iMessage freezing when sending pictures

Hi, Krosen1210,
From your post, I understand that you are having trouble sending pictures via iMessage. Specifically, when you send one iMessage, you are unable to send another until the first one is finished sending. If you try to send additional pictures, your Messages app becomes unresponsive. Additionally, you’ve noticed another situation where the display will pop down halfway (Reachability) without prompt. I’m happy to help!
The first recommendation I have, if you have not already, is to force close the Messages app: How to force an app to quit - Apple Support. Then, restart your iPhone: Restart your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support. This restart will address both iMessage and Reachability
If you have completed these two steps, in this order, and the issue with iMessage continues, the next step would be to check your connected network. If it’s private Wi-Fi, like at your house, reset the router if you’re able. This typically can be done by unplugging the router from power for a few seconds, but some routers also have a reset button. Check with your user manual or the manufacturer for the specific instructions.
If you’re on public Wi-Fi (or are otherwise unable to reset the connected Wi-Fi network), or you are using cellular data, try switching networks. You can go from Wi-Fi to cellular data or vice versa, and also try another Wi-Fi network.

In regard to Reachability, you can turn the feature off if restarting the iPhone has not helped, and you decide you do not wish to use the feature under Settings > General > Accessibility > Reachability. Switch the toggle from the on (green) position to the off (grey) position by tapping it.
Should you need additional help after trying these steps, do not hesitate to respond back. If you do, please confirm the iOS version number running on your iPhone 7. You can get that under Settings > General > About > Version.
Cheers!

Same with my iPhone X. Got it on Christmas Eve. Have noticed that if I select a photo and try to iMessage it. When I go to add names of recipients it locks up.

Have forced closed. Rebooted phone etc. has current iOS etc etc.

Work around I tried this morning was to open the iMessage and drop the photos in from the message v selecting the photo in the photo stream and messaging from there

I also think it is software v hardware. Especially considering effecting multiple devices. Common thread is iOS.

Needs to be reported to Apple through the feedback so that they can look into it. I have provided feedback via their app. Even got an email back to say thanks that the information provided helped.

Good luck. Hope an iOS update resolves this.

Hello, When using Message are you using it with a “Subject Field”? If you are try turning off the “Show Subject Field” Option in Settings. I have found by turning off this option it will stop the Message SCREEN FREEZING problem when you try to send a message with a Photo or Message Sticker. Don’t know why this is, but I have reported the problem to Apple. I have a 6S Plus and have seen this issue on the 7 Plus model too.

This is a bug that Apple is just starting to acknowledge but other sites have info and workaround for.

Google message freeze 11.2.5 and you will find articles like this:

https://www.reddit.com/r/applehelp/comments/7y6mu9/iphone_7_plus_ios_1125_messag es_app_keeps/

A character can’t be translated is hanging message app. Have someone trusted send you a text and immediately acknowledge their text so message app stops working on the character resolution.

Also when sending large messages with video, if size is too big it will try to send as email and then may clog your mail Outbox. Deleted your outbox message so mail works again. Related: iCloud storage and gmail storage may be full. Buy more space so you have room to deal with file clean up and get back under allotted space, then notify both to stop paying for the extra storage.

Then read about 11.2.6 which is supposed to fix the bug and decide if you want to upgrade. I did then read some reasons you may not want to. But my phone has been hosed for 6+ weeks from 11.2.5 upgrade and the bug.

Apple support and articles will not provide much help. I’ve reached this point of resolution from 6 weeks of getting up at 3am to read test configure etc. Apple just wants you to factory reset and buy new phone. Sounds good... looking at Samsung, Google, and Androids for new phones!!

Hello All, With all the messages this issue is generating I thought I would do a new test using the latest 11.2.6 IOS update. Because a picture can be worth a thousand words I’ve included a screen print to show my experience with this freezing issue, but it does not tell the whole story. After talking with my test receipient I’ve learned this is a sending not a receiving issue. The receipient always gets the iMessage Photo and or Sticker as it should be. On my test I sent a iMessage with a “Subject Line Field” and a Cookie Monster Sticker. As expected the Screen Froze, but the message did send. Before I could do a Force Closure (Double Click Home Button & slide screen up) I received respose from my receiver person. My screen unfroze, but the original message was still on the screen. No matter what screen I navigate to in Messages that original Cookie Monster Sticker is there. The only way to clear that image is with a Force Closure of Messages and then restarting the app. Only then is everything normal, including the display of the “Subject Line Field” as the screen print shows. For My situation using a iPhone 6s Plus, the ONLY fix is to NOT have the “Subject Line Field” turned on. Without it on everything works fine.

