iPhone to Android iMessage bug fix

apple has not officially stated that it does not work either- there is a reason for that geekboy. something as trivial as text messaging (now 22 years old w ~7 trillion texts being sent worldwide in 2013) should be easy between iphones and non iphones without having to dick around with imessage or MMS switches- in the consumer business you always appeal to the lowest common demominator (that is the simpliest of users) -

Wow, um, no, they don't list all the stuff it can't do, but if something that THEY have created, is causing a compatibility issue, when someone leaves, they need to at least be humble enough to acknowledge it, and try to deal with it. Every app creator, when they do an update, lists the reason for the update and 9 out of 10 times, they simply list "bug fixes", but look, they can admit that they had faulty software, and fixed it.

Why wouldn't a company first off, come to the forums and explain that they have no idea what is causing it but are looking into it, or why wouldn't a company FIX an issue they have caused... simply ridiculous.

And no SMS is not guaranteed, but if person A (iPhone user) sends a message to Person B and Person C, and one gets it and the other doesn't and the common denominator of the people not receiving it is that they once were Apple users and iMessage users and now, they are not, then there lies the problem.

they have not officially released a statement because the software is designed to work correctly. any known incidents where it doesnt is considered a glitch or more likely, user error.

do u want apple to release a statement saying that a giant portion of its users are stupid? because thats what it would say if they wanted to be accurate about why this issue is so prevailant. the only issue that is commonly still unable to be fixed by following proper procedure is the group messaging bit. the rest of it will be fixed if proper procedures are followed.

imessage is meant to stay on for THAT # for up to 45 days. this has a time limit that is that long because activating ur # across all apple servers takes some doing. if they expired ur # out of the system every 24 hours instead u would have to reactivate ur # each day. when u activate ur # in the system by turning ur imessage on it tells everyone who has an iphone and sends u a text that u can receive imessages. apple realized that when people get a different phone they dont want to wait the 45 days to get their number out of the system so they set up MULTIPLE WAYS to get it out of the system. once u have done that then u have done everything u can on ur end to tell everyone that u are now using regular text and not imessage. if iphone users keep sending u imessages that means they dont have their settings correct AND they have not updated their software to receive the patch THAT FIXED THIS ISSUE WHEN APPLE SENT IT OUT.

but no, its ok. just keep complaining about the big bad apple and not offering a better solution to the problem. if u can figure it out and do it better then by all means. please let us know how thats possible.

What is the commonly followed procedure, because there are several, some include turning off imessage on your old device, some include telling your contacts who still use iphone to check the send as SMS button on their device, some include calling Apple and having them deregister your number, some include having the iphone user delete the contact, and then readd them, some include having the iphone user change the "description" of the number to Mobile instead of iPhone, and the list goes on, so which is it? There has been NO RELEASE from APPLE saying what the proper procedure is to follow, these are trial and error suggestions from users (obviously not stupid, if they can troubleshoot better than Apple, who appear to be the dumbfounded and stupid ones). It is not a glitch, you are right... it's a Problem, and not USER error. You yourself even admit that the group messaging is still a problem, and not fixable at the moment, but that must be all of us users...

And when I got my iphone going from android, imessage was instant, it didn't take any time... It is an apple problem... but the Fanboys will never let the big corporate machine take the hit... no...

I don't have to figure it out and offer the solution, I am not the corporation that created the problem, I am not under obligation to the end user, the creator is.

As for the FIX, my family members have all updated their devices... I can receive text messages from them, except from group...

However, when we got iPhones, we didn't have to do anything, iMessage took over automatically, and the same should be in reverse... a USER, and especially THEIR CONTACTS should not have to jump through hoops to have something change back to the way it was originally.

GeekBoy.from.Illinois wrote:

It is rather amazing, since SMS is not even guaranteed to be delivered, so now it becomes a public safety issue if iMessage (or SMS) messages don't get delivered on a messaging system that doesn't guarantee delivery...

What's amazing is all you folks defending Apple here. At best, this is a bug caused by incompetence (What's app, for example switched off within seconds) and at worst this is an intentional punitive "feature" for leaving the walled Apple garden. I understand you love Apple's products. For the most part, I do too. I have an iPad, two rMBPs and an iPhone. But I'm not religious and I like to switch devices every now and then to see how the other half lives. If I had ever known this would be an issue, I'd have taken any and all reasonable precautions to avoid it. That's the real issue here. All of us that have fallen prey to the issue could have had no reasonable expectations that this would be the case nor warning on how to avoid it. Calling us "stupid" for now knowing about this ahead of time begs the question.

First link talks of Facetime, and Imessage, but setting it up on your iDevice... second link is one of the many steps that Apple has offered, and some have had success and others haven't.

Been posted and discussed many times in this thread... thanks.

