Can't drag the cursor up in text messages on new iphone 15 Pro iOS 17

I switched from my iphone 13 pro with iOS 17 (no problems with the upgrade) and now I've lost a bunch of features. This post is about typing a long enough text message so the beginning is hidden at the top. I can scroll to read the whole thing but I can't edit at the beginning. I push/hold on the message (or spacebar) and drag to the cursor to where I want it. I let go and it pops back down to a different part of the message. I don't need it often but it's something that Apple should be aware of if it's happening to others.

iPhone 15 Pro

Posted on Oct 3, 2023 10:51 AM

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Posted on Oct 17, 2023 2:13 PM

I just wrote a long text and nearly cried. When I scroll to a place to edit the whole thing suddenly flips to another place. Trying to control the cursor is useless. If I put the cursor somewhere it immediately pops back to the last place it was — or some totally random place. I could scream. The caps key goes off before I even have a chance to type. It’s basically doing the same thing as the cursor. Totally uncontrollable. And this back arrow editing thing is insane. Almost everything it suggests is not a real word so just trying not to touch it. I’m so regretting iOS 17.

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Oct 17, 2023 2:13 PM in response to KateT1208

I just wrote a long text and nearly cried. When I scroll to a place to edit the whole thing suddenly flips to another place. Trying to control the cursor is useless. If I put the cursor somewhere it immediately pops back to the last place it was — or some totally random place. I could scream. The caps key goes off before I even have a chance to type. It’s basically doing the same thing as the cursor. Totally uncontrollable. And this back arrow editing thing is insane. Almost everything it suggests is not a real word so just trying not to touch it. I’m so regretting iOS 17.

Oct 22, 2023 12:55 PM in response to Susie237

I, too, am going crazy trying to edit long text messages ever since updating to iOS 17. It seems that you can only edit text that fits into the initial text message block. Once there is a need to scroll higher, you are out of luck and cannot edit the text that lurks above the block. I tried all of the suggested fixes, but they do not help. I was glad to discover that I am not the only experiencing this problem, but I really hope that Apple addresses this bug asap.

Nov 10, 2023 11:16 AM in response to KateT1208

I have done the recommended fixes in this forum to no avail. This morning, I installed the iOS 17.1.1 update and was only able to get it to work once, and only after repeated tries. Will submit a fix request to Apple suggested above. I hope they get this fixed soon. I have used notes to created text for a message but this should not be necessary. iMessage worked fine until iOS 17 update. It is a royal pain!

Oct 30, 2023 2:00 PM in response to Susie237

Hi! Just got done crying for this exact reason but just realized something. When I’m trying to place my cursor at the top half of the long message it doesn’t let me and does the same things you described and my keyboard also goes away when trying to scroll up to the place I want to make an edit but for some reason when I swipe away the message app to return to my home page and then go right back I’m suddenly able to? And I don’t mean fully swiping the messages app from all the recent opened apps on your phone I simply mean just getting out of messages and going right back. Try that! It seems to be the only way to fix the issue lol.

Dec 4, 2023 9:05 AM in response to Andr3a33

I keep reposting these two workarounds, because I’m not sure where we are in these various threads. One I discovered myself, I actually stumbled upon it on some apple support website. The other was suggested by multiple users.

  1. Go all the way to the bottom of the text message, position the cursor below the bottom of the text message. Press the space bar until the keyboard turns gray. Keep your finger on the screen. Then you should be able to move the cursor around in the message and position where you need to be. Not perfect, but it generally works as long as you start at the very bottom of the message.
  2. Several users have mentioned that the cursor is actually where you need it to be, it is just the view that is wrong. So if you just start texting or dictating, you are actually in the correct position and your view will adjust so you can see what you are typing or dictating and then you are fine. I have found this to generally work, although it messes with my head more than I would like to admit.


Oct 7, 2023 10:47 AM in response to KateT1208

Experiencing this too. Driving me nuts. Makes editing message impossible.


Took me forever to find this thread because there so many similarly worded issues in threads from the past - but this is new. Never experienced this before.


I too. Just upgraded to iPhone 15 from a 12. Exact same issue as poster described.


tried all resets and shutting off accessibility zoom and shrinking text size etc etc etc.

Dec 8, 2023 7:06 AM in response to joysoul

I am having the same problem with my iPhone 13. It started happening recently, at the beginning of December, after a software update. (That is what I attributed that problem to, since until that software update, everything was functioning well!)


i spent a considerable amount of time in bewilderment, trying to find a way to steady the cursor in a desired place in text, and I succeeded a couple of times, but couldn’t pinpoint what I was going differently in the successful attempts.


At this point, the only way around it, is by breaking up the longer text into shorter segments within which the cursor still obeys the commands.


This is a huge issue, and I am

quite certain that it will have to be fixed! The sooner - the better!

Dec 6, 2023 9:25 PM in response to KateT1208

I tried something tonight that worked. I sent a long nonsense message to myself. Then, I had two of the same message to myself. I tapped and held on the gray message as if I was going to forward the message. I could not get the cursor up to the top of the message. But, when I did the same thing on the blue message, again as if I was going to forward it, It gave an option to edit the message. I tapped on that, and I was able to move the cursor anywhere in the message. So, until they fix this, if I am writing a long message to someone but find I need to edit it, I’ll send it to myself first, tap on the blue message, edit it, and then forward it to the intended recipient.

Oct 5, 2023 4:05 AM in response to KateT1208

It sounds like you're experiencing a text editing issue on your new iPhone 15 Pro Max with iOS 17 when trying to edit a long text message. This could be a bug or an issue with the new iOS version. To address this problem, you can try the following steps:


1. Restart your iPhone: Sometimes, minor glitches can be resolved by simply restarting your device.


2. Check for Software Updates: Ensure that your iPhone is running the latest iOS version. Apple often releases updates that address various bugs and issues.


3. Reset Keyboard Settings: You can reset your keyboard settings by going to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Keyboard Dictionary. This might help with the text editing behavior.


4. Report the Issue to Apple: If the problem persists, consider reporting it to Apple through the Feedback app or their official support channels. This can help them identify and address the issue in future updates.


In the meantime, you can also explore third-party keyboard apps from the App Store as they may offer different text editing features that could meet your needs.

Oct 17, 2023 2:46 PM in response to Susie237

Susie237 wrote:

I just wrote a long text and nearly cried.

I have, for years, recommended using Notes if you're going to compose long messages. Text messaging apps just aren't designed for doing that. The are designed for short messages and tend to give unexpected results when used for longer one. This is especially true if you think you may need to switch to another app in the middle of writing. You may find the message is gone when you switch back to Messages (has to do with memory management). Once you've created the message, it's very easy to send it to the Messages app using the share icon (square with an arrow coming out of the top).

Dec 6, 2023 9:04 AM in response to KateT1208

This is absolutely a frustrating bug. I am not sure why Apple started moving the screen around on people trying to

text. And, yes, now we can’t move the cursor to the beginning. It is so frustrating that these tech developers keep over-developing and controlling what the user is trying to do. Apple, Facebook, Google etc etc, keep controlling and intruding. Just Keep it simple and let people use without frustrating us !!!

Can't drag the cursor up in text messages on new iphone 15 Pro iOS 17

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