iPhone to Android iMessage bug fix

If you have called Apple and had them deactivate your iMessage account then the issue you are having is a problem between carriers or your brothers iPhone.

TJBUSMC1973 wrote:

Because the send as SMS option is only for when the iMessage doesn't get sent from the device properly, not for when it's not received by the other device properly. If the iMessage server shows that the phone number is still linked to iMessage, then it will try to send as an iMessage.

The solution is to call Apple to have them revoke the iMessage & Facetime certification from the phone number in question.

We agree on the problem - that it's with the device SENDING the message (which, in the context of this thread is iPhones - sending to non iPhones). It just seems we don't agree that Apple did anything wrong. The process of sending the message "properly" can, and should, include a check that the recipient is, or is not capable of receiving an iMessage. If not, send as SMS. Done and done. What's so complex about that? The protocol allows Apple to perform this check, but they apparently don't.

As many others have pointed out in this thread, calling Apple doesn't fix it - at least not for everyone. Apple told me the certificate was revoked for my number. I called over a month ago and I still have people tell me they sent me a text, and I never got it. I ask if it shows as iMessage and they confirm.

TJBUSMC1973 wrote:

sheryltoo wrote:

If this is not an Apple issue, as you suggest, why is it that only iphone users are having a problem sending an Android user a text message?

Because those Apple users are trying to send an iMessage to a phone number that is still registered in the iMessage server as linked to to an iPhone that has iMessage enabled.

It technically is an Apple issue, but only because the users switching from iPhones to non-iPhones are (usually) not turning off the iMessage feature on their iPhone.

If an iPhone user never turned on iMessage, then they'd never have this problem.

Additionally, the iMessage system is set up so that after a certain amount of time that a particular phone number doesn't use iMessage or Facetime, it is automatically deregistered. You can speed up this process by contacting Apple Support and having them revoke the certificate.

Has anyone that has actually called Apple Support and had the iMessage certificate revoked still had this issue after 48 hours has passed?

Sounds like we agree again, at least on the facts; still sounds like you are drawing a different conclusion about whether or not Apple is at fault here.

1) Yes, Apple users "are trying to send an iMessage" - not by choice, but because their phone has been rigged by Apple to screw everyone else. People use iMessage and Text Messaging interchangably. They don't talk about them as if they are two separate things. That's because the expectation from person A is that if they send a message to person B, they just want it to get there. They don't care if it goes as SMS or iMessage - most people with iPhones probably don't even know there is a difference.

If you asked any of them, I bet they'd say "hey, yep it would be nice if my phone didn't just send those iMessages into a void, but instead checked to make sure there is an iPhone at the other end to receive an iMessage, otherwise send as SMS.

2) Yes - it is technically an Apple issue; that's what we've been saying all along. Even users that turn of iMessage before switching have this problem.

3) Agreed - if iPhone users never turn on iMessage, they'd never have this problem. Are you suggesting that's the appropriate fix? Just don't use the feature because Apple intentionally made it suck for non Apple users? It is within Apple's power to check behind the scenes to make sure an outbound iMessage is viable, and if not, fall back to SMS; they choose not to for those that left for other devices; your fix is that everyone should just never have used iMessage to begin with?

4) I called over a month ago, was told my certificate was revoked, and still have the problem. I've called 3 subsequent times with no better results..

What's confusing is that if you never owned an iphone and your number has always been associated with a different operating system, Apple can successfully send you a text message. My brother never had any problems sending me text messages until I tried an iphone for 2 months and when I did try the iphone, I had no idea I was subscribing to imessage.

Apple does thing so differently from Android. You don't have to deactivate anything when you change phones which seems like it should be the case with Apple.

Perhaps Apple needs to figure out a way to link their phone number portals to the activation lines for cell phone carriers. When someone deactivates a phone with their carrier, I would have thought that sent a message to the Apple servers but apparently not.

iMessage is a closed messaging system that was copied from Blackberry Messenger (and BBM is still available.

You have to turn on iMessage to activate it. If you turn it off it goes away. If Google decided to start their own messenger service the same thing would apply.

That's just false. One of the updates they pushed out turned on imessage by defualt. They are tyring to punish non-Apple users which is typical.

You have to log into and activate iMessage, if you don't believe me do a search for all the people having problems getting iMessage to work.

There is no punishment here. If you turn iMessage off on your iPhone it will no longer be active. If you forget to do so you can call AppleCare and tell them you didn't do so and they will deactivate it.

You are very wrong my friend. http://www.businessinsider.com/everything-about-imessage-annoys-me-2012-9

No, I am not and you are not my friend.

That article is a year and a half old from one columnist. That proves nothing. With one exception every person I know who has moved from an iPhone was able to do so and not have a texting problem by either turning off iMessage before switching or calling afterwards. The one exception involved Sprint not provisioning the new phone correctly. One call took care of that issue.

deggie wrote:

No, I am not and you are not my friend.

That article is a year and a half old from one columnist. That proves nothing. With one exception every person I know who has moved from an iPhone was able to do so and not have a texting problem by either turning off iMessage before switching or calling afterwards. The one exception involved Sprint not provisioning the new phone correctly. One call took care of that issue.

How about the 100 or so people ******** about it in the 15+ pages of thread? You think we are all just making it up to annoy Apple Fanboys like you? Nope.

First I don't think there are 100 people here with the same problem, there are many people writing several times and some don't really have the same issue.

deggie wrote:

First I don't think there are 100 people here with the same problem, there are many people writing several times and some don't really have the same issue.

mkay. you're right, Apple is awesome and would never dream of intentionally making it difficult to leave their ecosystem. We are all just lying, since you know, your sample of 5 friends that didn't have trouble can clearly be extrapolated to the other 500 million people that own iPhones.

Never said that did I? Apple is not making it hard to leave since all you have to do is turn one switch from On to Off on their phone. If this is the best they can do at making it difficult to leave then they work harder. They also will turn it off if you call them.

If neither of those steps work there is another problem present that needs to be resolved.

I have seen no evidence that 500 million people are having a problem. If it is truly 100 people here what percentage of 500 million is that?

deggie wrote:

Never said that did I? Apple is not making it hard to leave since all you have to do is turn one switch from On to Off on their phone. If this is the best they can do at making it difficult to leave then they work harder. They also will turn it off if you call them.

If neither of those steps work there is another problem present that needs to be resolved.

I have seen no evidence that 500 million people are having a problem. If it is truly 100 people here what percentage of 500 million is that?

I don't have any idea how many people are having this problem but when it happened to me, like I said in some other post, my first course of action was to go to my cell phone carrier with both the iphone, since I still had it and my Android phone and see if they could fix it. I figured something was wrong with my phone. The first thing the rep did was "turn off imessage." I hadn't done it but then I never turned it on and not being Apple savy, had no idea that by just logging into an Apple account, that made it so I now had a "subcription" (to use the Apple care representative's term) to imessage.

My cell phone carrier said if turning off imessage didn't work, I'd have to contact Apple because this has been an on going problem for some time. Those were Verizon's words so obviously many people are having this problem. You are quite fortunate that your friends never had an issue but from all the google searching I've been doing ever since this annoying issue started, you seem to be one in a few.

If you love Apple products, I can understand why you don't want them taking the blame for this issue and I suppose in a way, those of us who switched from an iphone to an Android phone are to blame for leaving Apple. Shame on us for not wanting to use an iphone.

And after you called AppleCare did they they disconnect iMessage for you?

I don't care either way about Apple, it isn't a religion or my family. The fact that the Verizon rep, who sells iPhones, knows about this doesn't prove anything.