Apple pledges to fix longstanding iMessage bug in upcoming iOS update
While a bug preventing users from exiting the iMessage ecosystem has prevailed since iOS 5, Apple this week formally acknowledged the issue, and has said that a fix is in the works.
Apple's iMessage system uses an iPhone owner's cell phone number as a form of identification, hijacking would-be text messages sent from another iOS device and turning them into proprietary iMessages. This allows Apple to send messages to non-smartphone devices, such as an iPad or Mac, and also to avoid carrier text messaging services, which can be costly and don't allow features like read receipts.
The problem, dating back to 2011, occurs when a user switches from an iPhone to a non-iOS device without formally disconnecting their phone number from the iMessage service. Users have discovered that people on iPhones attempting to send them a text message are still having the messages intercepted by Apple and sent as iMessages -- messages they cannot receive if they are on an Android phone, Windows Phone, or some other platform.
The problem became even worse recently with a server-side glitch, and last week Apple was hit with a lawsuit from a woman who said iPhone users are "penalized and injured" when switching away from iMessage. In the wake of that lawsuit, Apple issued a statement to Re/code this week, saying that the server-side iMessage bug has been fixed, while an iOS update is in the works to further address the issue.
Apple didn't give a timetable as for when or how the problem will be resolved, but users affected by the bug were encouraged to contact AppleCare in an attempt to fix. And those switching away from the iPhone can plan ahead by turning off iMessage on the device, and deactivating their cell phone number from any Mac or iPad that might also be running iMessage.
Unlike Google Hangouts or BlackBerry's BBM, which can be accessed on competing devices via third-party applications, Apple's iMessage service remains exclusive to Apple devices, much like its FaceTime video chat standard and copyright protected video content from iTunes.
Apple's iMessage system uses an iPhone owner's cell phone number as a form of identification, hijacking would-be text messages sent from another iOS device and turning them into proprietary iMessages. This allows Apple to send messages to non-smartphone devices, such as an iPad or Mac, and also to avoid carrier text messaging services, which can be costly and don't allow features like read receipts.
The problem, dating back to 2011, occurs when a user switches from an iPhone to a non-iOS device without formally disconnecting their phone number from the iMessage service. Users have discovered that people on iPhones attempting to send them a text message are still having the messages intercepted by Apple and sent as iMessages -- messages they cannot receive if they are on an Android phone, Windows Phone, or some other platform.
The problem became even worse recently with a server-side glitch, and last week Apple was hit with a lawsuit from a woman who said iPhone users are "penalized and injured" when switching away from iMessage. In the wake of that lawsuit, Apple issued a statement to Re/code this week, saying that the server-side iMessage bug has been fixed, while an iOS update is in the works to further address the issue.
Apple didn't give a timetable as for when or how the problem will be resolved, but users affected by the bug were encouraged to contact AppleCare in an attempt to fix. And those switching away from the iPhone can plan ahead by turning off iMessage on the device, and deactivating their cell phone number from any Mac or iPad that might also be running iMessage.
Unlike Google Hangouts or BlackBerry's BBM, which can be accessed on competing devices via third-party applications, Apple's iMessage service remains exclusive to Apple devices, much like its FaceTime video chat standard and copyright protected video content from iTunes.
Comments
So, basically, it took Apple 3 years to see that Android and Windows Phone OS suck. Got it¡
With the setting enabled that will send it as a SMS if iMessage is unavailable?
Sounds like a feature to me.
It's a bug.
Opening up iMessage and Facetime as 3rd party apps on non-iOS devices isn't a bad idea.
Agreed. Hangouts works well across the platforms for my family, but I'd be happy to use iMessage and Facetime as well.
With the setting enabled that will send it as a SMS if iMessage is unavailable?
The setting "send as SMS" is for sending only:, if you are travelling and turned off data roaming, then you can write an iMessage and it will be sent as a sms. But if someone sends you an iMessage, Apple doesn't know you can't receive data and sends it to you as an iMessage. This means that your WiFi iPad lying in the hotel room will receive it, but your iPhone on the beach won't. The solution is not easy, as arguably, Apple should send both iMessage (for your iPad) and SMS (for your iPhone) when you are overseas and have data roaming off. Better, the phone operators should just stop robbing us blind for data when we travel.
Apple should send both iMessage (for your iPad) and SMS (for your iPhone) when you are overseas and have data roaming off. Better, the phone operators should just stop robbing us blind for data when we travel.
Yeah, the iMessage app on the phone could see two versions of the same message and exclude one, while maintaining history seamlessly.
I'm still trying to figure out how that woman who filed the lawsuit was 'penalized and injured'. Did she text 911 saying she was having a heart attack and the whambulance never arrived? Or did her girlfriend not receive the "OMG, it is raining again today" message?
The "Send as SMS" option does what you want.
They maybe both correct. e.g., The bug doesn't affect everyone, and perhaps not all the time.
Are you being serious?
Yes, all those "just do this..." and "she's an idiot and it's her fault for being a different phone" comments were all wrong.
I wonder what the fix will be. I am guessing the change will be mostly, if not entirely, hidden from the user. I don't expect the change to be for each user to more easily send an iMessage as an SMS to certain contacts as that doesn't fix the problem.
I suspect it will be along the lines of disabling iMessage either informing you that you phone number will no longer be a valid a iMessage address if you disable this service or asking you if still want your phone number to be a valid iMessage address or removed as a valid address from the server. I hope the latter since switching iPhones does happen for a variety of reasons: new phone, lost, stolen broken.
This is mostly a change on the back end on how these messages are handled which means it could make this update not happen as quickly as I'd like to.
We wonder if the issue is that he never signed into his Apple ID. So when he took the sim out his iPhone turned into a kind of phantom. It didn't have the sim to report the phone number that should have come off the system with the wipe. If we are right then the answer might be that you have to sign into an Apple ID to use iMessage. That way all wipes can disconnect the ID and associated numbers, they can always be reset if you sign up the same or another device.
As noted in the other thread signing out of Messages or wiping your phone before switching the SIM (or even getting a new SIM with that same number) is not a guaranteed method for having the iMessages server disassociate your phone number as a viable address.
The problem has shown to still be persistent even when taking all steps to tell the iMessage server that you aren't going to use that iPhone, but the problem still comes down to it having no way to know if you're disconnecting from that iPhone but will sign on another, or even just starting over from the same device.
The system also shouldn't remove your phone number from the iMessage server simply because you disconnected iMessage on your iPhone as you could get lost messages that way, too. The only viable solution is to ask the user and let them choose, and then have a secondary option in case they forget to do it properly, like through icloud.com.