheers,

vixyfluff

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