iMessage sending issues on iOS 17

IHAT8io17's post is the fix that works.

Step-by-Step:

• Connect your phone to a power source in a location with a good WiFi connection
• Settings -> AppleID -> iCloud -> iCloud Backup -> Back up this phone
• wait until it is backed up
• Settings -> Find My -> Find My Iphone -> Off (necessary to erase)
• Settings -> General -> Transfer or Reset iPhone -> Erase All Contents and Settings
• wait until it erases and restores the default environment (i.e. it is at the multilingual "hello" startup screen)
• set up the phone from the iCloud backup as if you bought a new phone.
• run through the setup process rather than just accepting old settings. (Maybe not necessary.)

This takes a while, but it fixes the problem.

Someone suggested backing up to a computer. I did make a backup to my MacBook Pro, but since Apple is no longer supporting the latest MacOS release on my Intel Machine, I did not want to try to do a restore from that backup.

I currently cannot receive iMessages on iOS 17.3.1 update. I can send as iMessage but for some reason all iMessages coming from other iPhone users are sent as regular text messages (SMS green messages).

Can someone please help me?

I have had consistent problems with text messaging. Like many others, I have tried everything. I even updated my phone. Apple needs to recognize there's a problem and get a fix out. I'm frustrated because it's costing me money which can't be recouped.

Having the same issue with my iPhone messages freezing. Rest of my apps seem to work fine but in order to get messages back, I sometimes have to do a force quit reset. I also backed up to the cloud and reset my phone only to have the problem come back and I’ve also completely erased all content in settings and started freshinputting all of my apps still happens. I’m currently running an iPhone 15+.

Have you tried restarting your iPhone?

What did Apple support say when you contacted them?

• Click on “Support” at the top or bottom of this page
• Go to Contact Official Apple Support

Note that both of the above have options to receive a callback or chat

IHAT8ios17 wrote:

It's a pain...and sucks that I had to pay for extra iCloud storage..

You get a lot more for your 99¢ than just iCloud backup:

• Automatic nightly iCloud backup feature
• Private Relay, which is a secure browsing feature more powerful than VPN, and MUCH more secure than VPN (and also less costly than ANY reliable VPN)
• Hide My Email, which allows you to have custom email addresses for each site you visit
• A Custom email domain

A real bargain

Fixed! Bought the $.99 iCloud upgrade. Backed up entire phone to iCloud. Then completely erased/reset iPhone and then restored from backup. So far it’s working like it should. Watch is better as well…no longer having battery drain after just a few hours.

It's a pain...and sucks that I had to pay for extra iCloud storage...but backing up the entire phone to iCloud - then erasing and resetting the phone and restoring from the iCloud backup has seemed to fix all of the issues I was having after the 17 update. iMessage now works, my watch is communicating normally with the phone...and battery life of both devices is significantly better.

I am currently on iOS 17.3.1 with an iPhone XR. For the last 3-4 weeks, I haven't been able to send/receive SMS messages, specifically on group texts, unless I restart my phone or toggle Airplane mode on and off. The issues always starts over again the following day. I tested with a single Android phone while I was still having issues with a group text, and that text came in fine. I have resorted to leaving my phone on Airplane mode when I sleep and turning it off in the morning. That seemed to help for a week or two, but now the past two days I am still getting errors when trying to send texts through the group text and won't receive texts from them until hours later.

What is going on??

Your issue is unrelated to messaging, the subject of this thread. Please click Ask the Community at the top of this page and create a NEW post describing your problem; that will put it in the unanswered queue, where other users who can help will be much more likely to see it.

I've followed the instructions for IMessages following the update on my iPads at least five times. I’ve restarted my devices several times. One device won’t allow me to text at all. The other device shows messages received but not what I texted from my iPhone. I have always always used my iPads for texting when at home rather than my phone because of the larger print. Now that’s been taken away. Never been so frustrated with devices since iPhone came out…BIG mistake! Get it fixed!! And why oh why can’t we bypass the IMessage update? I was happy with the old.

This is a ridiculous answer: just all the obvious things anyone knows to do, not dealing with the problem at all.

Do you see how many of us are having the same problem? It's clearly your problem. Fix it!

davecullen wrote:

This is a ridiculous answer: just all the obvious things anyone knows to do, not dealing with the problem at all.

It’s really interesting that you replied to a post over 18 months old, which actually had excellent advice. If you have an issue like this that over ONE BILLION users do NOT have you need to troubleshoot it yourself using the advice from Lissy_12, or contact Apple support.

Do you see how many of us are having the same problem? It's clearly your problem. Fix it!

Yes, I see about 10 people out of ONE BILLION have this problem, from reading this thread, and not even all of them have the same problem. And it CLEARLY is not MY problem, because I am a user, just like you, in this user-to-user forum with no real Apple participation.

I replied to that message after search the web for an hour reading through all the threads of people having similar problems, and found few Apple replies, which were all along the lines of this one. This is the one where I happened to get frustrated enough to respond.

Not 10 people my friend. So many frustrated threads out there, and many people I know. This has been going on for 6 months for me in a slew of different permutations: first messages failing to send in groups with even one green dot from my Mac, but worked on my phone, then both, then any message to any green-dot person, (and sometimes the group messages go through to the blue people now, but skip the green with no indication.)

This week, incoming messages with the 6-digit code from any company to prove I'm me all started failing.

I've been at the end of my rope on this so long, I really don't need abuse from you because I lost it at apple and vented at that infuriating response--which had nothing to do with you to stand in judgement.

Few? There will be ZERO Apple replies, as I already told you. If you want an Apple reply you must contact Apple, not the other users in this forum. There is a Support link at the top and bottom of every page to do just that.