<Edited by Host>

but it does not when an iphone user migrates to a non iphone.

- iphone users will need to turn off imessage in order to get messages to former iphone users (for me and others I've spoken this is the ONLY way texts will arrive)...

but in doing so...

iphone users will no longer receive messages from other iphone users (via imessage)- and no, they do not come through as MMS.

It matters not for most if "Send as MMS" is switched on.

Just to be clear I have both an android and iPhone (2 phone lines) and experience this first hand after trying all of the suggested "fixes". Just curious, as you and a few others espouse all of your ball washing "knowledge" - do you have a non iphone and have you tested it first hand? Don't answer...we already know.

jpag99 wrote:

Just to be clear I have both an android and iPhone (2 phone lines) and experience this first hand after trying all of the suggested "fixes". Just curious, as you and a few others espouse all of your ball washing "knowledge" - do you have a non iphone and have you tested it first hand? Don't answer...we already know.

Once you understand what helps, you pretty much all set. And yes I have first hand, second hand and third hand experience. It is about help to new guys with the same problem for me. I do not repost that link for you or me just for new people who doesn't know. But it does help.

iOS: Deactivating iMessage - Apple Support

Lets explain that Apple article.

1. Imessage during activation process (as well as facetime) attaches your phone number to imessage server for

45 days. Since we all have iphones normally for longer periods it has to periodically re attach, but when we dump iphones it usually stays with server for the rest of those 45 days.

2. Two and only two ways to de attach phone number (and yes the number is yours)

a) turn imessage off on the iphone

b) call Apple to revoke it.

Only one of those needs to be done. If none of those was done - do that NOW.

Now we coming to why all that hoopla here. When our friends who's iphones still "remembers" that you use to have imessage send imessages to you because they (iphones) didn't connect properly to imessage server to get update (to my experience it mostly happens with elderly people who is least likely to update software) that your number was taken out. The best way that I found so far is to reset network settings on those iphones, but some people prefer to just turn imessage off and then on. And yes sometimes users have "send as SMS" turned off and that needs to change.

Now I expect hate posts that I defend Apple. I don't. I am trying to help to navigate newcomers in that current sea of hate.

South- i appreciate your feedback and, unlike a few others who used teenager like verbiage, glad we can have an adult conversation. I get it and agree - not everyone is technically inclined to follow all of the steps needed to do this. I can assure you that I've done everything Apple and others have suggested (i even changed my apple password). 90% of my peer network are well above average techies (all work in the business, including myself) so all we are left with is the wait and see on the "45 day" period.

I just double checked my switch date and I'm 9 days away from the 45 day period- so, all I can do is wait and see and once (to be safe) the 46th day comes I'll have them run through the same process as before and we'll know immediately if it worked.

I'll repost my results at that time in the hopes it works.

One more comment from me for today: the 45 day thing is, from what i can see, not referenced anywhere on an official apple help page. You are saying it and a few others have as well- but that's all i have to go on and have no reason not to believe you at this point. I'm an Apple fan (have been before Apple became the Apple we know today) - but there is no reason why this should not be oficially referenced somewhere. Not doing so adds to the frustration of this.

jpag99 wrote:

I'm an Apple fan (have been before Apple became the Apple we know today)

I am as far from Apple fan as humanly possible. I think that Apple has created an entity "Apple user" that is use to using overpriced outdated product that "just works" in artificially created environment. Before at least I felt it had one positive feature - security. After Apple artificially (I believe) retired facetime certificates in April - I stopped believing that.

It stopped innovating iphones since iphone 4s (icloud and siri were the last brilliance of now deceased genius). I think that the reason Apple has people leaving, cause it feels it still can threat customers the same way it treated them when there were millions less of those. Apple management lives in the dream world of their own making. All that has nothing to do with that thread though. That thread is precisely about people who leave "it just works" environment and expect to it just works after that. Typical "Apple customer" mentality. All pun intended. I do try to help to anyone who leaves Apple. I do not try or intend to help to "Apple customers" ranting here. Responses claiming someone is fanboy here are addressed to technicians, who just gives you facts. If doctor tells you you will live a year, you better get your affairs in order, instead of giving him a bribe or screaming at him that medicine su cks hoping to extend the term.

I'd just like to add that anyone who thinks this issue is fixed it wrong. I just called apple about this. Before someone says I don't like Apple I would like to mention that I have two iPads and iPhones. And I like apple products. One of my phones is switched to android now since my screen broke.

Apple told me that my phone number is de-registered from their servers. However anyone who has sent an iMessage to me has cashed a token on their phone. I verified this on my friend's iPhone 5 with latest updates. That phone did not recognize me as a non iPhone user until I reset all settings on his phone.

