Messages Phone Number Problem

Question

Level 4

1,397 points

Messages Phone Number Problem

I've got a MBP running Mtn Lion. Messages will not bring up, nor can I add my iPhone's cell number to my Messages account.

My iPhone is running iOS 5.1.1.

Having said that, my wife's iPhone, running iOS 6.0.1 is showing up as the default number on my Messages account. Apparently when an iPhone is running iOS 6, it will show up as a possible phone number for Messages...

Messages has a bit of double-speak associated with this problem. The Messages help pages indicate that the phone numbers that show up are those associated with the Apple ID (but they don't on my system). However, I've read (and darned if I can't find the text again, now), that an iPhone running iOS 6 will show up as a number for the Apple ID...

I've tried adding my phone number to the "add email address" field (per another thread's solution), but this hasn't worked for me...

So, short of upgrading my iPhone's iOS (which I'd rather not do until the iOS 6 maps fiasco has been remedied, or Google Maps is available as an app, again), is anyone aware of a fix to this problem...

Any thoughts?!?!

Thanks

Bob

iMac, Mac OS X (10.7.4), Powerbook G4, Mac Plus

Posted on Dec 4, 2012 10:41 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Dec 6, 2012 1:59 PM in response to Bob Gold

Hi,

In general it pays to Stop the iPhone Messages app (break with the iMessages Server) and then restart it.

If this does not work then remove the Apple ID on the iOS 6.x iPhone and then close Messages

reopen Messages after a few minutes.

Re-add the Apple ID.

The iPhone should now should both the iPhone Number ticked (but greyed out) and the Apple ID as ticked for Send and Receive.

I then got a message on restarting Messages on the Mac that the iPhone Number and the Apple ID were going to be added to Messages (with an Accept box to have they as working aliases)

The iPhone 5.1.1 is only going to "Sync" the Apple ID iMessages it gets.

9:58 PM Thursday; December 6, 2012

Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"

 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Mountain Lion 10.8.2)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
 Couple of iPhones and an iPad
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

Reply

Answer 2

Bob Gold Author

Level 4

1,397 points

Dec 6, 2012 5:59 PM in response to Ralph-Johns-UK

Thanks for the reply Ralph...

I attempted the "fixes" you suggested, above... Unfortunately, none of them would get the iPhone 5.1.1 phone number to come up on my Mac Messages.... I do get the various messages you reference (on my Mac for my wife's iPhone (6.0.1).

I am able to send and receive messages to/from my gmail account, but was hoping to be able to 'delete' my wife's iPhone number from my Mac's Message account...

I don't really understand your comment that, "The iPhone 5.1.1 is only going to "Sync" the Apple ID iMessages it gets." Thoughts?

thanks!

Bob

Reply

Answer 3

Dec 7, 2012 12:28 PM in response to Bob Gold

Hi,

To get the Mac App Messages and an iPhone to get the iPhone Number into Message as a Send and Receive item you have to be on OS X 10.8.2 and iOS 6 at least.

At iOS 5.1.1 the Message App on the iPhone will only "sync" the iMessages sent to the iPhone that were sent to the Apple ID.

The iPhone Number's Messages will not sync to the Messages app on the Mac.

iMessages sent to the iPhone Number therefore tend to be "private" from the syncing that is going on with iMessages to the Apple ID

Apple uses the word "sync" but "Display on all devices" is a more accurate description as what you do with the iMessage on one device does not show up on others.

You will have noticed that on the iPhone in Settings > Messages that the "Receive at" has become Send and Receive and includes the iPhone Number.

This is replicated to some extent in the Messages version 7.0.1 (At the OS X 10.8.2 update) with the iPhone Number(s) being a Send From option in the drop down at the bottom.

For the Points

8:25 PM Friday; December 7, 2012

Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"

 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Mountain Lion 10.8.2)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
 Couple of iPhones and an iPad
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

Reply

Answer 4

Bob Gold Author

Level 4

1,397 points

Dec 7, 2012 5:44 PM in response to Ralph-Johns-UK

Ralph,

Thanks again... I was hoping there was a workaround with my iPhone running 5.1.1... After Google (hopefully) comes out with a Google Maps App for the iPhone, I'll update to iOS 6, which will make the whole issue on my Mtn Lion laptop moot...

Hope things are warmer in the UK than here in AK...

Bob

Reply

Answer 5

Dec 8, 2012 12:26 PM in response to Bob Gold

Hi Bob,

For the Points

The weather has been cold this last week with a large depression over Scotland bring cold air down from the Artic.

This led to Snow lying on the ground as far south as the South East coast of England (The bits to the east of Southampton and the Isle of Wight) .

This is fairly unusual for this time of year.

The Temp right now

8:23 PM Saturday; December 8, 2012

Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"

 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Mountain Lion 10.8.2)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
 Couple of iPhones and an iPad
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

Reply