iPhone to Android iMessage bug fix

sheryltoo wrote:

I don't understand why Apple can't do something internally that will allow my iphone friends to continue sending me text messages without any issues.

Apple did, your friends just do not want to use regular (carriers) texts to you. Every iphone allows to send messages two different ways. One way is imessage and another carriers SMS. Android phones use SMS only.

Once your friend sends you imessage it tells him that you have no iphone anymore and he/she needs to use SMS. If they choose not to- you are not receiving messages. They can also change setting that I referred to before and then it will be sent automatically. They choose not to do that either. Suppose you will continue blaming Apple for your friend's choice, despite me explaining all that to you anyway.

No, that's not what is happening here.

iOS devices that are sending iMessages to these "hijacked" mobile numbers (for lack of a better word) are getting a red exclamation warning that the iMessage did not go through. If that user presses on the exclamation warning, they are prompted to send as as SMS (for that single instance only).

However, that iOS device does not "remember" that the hijacked mobile number is SMS, not iMessage (and there is NO WAY to tell it otherwise). The user of that iOS device has no "choice" to make to tell it that the hijacked mobile number is SMS, not iMessage. Instead, you would have to continue to manually press the red exclamation prompt for each individual message.

This is a problem that Apple needs to fix.

Boow wrote:

No, that's not what is happening here.

iOS devices that are sending iMessages to these "hijacked" mobile numbers (for lack of a better word) are getting a red exclamation warning that the iMessage did not go through. If that user presses on the exclamation warning, they are prompted to send as as SMS (for that single instance only).

However, that iOS device does not "remember" that the hijacked mobile number is SMS, not iMessage (and there is NO WAY to tell it otherwise). The user of that iOS device has no "choice" to make to tell it that the hijacked mobile number is SMS, not iMessage. Instead, you would have to continue to manually press the red exclamation prompt for each individual message.

This is a problem that Apple needs to fix.

You have incorrect information. Once Apple takes your phone number out of imessage database(and that is why you need to contact Apple first), any iphone if you allowed it (by turning on "send as SMS" setting) will send message properly. If you didn't turn it on- it will tell you "buddy, it ain't getting delivered by imessage, would you like to send as SMS" - you choose no - it will not.

You choose yes and allow and it will. Hopefully, you never turned it off before, but some people just need to know how to use iphone efficiently. That is why these forums exist.

I didn't know what you meant by SMS. I now realize that's a term that stands for a different type of text message other then imessage.

I will relay this information to my friend but if my friend was able to send me text messages before I tried an iphone and is able to send text messages to other friends of his with Android phones, wouldn't that mean that his settings are set correctly?

I really don't know much about iphones or even Android phones for that matter so I hope you'll forgive my ignorance.

One more thing, I'm not trying to blame anyone in fact, when I realized there was a problem my first step was to go to my cell phone carrier and have them fix the problem. I still had the iphone because I thought I'd use it as a music player so I brought both phones to my cell phone carrier. They noticed imessage was turned on and they turned it off hoping that would solve the problem. They said if it didn't, I'd have to call Apple because this has been a continuing problem. It didn't fix anything so I called my cell phone carrier and complained. They too said this was a known problem and they would have to connect me with an Apple representative to get it fixed. I guess that's why I figured this is an Apple issue. The Apple rep said my phone number had been removed from their portal and told me my friends had to delete my text and me as a contact then put me back in their phones and this would fix the problem but like I said in another post, it didn't work for all my contacts.

I have no idea who is to blame but it makes absolutely no sense to me why any of my iphone friends would have to do anything differently to their phones in order to once again send me a text on the exact same phone with the exact same number that I used before trying an iphone.

Imagine that you have friend in other country (regular texts are expensive from there). Would you really blame her if he/she was able imessage to you for free and now every time he/she is trying to send imessage (free) to you - she is reminded by her iphone that there is no more free breakfast and she has to pay for text messages (SMS). Would you blame Apple for not having imessage on Android, or your friend for unwillingness to pay? Same happens here. No matter how many times you call carrier or Apple - neither of them will make your friend pay for those messages. They will just tell you that they know about that problem.

I'm not quite sure I see any comparison here. If you're saying that some service that was once free will now cost something, then yes, the person should pay or just not use the service any more but if the service was always free and is still free but they're getting charged for some unknown reason, then someone needs to fix it.

In the issue we've been talking about, Apple has taken responsibility and seems to think they've fixed it. The Apple representative was even willing to talk to my friend and be sure they understood the steps they'd have to take on their iphone in order to send me text messages again but unfortunately my friend wasn't available when I was talking to Apple so I relayed the information to my friend and he followed all the steps several times with no complete success, then finally got fed up and decided he'd just send the text, get the error, then resend the text.

