New in OS X: Get MacRumors Push Notifications on your Mac

Resubscribe Now Close

Apple Being Sued Over Phone-Switching iMessage Issue

Friday May 16, 2014 12:39 pm PDT by Juli Clover
imessagesApple is facing a lawsuit over a long-standing issue that prevents iPhones from sending text messages to the Android phones of former iPhone users, reports Bloomberg (via BusinessInsider). Filed by a former iPhone customer, the lawsuit alleges that the user ceased getting messages from iPhone owners after she switched to a non-Apple device.

This is a problem that has afflicted many former iPhone users that switch from an iPhone to another device. After an iPhone is disabled, the users face an issue where iMessages sent from other iPhone owners are routed to a deactivated iPhone rather than being forwarded as a text message to an active phone, causing text messages to disappear.

Earlier this week, former Lifehacker editor-in-chief Adam Pash claimed that Apple is aware of the iMessage issue and unable to provide a fix. An Apple customer support representative told Pash that the iMessage bug is "a problem a lot of people are facing" and that the company's engineering team "is working on it but is apparently clueless as how to fix it."

These errors with iMessage have been a known issue since 2011, which is when the messaging service was first introduced with iOS 5. Apple advises iPhone owners to disable iMessages before deactivating their phones in order to remove the device from their system, but some users have experienced problems even after disabling iMessage.

Some users have had success calling in to Apple to have their numbers removed from the iMessage system and in 2012, TechCrunch detailed a fix involving unregistering products on a user's Support Profile, which has also worked for some people experiencing iMessage issues after switching to a non-Apple device.

Filed in San Jose California, the lawsuit is currently seeking class action status.
[ 451 comments ]


Top Rated Comments

(View all)

Avatar
rpe33
60 months ago
Easy solution: Don't switch to Android.
Rating: 52 Votes
Avatar
numlock
60 months ago

Only in the US you could actually win a retarded case like this.


what is retarded about it?
Rating: 43 Votes
Avatar
keterboy
60 months ago
Only in the US you could actually win a retarded case like this.


(see page 3, post 70)
Rating: 39 Votes
Avatar
swarmster
60 months ago

can i get a mockup of said lawsuit?


Rating: 31 Votes
Avatar
edge3281
60 months ago
lawsuit

This isn't a retarded lawsuit. This has gone on for a long time. My dad switched to Android and it took me forever before I could finally send him text messages. I don't even know how I was able to get it fixed.

I also think it is bogus that they don't know how to fix this. They probably just don't care that they are inconveniencing a former customer. It can't be that hard to report a phone number as deactivated in the imessage system and then just start sending text messages to it.
Rating: 28 Votes
Avatar
w00master
60 months ago
Only an Apple extreme fanatic would side with Apple on this. Period.

Fix it Apple.

If you honestly think this is user error, it's time to get your head out of the sand.


w00master
Rating: 27 Votes
Avatar
mrbrown
60 months ago
The engineering team is clueless how to fix this? Seriously? Just require iOS to send a "stay alive" packet every couple of days and if Apple doesn't receive it, the phone gets unregistered from iMessage until the phone is online again.
Rating: 21 Votes
Avatar
happydude
60 months ago

Very stupid lawsuit. It's either a bug or an honest mistake. :rolleyes:


but it's a bug that apple hasn't acted on. no matter your stance or favoritism toward or not regarding apple, they are obligated to fix the issue. the phone number does not belong to apple, if someone moves on from the apple ecosystem and apple is making it so people can't use their phone number to the full extent, they should fix it. the fact they haven't lends themselves to be sued.
Rating: 17 Votes
Avatar
bigjnyc
60 months ago

Only in the US you could actually win a retarded case like this.


It's actually not retarded, its a valid issue. A friend of mine has his own business and relies on his phone to communicate with clients via email and text messages. A few months back he switched from an iPhone to a galaxy.... went through all the steps of unregistering his device, turning imessage off before restoring his old iPhone and still had this issue...

long story short he missed a bunch of messages sent to him from existing and prospective clients using iPhones. For someone with a small business that can be devastating for your reputation and bottom line.

So yes this is a real issue and I'm glad someone is suing over it. Watch Apple find a solution really fast now.
Rating: 16 Votes
Avatar
Essenar
60 months ago
iPhone die hard fans: so delusional they think they actually work for Apple and that Apple actually values their loyalty.

If Android phones didn't allow iPhone adopters to receive messages from their Google contacts, there'd be a 100+ page long thread about how they should sue Google and how this is why iPhones and Apple are superior to Google Android.

But when the shoe is on the other foot, it's everyone else's fault for not using an iPhone.
Rating: 15 Votes

[ Read All Comments ]