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.

marcusdiddle Author

Level 1

95 points

iMessages not syncing consistently between devices

I've got

- iPhone 6S 128gb running iOS 9.3.2

- 2013 27" iMac running El Capitan 10.11.5

- 2014 15" Macbook running El Capitan 10.11.5

Have noticed in the last couple weeks specifically that iMessages are not staying in sync as well as they had in the past. I used to be able to have iMessage open on every device, and conversations would instantly sync up between them all. I could carry on one single conversation between all three devices seamlessly.

But lately, especially on the Macbook, it seems messages are struggling to sync up correctly. My iPhone and iMac will show messages that just don't show up on my Macbook. Sometimes if I reboot the Macbook, messages will then flood in, like they finally found where they were supposed to go. but they don't always sync in the same order they were sent. I have conversations that are just missing chunks of messages or they're out of order.

Almost all of my messages are between myself and other Apple/iMessage users. All iMessage apps are using a single iMessage account, all enabled, and all set to allow me to be reached at the same phone number and email addresses. Nothing has changed in that regard in over a year since I've been using this setup.

So just looking for reasons why suddenly the stability has changed? Anything I can do to "flush" the system? Remove my account, re-add it? Delete all current iMessage threads? Looking for any advice, it's starting to get frustrating. For what it's worth, my wife also has a Macbook and just complained this evening about messages not syncing well for her either, with the occasional alert that a message was unable to send, even though all messages were already sent from her iPhone successfully.

Thanks for any feedback.

Posted on May 16, 2016 3:26 PM

25 replies

Vol24

Level 1

4 points

Dec 7, 2016 2:11 PM in response to Ralph-Johns-UK

Tried several times this way, problem still accurs.

I didn't have this problem before I formated my Macbook. Issues started with clean install of Sierra.

I think it maybe related to this one as it's obviously issue on the iCloud server side:

iCloud Notes not syncing across all devices

Dec 8, 2016 11:24 AM in response to Vol24

Hi,

The issue is not with the iCloud server.

iMessages uses and Apple ID that happens to be iCloud valid but that is a close as it gets.

See System Preferences > iCloud. There is nothing about iMessages or the Messages app itself here (nor iTunes, iBooks, FaceTime, Gamed Center, App Store to name some others).

iMessages has it's own server and this can block IDs on a device specific basis.

However it seems you are logged in sort of "badly" rather than not being logged in at all.

Open a Finder Window and use the Go Menu > Go to Folder

Enter ~/Library/Preferences in the dialogue box that appears.

In the Preferences folder find the com.apple.ids.service.com.apple.madrid.plist file and drag it to the Trash.

This .plist holds th Apple ID and other alternatives (iPhone Number) that are linked to the Apple ID in iMessages.

Restart the Messages app.

Enter the Apple ID info.

DO you get a Pop up to say what the iPhone (and then Other devices) are using ?

If not go to the iPhone > Settings > Messages > Send and Receive and make sure the Apple ID is active as a Send and Receive ID.
Also check the iPhone Number is showing as a greyed but Ticked item.

It is rare that this gets unticked as the User cannot change it but the iPhone will continue to get the Apple ID sync "copies" of iMessages until the iPhone Number becomes de-registered which in turn effects what the Mac sees.

7:24 pm Thursday; December 8, 2016

 iMac 2.5Ghz i5 2011 (Sierra)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
 iPhone 6 iOS 10.x and an iPad (2)

Vol24

Level 1

4 points

Dec 13, 2016 1:41 PM in response to Ralph-Johns-UK

Hi, thanks for help. Unfortunately it didn't work. I did what you wrote and then:

Send "Nowy Test1"
Send "Nowy Test2"
Shut off Macbook
Sent tests from 3 to 10
Powered on Macbook, waited for Massages app to load
Sent 11 and 12

It's working ONLY when the Macbook is on. Macbook doesn't download messages send when it was shut off. It dosn't synch.

It works perfectly with iPhone and iPad. Messages are synchronized in good order without any problems.

Dec 14, 2016 12:34 PM in response to Vol24

Hi,

On the iPhone in Settings > Messages > Send and Receive Sign Out of the Apple ID.

If you have any other alternatives listed also deselect them as well.

This means the iPhone can only send from the iPhone Number.