At this point, I'm not even sure he's willing to try anything else but what worries me are my friends who don't even know there's an issue and might just think my phone doesn't accept text messages any more.

I only used an iphone for 2 months and didn't even realize that once I sign into my apple account on an iphone, I have automatically signed up for imessage but the Apple rep helping me let me know that's how I ended up with a subscription to imessage. Apple seems to work a lot differently from the basic phone I use to use and now an Android phone but my friend has been using an iphone ever since the first one came out and has all the text messages features turned on.

Now in reading your response to Boow, I'm thinking you think my friend doesn't have sms turned on which isn't true.

He also doesn't see any option to choose how you send a text. The iphone always knew which format, server, or message server the text was going to until someone goes from an iphone to a different operating system like an Android phone. If he can send text messages to other Android users without any errors or problems, shouldn't he be able to do the same with me? I'm really confused now as to what setting he's supposed to change.

There is no solution for this problem on these forums.

To those who are having the same problem, I will at least say this: Apple phone support has been polite and diligent in trying to find a solution. However, thus far, they have been unable to find one.

fromsouth wrote:

You have incorrect information.

* * *

That is why these forums exist.

I agree with you Boow about there being no solution. There's lots of suggestions and some of them seem to work for some people or even for some of your contacts but not all. That's kind of what's got me scratching my head.

I have at least 3 contacts that were able to delete my text and contact info, then reenter my infor and can now send me text messages.

I also know of at least one contact that never even experienced any difficulties sending me text messages after I switched back to an Android phone but this person still has the original operating system that came with her 4S phone. The contact with my greatest difficulty is someone who has numerous apple products and has upgraded all his products to the newest operating system. I'm just wondering if things hang in the cloud even when you delete them and they show something is gone.

Maybe one day someone will have all the answers.

If your cell phone carrier gives you a new cell phone number, I would assume it would fix the problem but I can't say for sure. One person did post a message either in this thread or some other thread saying that's what they ended up doing to fix things but that's one person.

I have learned that what works for one person doesn't always work for another but I would think in this situation, it should fix things since Apple won't have this new number locked in their portal.

So after two months, it seems I found the problem (at least on my end).

Recap:

I turned off imessage on old phone.

I changed imessage password.

Apple confirmed (twice) my phone number was not linked to imessage.

Deleted my contact info from my wife's phone.

Deleted EVERY message that had me or my number in it.

Began testing.

If my wife sent a text from her apple to my android, it would begin sending as imessage, faile, then resend automatically as text.

If my wife sent a group text to an iphone user and me, it would not resend me text as a text. It would only send as an imessage and I wouldn't get it.

After trying EVERYTHING, I called Apple again today as my wife and I are both home from work.

Turns out (as suspected) it was an apple problem on my wife's phone. We reset the "network settings" on her phone.

I manually entered my phone number to send a text (cellular only) after the network reset.

The text was sent as a text only!

Entered wifi info.

Deleted previous message and tried again.

The text was sent as a text only!

Tried another message....

Again, it worked!

Deleted that message and sent a group message to an iphone user and me. The message was sent as a text message!

Although I'm agrivated that it took so long, I'm releived that I can get messages from my wife again.

Hope that helps others.

Congrats on fixing your wife's phone, that's got to be a relief. Unfortunately, everyone else you know that has an iPhone still can't text you. The only real fix is getting a new phone number. It sounds inconvenient, but it feels so good getting a fresh start and knowing anyone and everyone who wants to text me can. I hope you figure it out.

I've been able to narrow down the people that are having problems.

I'll ask them to reset network settings as well and that should resolve the issue.

Same steps I followed above.

Is it REDICULOUS I have to do that?

Yes. It is.

But at least the problem is addresses.

Hi,

Read the posts and still nedd some guidance.

I switched from an Verizon iPhone 4 to a Moto X. I am unable to get text/group text messages from my roommates having iPhones.

I have sent the code provided my Verizon to Apple to unregister from iMessage.

Using iCloud I unregistered the old iPhone.

None of which worked.

I understand there is an SMS switch in settings but I asssume it effects all the messages sent.

Is there a set of settings I can ask my roomates to make that will send messages to my telephone number in SMS and not effect their iMessages to their other iPhone users?

The only thing, that I can suggest is to ask your friends to delete that group thread conversation and restart group message again. Looks like their phones cached your iMessage information. Since you are probably only one who does not get those messages, their phones ignore decline of iMessage server and do not update your info properly. Best of luck.