Last week, we reported on an issue pertaining to Apple’s iMessage service, which meant that some messages would be sent, marked as “delivered,” but never received. At the time, an AppleCare rep acknowledged the issue, but now, the company has formally outlined the problem, while also noting that a fix will be bundled into a forthcoming software update.
The crux of the story, for those who missed the initial report, is that some iPhone users switching to Android were finding that iOS was still pushing messages through as iMessages, which, of course, Android (as well as other platforms) inherently cannot process. Senders would get the usual “delivered” notification beneath the message, but instead of actually delivering, the message would simply disappear into the swirling vortex of cyberspace.
Speaking with Re/code, Apple officially acknowledged the existence of the issue, which affects those who switch from iPhone to another OS without first disabling iMessage. The obvious solution, if you’re planning on switching and would like not to miss any potentially important messages, is to ensure you deactivate iMessage prior, but at an age where phones – particularly iPhones – are being stolen at will, Apple is also lining up a more permanent solution.
Allied to this issue with undelivered messages, Apple has also been dealing with some recent server-side issues relating to iMessage, and even though these have now been resolved, an additional bug fix should be forthcoming by means of “a future software update.”
Additionally, Apple encourages anybody experiencing issues to to the natural thing and contact AppleCare, but hopefully, we’ll be getting that update sooner rather than later.
iMessage hasn’t exactly been fraught with issues since first manifesting along with iOS 5, but it’s certainly had its fair share of unfavorable press over the past couple of years. Along with these well-documented recent problems, the normally secure, reliable service has had a considerable amount of downtime along the way, which has, at times, brought the entire infrastructure to its knees. Add to this the high-profile spate of DoS attacks, and it’s clear that Apple’s proprietary messaging service is far from perfect; although despite its shortcomings, it is, on a good day, arguably the best in the business.
So, if you’re planning on ditching your iPhone, be sure to switch iMessage off before you do, and we’ll let you know just as soon as the now-confirmed update arrives.
You can follow us on Twitter, add us to your circle on Google+ or like our Facebook page to keep yourself updated on all the latest from Microsoft, Google, Apple and the Web.