On the Mac deselect the iPhone number in the Alternative section.

Sign Out of the Apple ID here

Shut the app down.

Restart the app and add back the Apple ID.

Make sure the iPhone Number remains deselected.

Test an iMessages from the iPhone to the Apple (Enter it manually on the iPhone as it will not show you your My Card info).

If that works, reply from the Mac.

If it works in both directions (i.e. we know your are logged in to send iMessages) then add back the Apple ID on the iPhone and enable the Phone number on the Mac version.

Send another test Messages from the iPhone.

You should get two Conversations showing on both devices as you see both the Send (blue) items and the sync versions of the Received Side.

Now your pics seem to show you sending what looks like SMS conversations.

Make sure the iPhone Settings as set to "Send as SMS" other SMS is not On.

Next make sure the iPhone is joined to the LAN in the WiFi settings.

Then if the Text Forwarding is still listing the Mac then turn that Off.

The Turn it On ans the new Code Number should appear on the Mac.

Type this Number back on the iPhone.

In the "To" spot on the Mac version your iPhone Number should also show as an SMS option in the drop down if you click the "To" spot.

Change it to the SMS option and send new test messages.

These should show on the iPhone.

Repeat on the iPhone to see that they appear on the Mac.

Shut down the Mac and repeat tests.

8:34 pm Wednesday; December 14, 2016

 iMac 2.5Ghz i5 2011 (Sierra)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
 iPhone 6 iOS 10.x and an iPad (2)

Vol24

Level 1

4 points

Dec 14, 2016 12:45 PM in response to Ralph-Johns-UK

"Test an iMessages from the iPhone to the Apple (Enter it manually on the iPhone as it will not show you your My Card info)."

to the Apple? I don't get this step, can you elaborate please?

Dec 14, 2016 1:41 PM in response to Vol24

Opps,

Sorry. It should have said "Apple ID".

9:41 pm Wednesday; December 14, 2016

 iMac 2.5Ghz i5 2011 (Sierra)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
 iPhone 6 iOS 10.x and an iPad (2)

ened

Level 1

14 points

Dec 18, 2016 10:42 PM in response to Vol24

OMG.. have you reported this to https://bugreport.apple.com? Embarrassing.

Vol24

Level 1

4 points

Dec 30, 2016 3:49 AM in response to Ralph-Johns-UK

I'm not sure youre getting what I'm trying to say. I guess I'm communicating poorly so I will try to do my best here:

GIVEN:
I have Mac, iPhone, iPad
WHEN:
I send text massage "TEST123" with timestamp "12:28" from my iPhone to a non-iMassage person
THEN:
1. If the iPad was turned on at the time of sending: "TEST123" is there (on the iPad) instantly🙂
2. If the iPad was off at the time of sending and I will turn it on (wait to boot and open iMassage.app): "TEST123" is there (on the iPad) instantly🙂
3. If the Mac was turned on at the time of sending: "TEST123" is there (on the Mac) instantly🙂
4. If the Mac was off at the time of sending and I will turn in on wait to boot and open iMassage.app): "TEST123" is not there (on the Mac) instantly.
  - Sometimes it will synch after a minute, sometimes it won't synch this massage at all. From my observation if I will send text when Mac is booting up (last second before working) it will be lost forever (for Mac).
  - If I will send another text "TEST456" with timestamp "12:30" and "TEST123" will get synched after that, they will be out of order. Timestamps will show good hour but the order of them will be opposite ("TEST123 will be under "TEST456").

So it's late night and I'm turning off Macbook and going to sleep. Next morning I'm going to work and using iPhone to text people. After work I come home, turn on Macbook… and I can't continue conversations on Mac as not everything is synched and the order is messed up. It's not reliable at all.

Could you do exactly the same tests as I did? Maybe it's just how iMassage on Sierra works right now. Maybe it's not as good with synching as iOS?

Vol24

Level 1

4 points

Dec 30, 2016 3:53 AM in response to Vol24

As far as I get it the messages ARE on iMassages servers and they are more or less synched (brilliant synch between iPhone and iPad proves that!). The problem is how Sierra handles messages that are queued for it to receive after it's turned on.

Jan 27, 2017 8:52 AM in response to Ralph-Johns-UK

Thank you! It worked!!

iMessages not syncing consistently between devices