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How do I fix my message app on my iPhone?

My messages app started crashing about an hour ago, I can't send or receive messages. When I load the app it shows me a black screen. Every once in a while I will receive all of the messages sent to me in the past ten minutes or so but I can't read them on the app. I can't send messages through the pictures app either.


[Re-Titled by Moderator]

iPhone 13, iOS 16

Posted on Apr 19, 2023 9:27 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jun 10, 2024 2:24 PM

Message app and Message settings frozen since last update I’m on 17.5.1 with a iPhone 12. Relying on WhatsApp instead for most things it’s far more reliable. Come on Apple sort it out! It’s not hard, messaging was one of the first things invented on mobile phones! Are you doing this on purpose??

60 replies

Apr 20, 2023 9:36 PM in response to aprilmonogram

aprilmonogram Said:

"My phone also started having the same problem at almost the exact same time. I did an update today, but it didn’t fix it. My email has also been crashing, but the messages app is the worst!"

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Clear Space. Too much resources may be taken up.


Troubleshooting iPhone Storage:

Internal storage cannot be upgraded. It is what it is. So, the maximum internal storage capacity never increases, even if you upgraded your iCloud plan. Learn More here: What's the Difference Between Device Storage and iCloud Storage? Apple Support


So, what to do...

Clear Space, Using my User Tips:

Jul 5, 2024 4:54 PM in response to DrDrWho

I’ve been having this same thing happen for 5 weeks now, on two different iPhones (a 12 Pro and a new 15 Promax… because I thought it was a hardware problem). Many, many calls to support, trip to the Apple Store, resetting everything from network settings to all settings to a full reinstall of the operating system (took hours)…. Each fix lasts for a while and then the problem recurs. Even the full reinstall only held the problem at bay for 10 days.

On calls to support today, the upper-level advisors said that they are aware of the problem, working on it, and have no timeline for improvement. They basically suggested that I stop calling and give up until they put out a new update and had no estimate of when that would be!

Jul 9, 2024 5:09 PM in response to Beef_Boy

People that are still experiencing this issue, Backup & Restore iPhone via iTunes. Simple


Resetting your iPhone via Settings, is not going to be enough. You need to reset your phone via iTunes on a computer.


How you choose to backup your data, is up to you. You either backup using iCloud or backup via iTunes (if you don’t have enough iCloud storage).


There shouldn’t be anymore comments regarding this issue UNLESS you’ve already performed an iPhone Restore via iTunes on a computer, and you’re still experiencing the issue!

Jul 17, 2024 6:23 PM in response to Beef_Boy

Managed to resolve by signing out of iCloud. This means losing all payment cards (need to setup again) but everything else remained intact.


The sign-out process took a while: after an hour iPhone still said it was signing out. By turning off the phone mid-process (maybe give it enough time to do... something first...?) then signing out again after the reboot (second time was immediate) - I was no longer connected to iCloud, but the associated problem was gone.


Messages and Phone works again.


Now signed back into iCloud and so far no problems.

Jul 22, 2024 2:21 PM in response to Beef_Boy

I've been having the same problem off and on for a few weeks now. It's on both iPhone and iPad. I contacted support today and after 15 minutes on the phone they finally revealed that this was a known issue. That was it. No, we're working hard to resolve it, no time table or estimate of when the bug might get fixed, no solution in sight whatsoever. Ridiculous that this is going on. The Message app has got to be the most used app there is and Apple knows it has problems but can't offer any solution.


By the way, don't bother with the "Reset All Settings" solution you'll find in these forums. I tried that on my iPad and it failed to resolve the problem. All it did was add to my frustration when I had to fix all the things it reset.

Jul 27, 2024 6:30 PM in response to hobe261

“Restoring” my iPhone to factory via iTunes on a computer (as suggested by multiple Senior Advisors that handled my ticket), was the only thing that fixed the issue for me.


The reason why Apple is telling you to try different troubleshooting methods, is because the solution to this issue is different for every user.


Some users were able to resolve this issue by toggling off and on iMessage in Settings, this method didn’t work for everyone.


Others were able to resolve it by signing out of their Apple ID on the impacted device and signing back in. AGAIN, this method doesn’t work for everyone, and the list goes on and on for different methods that have “worked” for people.


Apple is very aware of this issue and has yet to figure out what is causing the issue and why it’s impacting some users and not all users but in the meantime while they’re investigating, some of us like myself have worked thoroughly with Apple Support running tests and etc to help pinpoint the issue and find which troubleshooting methods worked more permanently.


The only workaround that has worked for me, was restoring my iPhone back to factory using iTunes on a computer.


Resetting your iPhone via Settings on the phone itself, is only resetting the phone using the same corrupted software, while restoring via iTunes, puts new software on the phone.


Restoring the phone to factory via iTunes, is a requirement from the engineers, in order to advance your ticket to the next level with Apple. If restoring via iTunes doesn’t work and the issue comes back, then your Senior Advisor would need to work further with the engineers and you, to find the root cause and a more permanent fix.

Jun 21, 2024 11:00 AM in response to Sunshine_5167

Well, you’re the perfect candidate to call into support to create a ticket for this issue, because I wasn’t going to do a “hard reset” as they requested, in order to advance my ticket. (I had/have too many pending projects that I’m working on via both my iPhone and iPad, to risk losing progress from that buggy unreliable iCloud system that they refuse to fix!)


When you call in a speak to a Senior Advisor and they create a ticket for you, keep us posted!

How do I fix my message app on my iPhone?

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