Apple told me it would be almost a month before all iOS devices out there will refresh my token. Maybe sooner they don't know. This is madness. I'm not telling everyone I know to reset their phone. This is not just an issue on the apple servers but also on iOS devices. And people who send me messages don't get the usual "not delivered".

I hope some lawyers are reading this. This a winner class action. It's almost like apple has created a virus for our benefit.

funny what you are saying as I agree. My iphone 5 is nothing more than a glorified iphone 4 with a slightly bigger screen. I'll say this as it's my opinion- the Galaxy S5 is a better phone today than the iPhone 5 (or 5S).

I've been in the tech sector for many years- from development to sales to marketing to the c-suite and Apple's agressive iPhone 5S TV campaign makes me wonder just what they plan to announce come fall. the skeptic in me says it's a bigger and slightly thinner 5 (faster too but let's face it speed is not an issue for 90% of users- battery life is) but do not expect anything overly radical. I get it, the iPhone is a great and simplified device that speaks to a wide spectrium of people young and old but at some point those of us in the middle (business users) need a little more horsepower. Android (google) needs a little bit of help but they are truly not far off at all...

I might be back on iPhone at some point in the mid future but, like you said, don't make me despise you because i needed to leave the hive for a period of time.

Going to agree with harsh_varia. Anyone who says there is a simple fix for this is wrong. There are from what I can tell 2 fundamental problems here. The first is easily addressed. Calling Apple will get your number removed from Apple's database of iMessage accounts and will prevent new people from trying to send you iMessages. Apple should probably work with the carriers to find a way to automate that process when people port their numbers, but at least this is easily remedied with a call to Apple.

The second issue though is a major flaw in the architecture of the iMessage client. iMessage doesn't seem to check to see if a phone number you have been sending to still has an iMessage account. So if you have existing message threads with someone, then you will continue sending them iMessages even if their account is no longer valid in the Apple database. And iMessage won't let the user select the type of message they want to send, so your friends won't necesarily notice that they sent you an iMessage unless they look at the color coding. (Which in truth is one of the things that makes iMessage so great. It keeps those kinds of decisions away from the user and just chooses what should work best for you. And that seems to work well in just about every circumstance except here.) Fixing that though will require a software update and Apple has been notoriously slow to do anything about it. I suppose another option is for Apple to make some changes server side that would reject iMessages send to phone numbers that have been deactivated. With iMessages being a closed platform, I can't really speculate the plausibility of that. The issue is probably compounded with group messaging. The majority of iMessages I don't get are group messages that involve multiple iPhone users. It might be trickier to send a fail notice when some accounts are valid but some aren't.

I'm not typically a conspirary theorist, but since this only affects people leaving the Apple ecosystem, you get the feeling that they are treating this as a low priority fix. It's exceptionally frustrating since there isn't much you can do about it other than telling all your friends to delete your messages, delete your contact, add you back in as a contact, and keep your fingers crossed. I haven't even heard from Apple if that is a confirmed way to fix it. They have been tight lipped about the whole thing and from what I can tell only have one partially useful knowledge base article. There have been a number of news articles about this issue recently though and it's starting to make Apple look bad. Let's hope that they add more resources to fixing this problem and get something out soon.

bluon wrote:

Apple should probably work with the carriers to find a way to automate that process when people port their numbers, but at least this is easily remedied with a call to Apple.

this. all of the this.

bluon wrote:

The second issue though is a major flaw in the architecture of the iMessage client. iMessage doesn't seem to check to see if a phone number you have been sending to still has an iMessage account. So if you have existing message threads with someone, then you will continue sending them iMessages even if their account is no longer valid in the Apple database. Fixing that though will require a software update and Apple has been notoriously slow to do anything about it. I suppose another option is for Apple to make some changes server side that would reject iMessages send to phone numbers that have been deactivated.

the latest software update was SUPPOSED to do exactly that. but judging from all the people who say they have tried that it doesnt seem to have worked.

and if anyone is wondering why i sound bipolar on the threads and jump around from defending apple to agreeing with others that are posting against the imessage issue like the thread i just quoted... its because of the context in the text. bluon posted what i believe to be the most intelligent thread in a long time on here. i find it a complete waste of time and space to see an entire page taken up with nothing but, "someone should sue apple" and "nothing works for anyone ever. dont bother doing the troubleshooting steps because it didnt work for me". im not defending apple against them. i just want to shut them up so we can get to the problem solving. so either post something helpful or expect to get rediculed by the people that are on here to discuss solutions. sorry if thats not sensitive enough for u guys but i am a very blunt person. i do not have any patience for nonsense. i know this post, like all of my other very blunt posts, will get me trolled again. but be warned, im just gonna post the feedback website again that dont have anything intelligent to add to the conversation because noone on here wants to hear u *****.