Hi all,
I would typically go through a couple of things to solve a problem like this. Its a touch methodical, but I find it eliminates possible issues by being careful and comprehensive. These problems typically have to do with Continuity features, which are totally awesome and amazing, but if one of your devices gets out of sync, getting not just that device fixed, but everything else back in sync can be a little tricky. It rarely happens (I've only had it twice), and if you are methodical its easily fixed.
Assumptions: Before we get started, these instructions assume:
- You are using the iPhone as the primary text messaging device and its attached to a phone number.
- You have an Apple account, have the plan to use that same apple account across all your devices. If not (you are a family), this gets more complicated.
- You have more than a single Apple device. If you don't have a device I've listed below, just skip that section.
- You follow the order of instructions below, there's a reason as described in the notes. Things work differently if you go in a different order and you will need to circle back around.
Pre-Resolution Diligence
- Make sure everything is running backups (iCloud or otherwise). Make sure these are recent. Small step, important in the rare event anything goes wrong.
- Go through all your devices (iPhone, iPad, Macs) and make sure you are updated to the most recent operating systems. If not, go ahead and do that. Continuity is still relatively new, and there are likely still small tweaks - being on the newest OS'es gives you the best chance of having all fixes. Being out of sync on OS versions across devices can sometimes lead to little errors, especially in the case of something as rare as continuity features getting out of sync. In the IT world, these are considered exception and/or regression testing scenarios; they are the toughest to plan for - so just get your OS'es in sync to avoid this being an exception case:)
- Restart all your devices, even if you needed a restart as a part of the process of installing the updates.
Actual Issue Resolution
As its a message issue, go take a look on each device at your Messages settings.
- On your Mac's, go to the Messages app. Click the Messages Menu -> Log In - make sure it logs you in correctly. Then go to Messages -> Preferences -> Accounts, and make sure you are logged into your iMessages account. If its not in there, add that account and log in. Your Mac is ready to sync with your other devices - if you didn't have to do any of these, you've pretty much eliminated your Mac as part of the cause of the issue.
Note: Its important to do this step first as you will need to be logged into your Messages app later in the process when you are making sure your Text Message forwarding is all set up.
- Start with your iPad(s):
Go to Settings -> Messages, and turn the iMessage button on. You may get asked to log into your account - just go ahead and do that. When I have these sorts of issues, even if iMessage is already on, I turn it off and then turn it on again.
- Now, move to your iPhone.
Go to Settings -> Messages, and turn the iMessage button on. You may get asked to log into your account - just go ahead and do that. When I have these sorts of issues, even if iMessage is already on, I turn it off and then turn it on again.
Next, go to the Text Message forwarding selection in the same location in your Messages Settings. Make sure that is selected and turned on as well for each of the devices you want to receive and stay in sync with your texts (I sync my iPad and MacBook Pro).
- Notes: When you turn off your iMessage in the step above, it will turn off any Text Message forwarding you previously had set up. Its not a big deal to turn them back on, when you turn each device on, it will send a code to that device (on your iPad it shows up on the main screen as a popup, on your Mac it shows up as a popup in the Messages app). Enter that code into the iPhone and now that device is in sync.
Now, have a friend send you some text messages and reply to those and see how things are working.
I hope this helps! Its how I've fixed things, and hopefully having all this in once place will make it easier for those of you dealing with similar issues vs. having to figure it out in pieces like I did.
