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Bug: Pre-unlock and Disappearing text messages

There is a bug, where by new messages received after power on (but before unlocking the phone), disappear as soon as the screen is first unlocked.


Details over here: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8255206?answerId=33361678022#33361678022

Posted on May 7, 2018 2:33 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on May 28, 2018 8:01 AM

Lawrence,

The symptoms we are having do not seem to match your explanation.


All messages/notifications that are sent do make it to my iPhone and display on the lock screen, regardless of how much time has passed with the phone being off. My iPhone shows me the number that sent me the message and the text/content of the message.


BUT, when I unlock my iPhone, some of those messages (mainly the ones from Android users) never show up in the Messages app (and also disappear from any notification history).


If I check online from the Verizon side, it says that the text messages were RECEIVED. It doesn't say anything about not delivered.


The other day, a friend (Android) had sent me 4 text messages when my phone was off. Once turned on, I saw all four on the lock screen, but when I opened the Messages app, only 3 showed up. The missing one was the 4th message he sent, the earlier 3 were there. This does not match with your explanation.


Also, I don't think this problem has ever happened to me with an iMessage from an iPhone user, so what you say about not mattering if it is iPhone does not appear to be correct.


Never have any of my friends ever told me that they received a 'not delivered' error when sending me a text.


Saying to never turn off your phone for fear of missing text messages is a very poor solution.

14 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

May 28, 2018 8:01 AM in response to Lawrence Finch

Lawrence,

The symptoms we are having do not seem to match your explanation.


All messages/notifications that are sent do make it to my iPhone and display on the lock screen, regardless of how much time has passed with the phone being off. My iPhone shows me the number that sent me the message and the text/content of the message.


BUT, when I unlock my iPhone, some of those messages (mainly the ones from Android users) never show up in the Messages app (and also disappear from any notification history).


If I check online from the Verizon side, it says that the text messages were RECEIVED. It doesn't say anything about not delivered.


The other day, a friend (Android) had sent me 4 text messages when my phone was off. Once turned on, I saw all four on the lock screen, but when I opened the Messages app, only 3 showed up. The missing one was the 4th message he sent, the earlier 3 were there. This does not match with your explanation.


Also, I don't think this problem has ever happened to me with an iMessage from an iPhone user, so what you say about not mattering if it is iPhone does not appear to be correct.


Never have any of my friends ever told me that they received a 'not delivered' error when sending me a text.


Saying to never turn off your phone for fear of missing text messages is a very poor solution.

May 14, 2018 9:54 AM in response to djungle

I’ve got this now too since the recent iOS upgrade. Turn on my phone in the morning, see 2 text messages and the number they’re from shown as notifications but when i unlock the phone and go into messages they’re not there. One thing I have noticed on the messages icon is that a red i appears for about 20-30 seconds. I wait for this to clear before going into the messages app.

May 15, 2018 1:25 PM in response to djungle

I have been having the same issue. Unfortunately I did not know I was having the issue until I had a family member call me and ask why I never responded. Now I notice it all the time. I have my phone shut off at work, I power it on and hear the jingle. I can see the messages on the lock screen. When I unlock my phone the messages are gone. It seems like many people have this issue and there is no indication anything is being done to solve it.

May 16, 2018 3:53 PM in response to djungle

I've been having the same issue for about three months. Talked to Apple Support on the phone about it once and they simultaneously claimed that it was a Verizon issue (it is not) and that factory resetting my phone would fix it (it did not). Going to try removing my passcode like the other thread suggested but this is clearly an iOS bug that Apple needs to resolve (and not by telling us that we need to check the Messages app like we're idiots).


So, Apple, your move. iPhone 7 Plus, iOS 11.3.1 but it's been happening for a couple of updates now— and I already factory reset it and nothing changed.

May 28, 2018 7:08 AM in response to djungle

iPhone X checking in here on AT&T. I have this issue as well, except it’s not just when turning my phone on. It seems to happen when there are several processes happening at once (like streaming video, receiving other text messages, etc). Sometimes it’ll pop up on my Apple Watch and never appear on my phone and when I go to look at it in messages it is gone.

May 28, 2018 7:28 AM in response to djungle

If your phone is off when an SMS is sent to it your carrier will hold it for a short time (typically 5 minutes) and try to resend it, then discard it. The sender will be notified that it was not delivered. Nothing new; it has happened on all mobile phones for the past 30 years. And has nothing to do with Apple or the iPhone. The same is true for iMessages, except that if the sender has "Send as SMS" enabled after several retries the iMessage server will then send it as an SMS, which also will not be delivered in your case. Messages are real time events that evaporate if they cannot be delivered.


You receive the notification because it traverses an entirely different route through Apple's Notification servers, which DO wait until the phone is able to receive the notification.


The solution is to never turn off your phone.

Jun 2, 2018 10:11 AM in response to djungle

We have mostly the same problem, the message alert shows but doesn't appear to exist when opening it in the messaging app. Some of the messages appears on the iPad which only has wifi. She says voice message alerts appear to be affected as well. It appears to have started around the time iMessage app was installed/updated on her iPad. My wife had an iPhone 5c and an iPad 2 at the time. It was losing SMS messages until she noticed iMessage on her iPad had some of them so she has to check them there. Upgraded to iPhone 8 Plus and it is still doing it. I'm still looking for a solution but maybe it might be useful for someone.

Jun 10, 2018 6:28 PM in response to djungle

This just happened to me this afternoon on a new iPhone 6s I just put into service one week ago. I’d turned the phone off while I attended the theater. The only way I even knew I missed a text was when I got home I went to FaceTime with my grandkids and there was a text on the iPad that had not shown up on my phone. So, I had my husband send a text ... got it. Turned off my phone, he texted me ... no text received. So, apparently I can’t turn off my one week old iPhone without having a problem receiving texts. I dont want a fix, I want a new phone .... but Apple needs to fix this problem for EVERYONE’S sake. I’d think I’d get better then this for an item I just paid $649 for

Bug: Pre-unlock and Disappearing text messages

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