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iMessage Notifications Delayed

Whenever I receive an iMessage from someone, I don't get notified until about 3-8 minutes later. Messages will say the text was delivered at (for example) 2:38, but I won't be notified about it until 2:44. Any idea why this may be?


I've tried reactivating iMessage and I've tried restarting my phone. I may restore it when I get home tonight, but I'd like to see if there are any other solutions before I do so. Thanks.

iPhone 5, iOS 7.0.3

Posted on Oct 29, 2013 2:12 PM

Reply
70 replies

Jul 14, 2018 1:02 AM in response to danimal10242

I also have the delayed imessge issue. I don't forsee Apple or ST caring about the delayed messaging. I have read many forums and it appears to be a larger issue than ST. A handful of my coworkers have the same delayed imessge issue we are experiencing and I am the only one with a pre-paid service.


Well, I have not talked in depth with them, but, they claim they have messaging delays all the time now.

Jul 14, 2018 1:02 AM in response to danimal10242

My issues with 7.0.3 are deeper than just delayed imessage. My phone won't always wake up to notify me of a new message/email or such. Many times my phone notifies me of a new message, shows a preview, but, when I click on the message there is no text entered. 4-5 mins later, the text appears. My phone has been restored as new and the problems persist.


As far as other carriers, today during lunch I chatted with a buddy who uses Verizon on his iphone 5 and on his wife's iphone 4s. Her 4s has been having delayed imesssages. Her's is delayed upto 30 mins at bad times. The worst I've had is 2 hours exactly. He said they both updated to 7.0.3 last week and that is when their problems began.


Does that mean their problem is the same as ours? who knows. I just question if the problem is larger than TFW. Either way, I would like it to be fixed.

Jul 14, 2018 1:02 AM in response to danimal10242

When I did a restore last night from itunes, it popped up saying I had a carrier settings update available. Maybe tonight I will restore again and not apply the update and just manually enter them in again with the sim swap method. See if that makes a difference.


*NEVERMIND* I see a poster above tried changing his APN settings with no favorable outcome.


As far as my coworker on Verizon, who knows. Like I said, a handful of coworkers have been complaining of delayed imessages. I am the only pre-paid customer. I do believe the carrier settings are to blame, but I wonder if there is a larger issue also at play.

Jul 14, 2018 1:02 AM in response to bborland10

Something I tested today. A buddy of mine and I sat next to each other and texted back and forth using imessage until the issue occured. We were unable to get the delay to occur but noticed a strange time stamp flaw.


He sent his reply at 2:30pm, I received it at 2:30pm according to my phones clock at the top of the screen, yet, imessage put a time stamp of 2:35pm on the message. 2:35pm had not happened yet, yet my phone was claiming I had recieved a message at that time.


Odd

Jul 14, 2018 1:02 AM in response to danimal10242

My data is fast enough enought. 10-20mb down. 2-4 up for 48.00 a month. Id rather just turn off imessage than switch really. I have no issues with someone promoting Go-Phone, but, for me, the price, speed, disableling imessage is worth saving 12.00 a monht.

Jul 14, 2018 1:02 AM in response to danimal10242

My mail is set to manually check for mail. I do have 1 app that also has delays in push notifications. But, I don't find that I care enough. I leave my imessage enabled as my family only has imessage available. But, I am considering asking them to use What's app or something else and just disabling imessage.

Jul 14, 2018 1:02 AM in response to Jumpn4JC

Well, with my GoPhone sim and the $60.00 a month play all is well. My notifications are back to working correctly and I also have use of visual voicemail again.


AT&T was able to port my number back from StraightTalk so that was a plus. Though, I was unwilling to give up my number.


StraightTalk cost me 50.04 each month vs GoPhone 60.00 so, I'm paying 9.96 more a month but, it works. As for my Straight Talk service I plan to dispute the last charge of 50.04 with my credit card company, made on 11-13-13 given they did not provide the advertised service.


Speed wise GoPhone and StraightTalk both speedtest out at around 20 down / 3 up at home and 26up / 4 down at work. So if there is a difference I can't tell.


Danimal, thank you for the suggestion of switching. I was hesitant, and I would prefer not to pay 10.00 more a month, but, it is nice to have a 100% functioning phone/notification system again.


Jeff

Jul 14, 2018 1:02 AM in response to Community User

For anyone porting out from any TFW Trac Fone Wireless account, you will need 2 things:

1. your account number, which is the on the sim card itself and also on the original credit card sized platic tray your sim card arrived attached to. your account number is the underlined portion of your sim serial number. Or you can find it on the RED Activation Card, it is labeled Serial Number.


