iPhone 8 - Messages Notification Tone is doubled/echoed?

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iPhone 8 - Messages Notification Tone is doubled/echoed?

My six month old iPhone 8 has started doing something odd with Notification Sounds when receiving a new iMessage or Text. Fully updated to the latest iOS version.

When I receive a new text or iMessage, the notification sound will kind of double-ding and "echo". It sounds like I've received two messages a split second apart, where the sound is like a "DingDING..ding..ding..ding"

I'm not receiving two messages at once.

Doesn't happen when the phone is ringing.

Doesn't matter who is sending it to me.

Changed tone for Messages, no change. It just does it with the new notification tone.

I'm using all the stock iOS notification sounds.

Doesn't seem to do it when I'm actively using my phone, only when it's sitting in lock mode somewhere.

It doesn't always do it, but usually about 75% of the time.

Any idea what the fix is? Tried rebooting the phone, forcing the phone to power off, and force quitting Messages.

Posted on Oct 25, 2018 2:52 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Joseph_S.

Community Specialist

Oct 29, 2018 7:16 AM in response to plochner

Thanks for following up with us, plochner,

From your response, I understand resetting the network settings and restoring a backup did not resolve the issue. If you have not already, please reinstall the iOS software as detailed in the "Reinstall iOS" section of If you see the Connect to iTunes screen on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support . While reinstalling to an old backup from before the issue began occurring may sometimes help, that process does not reinstall the iOS software itself. If the issue is with the software, reinstalling could fix it.

If reinstalling the iOS software does not fix the issue, however, the next recommendation I can make is to restore your iPhone to factory settings, and set it up as a new device. This would mean not restoring your backup, but if you use iCloud, you will still get most, if not all, of your data back, like Contacts, Calendar events, pictures, and even messages. To make sure you have iCloud enabled for the information you need and want access to right away, check out: Set up iCloud on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support .

You can still create a new backup, as well. Setting up as a new device instead of restoring from a backup is just to help is isolate and hopefully identify the issue so we can resolve it. You may be able to restore a backup later in the process: How to back up your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support .

When you've done the above recommendations and are ready, you can use the steps in Restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod to factory settings - Apple Support .

Should you still get the double notification for incoming messages after that, please get in touch with Apple Support directly, which you can do here: Contact Apple Support .

Have a great week!

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Answer 2

CarlAVII

Community Specialist

Oct 26, 2018 12:17 PM in response to plochner

Hey there, plochner,

Thanks for stopping by the Apple Support Communities. I understand from your post that when receiving an SMS text or iMessage, your iPhone will play the notification sound twice, almost immediately, even if you're only receiving a single message. I'm happy to help!

I see you've already taken steps to force close Messages and restart the phone. These are great steps to take, but since they haven't worked I would suggest next resetting the network settings under Settings > Reset > Reset Network Settings. This won't remove any of your personal data from the iPhone, however it will delete saved Wi-Fi networks and their passwords, and previously used APN or VPN settings.

If you still are getting the double notification sound, try backing up your iPhone: How to back up your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support then reinstalling the iOS software using the "Reinstall iOS" section of If you see the Connect to iTunes screen on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support .

Cheers!

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Answer 3

Oct 29, 2018 11:07 AM in response to plochner

I'm having the same issue. Was using one of the Classic alerts and changed it another Classic choice. Tested and the behavior repeated. I then chose an alert from the non-Classic menu; tested twice and it sounded as it should. But the echo effect wasn't happening with every message, so further time will tell whether the bug is in the Classic options.

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Answer 4

Joseph_S.

Community Specialist

Oct 29, 2018 11:44 AM in response to plochner

Hi, plochner,

I understand you have concerns about doing a factory restore as new, and why you have those concerns. As with any troubleshooting step, though, there really is no way of knowing for sure if it will resolve the issue until the step has been completed. Every individual device is different, so what works for one device presenting a set of symptoms does not guarantee it will work for another presenting similar symptoms. Additionally, I do appreciate resorting to factory settings will take some time, but that is why it's offered as final step, not an initial one. What I can let you know is that if any troubleshooting step is going to fix, this would be the step that would do it.

If you have any additional concerns about doing the restore to factory settings, have done the restore as it still hasn't solved the issue, or would like more information in general, feel free to get in touch with Apple Support directly to discuss them: Contact Apple Support .

Best!

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Answer 5

plochner Author

Level 1

79 points

Oct 27, 2018 1:10 PM in response to CarlAVII

Thanks for the reply, but neither of your suggestions resolved the issue.

Resetting the network settings did not work in the slightest - it actually double-dinged from an incoming message only a minute or two after running that reset.

I appreciate the response, but in my experience the "reset network settings" is a fairly generic solution (akin to rebooting the phone) that has never actually resolved any of the issues my users have experienced over the years, regardless of the IOS version. At the best, it's simply been an inconvenience for the user because they have to rejoin all their favorite wifi hotspots. At it's worst, it's broken custom certificates needed for VPN and Radius authentication, which incurred hours of downtime while I restored a backup.

As this is a personal device, I gave it a try anyway, with the predicted results.

The phone was restored from a backup about a week ago, and it was doing the double-ding before the restore.

What else should I try to resolve this?

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Answer 6

plochner Author

Level 1

79 points

Oct 29, 2018 8:48 AM in response to Joseph_S.

Can you provide sources which conclusively show that doing a factory-fresh install and setting the phone up as new will resolve the issue?

I'm not going to go through that process without concrete evidence that it's a fix. That is a process not be taken lightly and a tremendous inconvenience for the user. Not for nothing, but Allen's suggestions above didn't come close to resolving the problem so I'm hesitant to take such another step that's even more drastic without a guarantee of success.

I can't find any documents online saying that what you suggest is the actual fix for the problem. An Apple Support article or a Apple Forum post (or something like Mac Rumor's forums or Experts Exchange) with some sort of verification of success from other users would be sufficient. Thanks!

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Answer 7

plochner Author

Level 1

79 points

Oct 29, 2018 11:55 AM in response to Joseph_S.

Without any evidence that it's actually going to fix the problem, I'm not willing to take the step especially considering the inconvenience it causes the user.

Now I think Diane may be onto something. I'll start switching to non-Classic alerts and seeing if that ends up resolving it. I'll let you know!

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Answer 8

Oct 30, 2018 9:52 AM in response to plochner

Sadly, the non-Classic tone change has not worked for me. Today, the phone is back to echoing the alert tone on most (but not all) messages. I tested for when the screen is locked vs. not locked. That doesn't seem to consistently matter either. It's just annoying.

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iPhone 8 - Messages Notification Tone is doubled/echoed?

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