Group SMS issues plague iPhone 12 upgraders

Posted:
in iOS
A number of iPhone users have complained of issues surrounding missing text messages, with the bulk of complaints relating to group chats and users who have upgraded to the iPhone 12 range.




Teething issues with new hardware is to be expected following a product release, and for the iPhone 12 generation, it seems to largely revolve around text messages. A group of users have complained to Apple's support forums of problems with the Messages app, specifically for group text messages.

Numerous posts mention the inability to receive all of the messages within a group text conversation. In some cases, the issue affects only some of the messages within a conversation, leaving some threads partially empty with one set of responses missing while others appear normally.

The issue doesn't appear to be limited to just messages of one type, such as group conversations featuring just iOS users or one mixed with Android device users. However, many do mention upgrading to iPhone 12 at the time the problems started to manifest.

In one November 12 response, a user claimed they were using the iPhone 12 on AT&T running iOS 14.2, and was failing to receive text messages even after spending two weeks on the problem with Apple Support. They noted there was "no consistency" to which messages were going missing at all.

It also doesn't seem to be limited by carrier, with others mentioning the problem exists on Verizon and T-Mobile, strongly suggesting it is some form of software problem that is carrier independent.

Given Apple Support has been contacted and the number of threads that have surfaced in a short space of time, it is likely that Apple is aware of the issue, and is working on some form of solution, one that could appear in a future software update.
«1

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 23
    This is not limited to iPhone 12 models. It isnt a hardware issue it is a software issue. 
  • Reply 2 of 23
    sdw2001sdw2001 Posts: 18,016member
    I upgraded to iPhone 12 Pro Max and 14.2. No issues. 
  • Reply 3 of 23
    Turning off WiFi calling seems to have resolved the issue for me. 
  • Reply 4 of 23
    eriamjheriamjh Posts: 1,644member
    How do I know if I’m missing messages? 

    Oh noes! 
  • Reply 5 of 23
    Haven’t experienced this issue with the iPhone 12 mini. What I have an issue with is how the Lock Screen seems unresponsive to touch most of the time, as if calibration was off.
    edited November 2020
  • Reply 6 of 23
    Sarkany said:
    Haven’t experienced this issue with the iPhone 12 mini. What I have an issue with is how the Lock Screen seems unresponsive to touch most of the time, as if calibration was off.
    Take it in to get it checked. 
    svanstrom
  • Reply 7 of 23
    Here is a link from Apple explaining the three types of text messages: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202724

    You will see that only iMessage supports group chats on an iPhone. SMS and MMS use your carrier’s networks and servers.
  • Reply 8 of 23
    sdw2001 said:
    I upgraded to iPhone 12 Pro Max and 14.2. No issues. 
    I’m having issues on my new iPhone 12 Pro Max. Messages are randomly missed sent by Android users.  Also on 14.2.
  • Reply 9 of 23
    JFC_PA said:
    Sarkany said:
    Haven’t experienced this issue with the iPhone 12 mini. What I have an issue with is how the Lock Screen seems unresponsive to touch most of the time, as if calibration was off.
    Take it in to get it checked. 
    No need. It looks to be a software issue rather than hardware. The phone’s screen works just fine outside the Lock Screen.
  • Reply 10 of 23
    ivanhivanh Posts: 597member
    WhatsApp has the same issues.
  • Reply 11 of 23
    GeorgeBMacGeorgeBMac Posts: 11,421member
    JFC_PA said:
    Sarkany said:
    Haven’t experienced this issue with the iPhone 12 mini. What I have an issue with is how the Lock Screen seems unresponsive to touch most of the time, as if calibration was off.
    Take it in to get it checked. 

    Easier said than done.
    When I asked the manager of my local Apple Store why service appointments went from walk-ins and next day to over a week out he told me that service personnel had been reassigned from the store to online support due to the virus.

