You can make a difference in the Apple Support Community!

When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

Empty text bubble?

Sometimes when I receive a text from either an iphone user or non-iphone user the text comes in as just an empty bubble with nothing inside of it? I have asked and the other user says that they sent a text with words and not just a space on accident. Why is this? Drives me crazy.

iPhone 6 Plus

Posted on Jan 8, 2015 5:29 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jan 8, 2015 5:37 PM

I have my imessage turned on as well as the sms if imessage is unavailable. What I dont understand is that it is random. Earlier today i was texting a friend through imessage because she has an iphone also and all of a sudden I got an empty one from her. Yesterday I was texting a friend without imessage because she has a droid just fine and all of a sudden a blank one came from her too??

11 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jan 8, 2015 5:37 PM in response to damaag

I have my imessage turned on as well as the sms if imessage is unavailable. What I dont understand is that it is random. Earlier today i was texting a friend through imessage because she has an iphone also and all of a sudden I got an empty one from her. Yesterday I was texting a friend without imessage because she has a droid just fine and all of a sudden a blank one came from her too??

Jan 8, 2015 6:09 PM in response to jessicafromla grande

Try a device reset. This may knock some sense back into the Messages app. It's totally safe. But first, shut down The Messages app:


Double-tapping the Home button will bring up the running apps icons along with an app screenshot "card" above the icon. Tap-drag the app's -card- (NOT the icon) up and off the screen.


Device Reset (won't affect settings/data/music/apps/etc)


1. Press and hold (& continue to hold) BOTH the Sleep/Wake button & the Home button.

2. Continue to hold BOTH (ignoring any other messages that may show) until you see the Apple logo on the screen.

3. Release BOTH buttons when you see the Apple logo and allow the device to boot normally.

Jan 8, 2015 6:24 PM in response to jessicafromla grande

If it does not work, you may have a glitch in the backup you had when you were using the old phone. When you restored the backup to the new phone, the glitch was also transferred as well.


To rid this, make a backup in iTunes...music, data, everything. Now restore the phone as a new device. Do NOT use the backup yet. Setup enough of your settings & info to test Messages. If the test is successful and you have no message issues, then you can choose to re-build the phone completely from this "bare state"...not easy.


If you now restore that newest backup you made, test the device and the device has the same "blank bubble" issue, you can bet that the backup has a botched/glitched setting somewhere.

Empty text bubble?

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.