Sorry folks. Let me try this again.

Are you talking to me about my suggestion or apples basic instructions?

This so far has worked for me. The resetting network settings while imessage is off, twice in a row, Then turning imessage back oni after 2nd reboot.

I have this problem too with iPhone 6. It all started recently after i finally updated from iOS 10.something to iOS 11.4. It would freeze up whenever I select a second photo from the photo app and the person I want to forward it to, after I've already selected and sent another photo to the same person. This seems to happen whether the first photo was already sent or not (though I am not completely sure about the status of the first photo). I have tried closing the photo app and the iMessage app, as well as restarting the iPhone, but the problem would recur every time. It's EXTREMELY frustrating. The only get around I've found is to send the photo directly from iMessage itself. But this to me is more cumbersome. From what I can tell, this bug still has not been fixed by Apple. Please do something about it, Apple.

This answer is completely worthless and assumes people are posting this issue who don’t know to do all that. It’s a MAJOR BUG that is true on ANY iOS11 device - my iPad mini, iPad Pro, iPhone 7 and iPhone X ALL have this issue so it can’t be WiFi or something a mere hard close, reboot or reset can fix. It is a MAJOR flaw as you can’t send a picture and then send another without closing iMessage and waiting 30 seconds. This issue has been here since iOS 11 came out. I wonder if Apple iPhone engineers even USE an iPhone or they would easily discover this and other bugs just using the phone like normal. This worked fine in previous iOS versions so iOS 11 BROKE texting pictures, some people do a lot.

Please don’t give lame answers that blame the user - please fix the issue.

Much thanks.

Seems like it’s fixed for me in 11.3

I am having the same issues on my iPhone 7. I have done several reboots and resets but have had this issue since I got the phone. Apple has offered to replace the phone however I don’t want to go through the hassle of that if it doesn’t solve the issue. In addition when my phone is connected to WiFi networks (all) the speed is horrible. Pictures come in via iMessage and need to be Downlaoded, surfing the web takes forever. Other devices don’t have issues on the same networks and my iPhone 6s did not have these issues. I’ve even relaxed the modem/router at home and it did not help. Super disappointed in the 7 wish I had just kept my 6S

I am having this same issue on an iPhone 6s, freezes/hesitates often in Messages when trying to attach photos and sometimes when trying to share web links from Safari. I have to click multiple times, sometimes it will respond, other times I have to force close Messages, and then try again. I too have better success if I send/insert photos from within Messages versus within the Photos albums. This behavior began with iOS 11, and I'm on 11.2.1 and it still is not fixed. Rebooting/restarting the phone doesn't resolve the problem.

I’m pretty sure it’s a software issue not hardware. I’ve got a 5S and iPad air. The iPad air started exhibiting this problem immediately after updating to iOS 11. I did not update my 5S and it does not have this problem.

The iPad air only does this occasionally, and a reboot and or forcing closed the messages app seems to clear it up for a while, but there is obviously some kind of bug in Messages, Photos, or some other app causing a memory conflict or something.

In retrospect I wish I had not updated to iOS 11, as my iPad Air got slower, and the added bells and whistles aren’t worth the slowdown and glitches. I know it’s kind of a pipe dream but I wish that Apple would allow someone to reinstall an earlier OS.

I am having the same issue - it started 2 software upgrades ago with my iPhone 6s, where when I’m sending multiple pictures, if the previous picture hasn’t finished sending and I try to send another through the photos app, it freezes when I select the recipient. It takes a couple minutes to unfreeze, and I can’t access the photos app until it does. I thought it was just my phone malfunctioning, however I’ve now got an iPhone 8 Plus brand new, and it’s doing the exact same thing. It must be a software issue with the recent upgrades to iOS, and Apple need to fix it! Very annoying.

This bug isn’t limited to iMessage. It affects every app I’ve tried to share images and links from as well and seems to be an issue with iOS 11+ so far.

The most frustrating part is trying to share from the stock photos app. When it stalls and I have to force the app to quit. The problem seems to be getting worse and restarts aren’t as effective at curtailing the problem as they used to be.

I really hope Apple finally fixes this one in the next update. Since this has been happening since iOS 11, I’m surprised it hasn’t been fixed yet. Well, this and the keyboard-right whiteout bug when changing from portrait to landscape In the iPad.