Apple has now admitted that there’s a bug in its new iOS 7 operating system for iPhone and iPad that stops iMessage sending text messages. Here’s a simple three-step fix that seems to be working for many of those affected.
The status bar in iMessage texts gets stuck before it reaches the end, and messages take hours to send. Some iMessages never make it at all.
“We are aware of an issue that affects a fraction of a percent of our iMessage users, and we will have a fix available in an upcoming software update,” Apple has said in a statement.
While we wait for that software update we still want to send messages so try this fix.
Go to the “Settings” (via the grey cogs icon on home screen), and scroll down to “Messages” (green speech bubble icon) in the column that starts with iCloud.
Tap that and slide the top bar to turn off “iMessage”.
Then go back to Settings and scroll to “General”. Tap that, and scroll all the way to the bottom of General for the option “Reset”.
Tap Reset, and tap the option “Reset Network Settings”. A further option appears in red at the bottom of the screen saying “Reset Network Settings”.
Tap that, and your iOS 7 device will go into a quick reset. Please note: resetting network settings will make your device forget Wi-Fi passwords, so you’ll need to add these back in. Make a note of your favourite network passwords before this step. Most people have a only a few passwords they use regularly so inputting them again is a small price for getting your text messages back, but if the thought horrifies you, please take heed of this warning.
Once this is done, go back to “Settings” and choose “Messages” again. Slide the top switch again so that ‘”iMessage” is switched on again.
Author: Simon Jary, Contributor, Tech Advisor
Simon has over 30 years of expert experience testing and reviewing ever-smaller and more powerful tech accessories, from USB-C and Thunderbolt docks to chargers, batteries, hubs and adapters. A former Editor of Macworld, he has contributed to PCWorld, Tech Advisor and TimeOut, as well as national newspapers such as The Times, Independent and Telegraph.
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