2. your pin. If you are a BYOP Bring Your Own Phone customer, your pin is the last 4 digits of your phone number.

Jul 14, 2018 1:02 AM in response to Community User

One last update. Been a couple days and all is well. My notifications are working as expected with GoPhone. I have learned that AT&T has 2 prepaid services, GoPhone and a new carrier, AIO Wireless. AIO is 55.00 a month vs 60.00 but they throttle data speeds to 8mpbs if that matters to you. It does to me. AIO is owned and operated by AT&T so I would imagine their service would be = to GoPhones.


I am happy with the GoPhone plan and appreciated being able to call 611 and talk with AT&T's customer service when needed and have access to their stores for support.


Jeff

Jul 14, 2018 1:02 AM in response to Jumpn4JC

No, I have had no issues since porting my number to AT&T prepaid (gophone). All has been well. I could not be happier with the switch. I havn't noticed any difference with data, voice, texting or notifications now compared to my AT&T postpaid account.

Jul 14, 2018 1:02 AM in response to kuttu33

I had an AT&T compatible sim card on ST. I went to a corporate AT&T store in my area. The manager said he would not be able to port the number, but an associate was willing to try. It took 45 mins before she was able to get it to go through.


At one point she said it wasn't going to work and they might need to assign me a new number. I said if that was the case, I would sign up for a different carrier as I was unwilling to lose my number.


I think the problem comes from my # being with ST was really with AT&T already, so AT&T is unsure how to port their own number to their own service if that makes sense. ST didn't own my number, AT&T did. ST just pays AT&T for my service. What they ended up doing is the same thing AT&T does when you switch from AT&T postpaid to GoPhone, they do some sort of internal transfer.


I didn't ask any details, I was just happy that after 45 mins I was able to leave the store.


Best of luck,


Jeff

Nov 6, 2013 6:39 PM in response to Jumpn4JC

I am having the same issue, its been going on for about 2 weeks now, I have done all the things reccomended, i have turned off and on imessage, i have signed out signed into imessage and facetime, i have restored my phone twice through itunes while on the phone with apple support for them to hold my hand through it, I have talked with apple regarding this issue and they have nothing else to tell me but "we will escalate this problem to our engineers and we will call you back" Of course they havent called me back and its impossible to reach the same advisor you were talking to, this happens over wifi and 4g, i have tested my wifi speed and im getting 17mbps down and 1.5 mbps up, also on 4g im getting 6-8mbps down and 1.2 mbps up, I am on net 10, using 7.0.3 updated carrier settings and still getting messages about 3-15 mins later, specifically imessages, sms text is all fine, i get those notifications just fine, i have a 100% feeling this is software related, i have never had this issue before on any previous version of iOS. HAVE you found the cure???? IF SO TELL MEEEEEE!!! I got an iphone specifically for iMessage and facetime.


Thanks....

Dan...

Nov 6, 2013 6:58 PM in response to Jumpn4JC

My friend, I just happened to have a crisis when I upgraded my wife's iphone 5 to the infamous 7.0.3 iOS. Immediately after the upgrade I noticed that the iMessage and Facetime services were not activated, and the "waiting for activation" message stayed there for over an hour.


2 hours later and after calling the TMobile guys, they referred me to the Apple experts in Tmobile and they told me that there is an actual global outage in one of the Apple servers (got to be more, since the issue is global, or this server is larger than my house), and that it is taking up to 24 hours to activate the imessage and facetime services. Who knows how much are existing messages taking in terms of delays.


So just have been adviced by my carrier to hold tight and wait for a better tomorrow. Want to hear the sad side of the story? I called the Apple Store at the Mall of America, here in Minneapolis, and the store manager and NONE of the genius bar people were aware of the problem. Seems that these guys at Apple take many things for granted.


Patience, I guess, is my recommendation. Good luck!

Nov 6, 2013 7:03 PM in response to Rsoria72

Thanks for the quick response, its not that imessage and facetime arent activating, they activate in seconds! Thats not the issue tho, its the delay with iMessage, and as i said before, i have done everything apple has asked me to do, its just the delays with imessage, 3-15 mins later ill get notified of a message, and its not just with one person, its with others who are imessaging me.

Nov 7, 2013 4:06 PM in response to danimal10242

Hi danimal10242,


I have not found a long lasting solution to the problem. However, I have found that if I turn off iMessage and then turn it back on, I get iMessages instantly for a short period of time, then it goes back to the regular 3-15min delay. I, too, have this problem over wifi with 11 down and 2 up, and over LTE with 18 down and 5 up.


I guess we'll just have to patiently wait for iOS 7.0.4 or 7.1 and pray that it fixes the issue :/


-Jumpn4JC

iMessage Notifications Delayed

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