    While Apple online support has always been exemplary, it is a definite downgrade in support levels because, as this case suggests, sometimes you just need a second set of expert hands and eyes on the problem.
  • Reply 12 of 23
    I have been having this exact issue since the day I got my 12 pro.   It’s only happening with one group message that I’m in.   It’s happening sporadically and I’m missing messages from both iOS and android users in the group.  Called apple and my carrier and neither can figure out what the issue is
    anantksundaram
  • Reply 13 of 23
    sdw2001sdw2001 Posts: 18,016member
    I may have spoken too soon. I did have one instance where my brother who (was also using iMessage but on an old SE) tried to send me a reply and it didn’t go through. It was “not delivered” though, so I think it was on his end. No other issues


    sdw2001 said:
    I upgraded to iPhone 12 Pro Max and 14.2. No issues. 
    I’m having issues on my new iPhone 12 Pro Max. Messages are randomly missed sent by Android users.  Also on 14.2.

  • Reply 14 of 23
    p-dogp-dog Posts: 131member
    sdw2001 said:
    I upgraded to iPhone 12 Pro Max and 14.2. No issues. 
    I’m having issues on my new iPhone 12 Pro Max. Messages are randomly missed sent by Android users.  Also on 14.2.
    InspiredCode, this is the issue I experienced on the first full day I had my iPhone 12 Pro. I kept texting repeated puns into a group chat of 5 people which included 1 green bubble person. I figured that nobody liked my puns because there was near silence in response on my device. When I checked with one of the chatmates later, they showed me all of the dozen+ derisive reactions to my puns all morning long. I only received a couple of them. All of my settings are correct for receiving messages regarding Messages and WiFi Calling - no changes from my iPhone XS settings the day before.
  • Reply 15 of 23
    steven n.steven n. Posts: 1,229member
    My issue: Upgraded from iPhone 11 to iPhone 12 Pro on Verizon.

    MMS would not send to non-iPhone users. MMS was enabled.

    solution: In Preferences/Messages I disabled MMS and existed preferences. I then re-enabled the setting. 

    A reboot requires me to do this again. 

    This feels like a software issues where a default setting might have changed and not getting updated on a reboot. 
  • Reply 16 of 23
    Tower72Tower72 Posts: 22unconfirmed, member
    I have had a different issue on my 11 Pro Max since the final beta of 14.2 and it carried over to release as well. I have not been getting notifications for messages but its random. I was actually about the factory reset it this morning and see if that helps. Just now I opened the messages app and seen that I had missed a message from someone close to me that was sent 45 min ago...The message came thru but I never got any sort of notification that I got it and since I am not always looking at my phone, this has become very problematic as I am missing messages daily due to the lack of a sound or a banner or anything, alerting me that I have it (and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't so my settings are correct)

    I did not report it as a bug because I thought it was a carrier issue (I have Spectrum which runs off of Verizon towers), but now I see it is more widespread then that. I am also having big problems with photos not always sending to people with Androids. When I had my X, never had the issue, upgraded to the 11 Pro Max, photos fail almost daily 
    edited November 2020
  • Reply 17 of 23
    The title of this post states Group SMS issues , though none of the issues discussed in this post seem to have have anything to do with SMS. You can send SMS to a group of contacts but they are sent individually to each contact and there are no ties back to the original group or list of users. If you have MMS enabled and put in more than one contact and at least one non-iMessage contact your SMS will switch to MMS. Your SMS will also switch to MMS when you add a photo, video, or any other non-text item. Each carrier has their own size limits for MMS and these vary from roughly 600kb to roughly 1.2 MB and most carriers require that you have your cellular data turned on, even though some carriers do not charge you for the data used. 

    The better the camera on your Phone, the larger the photo, which means that people with the new iPhones are probably exceeding the MMS size limits and may need to enable “Low Quality Image Mode” in their messaging settings if they are using MMS rather than iMessage or email which have much larger limits. 
  • Reply 18 of 23
    I have this issue as well, since I switched over to the Pro Max yesterday. It is not an issue on my Mac or iPad (and wasn’t, on the Xs Max). 

    Quite annoying. 
  • Reply 19 of 23
    sdw2001 said:
    I upgraded to iPhone 12 Pro Max and 14.2. No issues. 
    Great. Thanks. Therefore it must be automatically true for all.
    MplsP
  • Reply 20 of 23
    rgh71rgh71 Posts: 125member
    Turning off WiFi calling seems to have resolved the issue for me. 
    Thanks, we’ll try that.  My wife and I use T-Mobile, and she has that problem just this morning with her brand new iPhone 12.  She also recently had it with her X, however it’s possible other members of that larger group chat were using the 12. Almost Certainly some android users in that large group
Sign In or Register to comment.