iPhone to Android iMessage bug fix

the moment a politician says so...which based on all of this chatter about it will be soon enough

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...

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) -

jpag99 wrote:

apple has not officially stated that it does not work either

Why would any company list everything a product does not do?

That's simply ridiculous.

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.

jmatteis wrote:

There has been NO RELEASE from APPLE saying what the proper procedure is to follow

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5538

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS5185

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>

jmatteis wrote:

There has been NO RELEASE from APPLE saying what the proper procedure is to follow,

iOS: Deactivating iMessage - Apple Support

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.