Where does my text message go If I leave iMessage and then return shortly after?

justForThisOneIssue

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I’ve had this Exact issue for 3 years on my 6+ (disappearing drafted newly originated texts) and adapted my behaviors to minimize it. I had hoped my new XS Max would resolve it. Nope. So I began reading and reading - no help. But I started noticing a possible pattern in complaints so I tried a few things and BAM - on my second tinker, IT STOPPED! I’m only 30 mins into the issue being resolved for the first time ever, so it may come back - but if it does, maybe this will give someone smarter than I a clue to the source of the issue?

Go to Settings/Messages and turn ‘Show Contact photos off’. It now worked for me. Ever a gluten for punishment, I then turned it back on - And it still worked for me!! I’m Sooo happy right now.
 

CJAnswers

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Solution! Re: Where does my text message go If I leave iMessage and then return shortly after?

I have had this issue for 4 years (Iphone 5, 6+ and the XS Max) yet nobody I knew could reproduce it on their iphones. I just got the max, restored it with my prior phone settings - same issue. Reset it to factory - same issue! Went and got a replacement at the store (just in case my prior settings infected it somehow) - SAME ISSUE!

That got me thinking - it has to be loading from something in the SIM or iCloud. I'll save you the (rest of the) long diatribe and just get to the answer:

SOLUTION: SETTINGS/APPLE ID ETC. (top selection)/ICLOUD/MESSAGES (turn it on). That was the only difference I could find between my phone and 3 other iPhones I had in front of me and Voila! I can click on lots of other apps, sleep the phone, and when I return to text messages - the draft is still there. I'm guessing that iCloud being on somehow saves it? Who knows/who cares - I've not had the issue for almost a month now...I even restored my old phone settings (save this one adjustment) and it worked then too. (FYI - here is they only other tweak that ever worked for me, but after a week or so, the problem resumed: Go to Settings/Messages and turn ‘Show Contact photos off’.)
 

Annie_M

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Re: Solution! Re: Where does my text message go If I leave iMessage and then return shortly after?

I have had this issue for 4 years (Iphone 5, 6+ and the XS Max) yet nobody I knew could reproduce it on their iphones. I just got the max, restored it with my prior phone settings - same issue. Reset it to factory - same issue! Went and got a replacement at the store (just in case my prior settings infected it somehow) - SAME ISSUE!

That got me thinking - it has to be loading from something in the SIM or iCloud. I'll save you the (rest of the) long diatribe and just get to the answer:

SOLUTION: SETTINGS/APPLE ID ETC. (top selection)/ICLOUD/MESSAGES (turn it on). That was the only difference I could find between my phone and 3 other iPhones I had in front of me and Voila! I can click on lots of other apps, sleep the phone, and when I return to text messages - the draft is still there. I'm guessing that iCloud being on somehow saves it? Who knows/who cares - I've not had the issue for almost a month now...I even restored my old phone settings (save this one adjustment) and it worked then too. (FYI - here is they only other tweak that ever worked for me, but after a week or so, the problem resumed: Go to Settings/Messages and turn ‘Show Contact photos off’.)

Thanks for sharing this! A lot of people will be thrilled to learn this! Also, welcome to iMore!
 

robrich247

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Re: I am amazed!

I create drafts via my phone all the time and on numerous occasions, I’ve started an iMessage conversation then became distracted and then returned hours later and the draft was still present and waiting for me to finish. Therefore, your alleged true answer is false. Now if you’re dissatisfied with Apple products and services, so be it. Everybody here understands that they are not for everyone. With that being said, I’ve learned over the years that a good deal of the “frustration that people have had to deal with” is self-inflicted.

In the meantime, thank you for your response and I hope you become a productive member of the iMore Forums. Take care.

I only joined this site to respond to this message by Just_Me_D & seeing as though he is a senior moderator I'm sure I will probably be ejected from this community after what I'm about to say. Just because you tried to recreate the situation & came up with a different result it DOES NOT make anyone else's claim to be false! You are a rude, condescending, over opinionated, power tripping keyboard warrior and in no way should you be the lead moderator of ANY forum, where people "should be" free to voice their problems in search of a solution from the community. I myself ended up reading this thread because I had the exact same issue. I was typing a text, received a notification, pressed the home button to navigate to another app, text GONE. So tell me genius, is that false too??? I don't understand how someone comes here for help & they get belittled not only by ***** forum members but the lead moderator? FFS! I'd love to catch you on the street one day. See how condescending you are with my fist rammed down your throat? Anyways if anyone actually gets to read this before it gets deleted who has a solution please pm me if my account hasn't been deleted. Thanks
 

Just_Me_D

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Re: I am amazed!

I only joined this site to respond to this message by Just_Me_D & seeing as though he is a senior moderator I'm sure I will probably be ejected from this community after what I'm about to say.
Unless you’re going to be vulgar, I doubt you’ll be ejected from stating your opinion. Besides, my skin is quite thick. I can take it.
Just because you tried to recreate the situation & came up with a different result it DOES NOT make anyone else's claim to be false!
That is true.
You are a rude, condescending, over opinionated, power tripping keyboard warrior
You clearly don’t know me and haven’t read enough of my numerous posts because if you had, you’d discover that I’m not what you’ve described. Still, I’ll take your opinion of me.
and in no way should you be the lead moderator of ANY forum where people "should be" free to voice their problems in search of a solution from the community.
Again, I’ll take your opinion of me.
I myself ended up reading this thread because I had the exact same issue. I was typing a text, received a notification, pressed the home button to navigate to another app, text GONE. So tell me genius, is that false too???
Maybe. Maybe not, but if you say it happened, I’ll take your word for it.
I don't understand how someone comes here for help & they get belittled not only by ***** forum members but the lead moderator?
Okay
FFS! I'd love to catch you on the street one day. See how condescending you are with my fist rammed down your throat?
Wow!
Anyways if anyone actually gets to read this before it gets deleted who has a solution please pm me if my account hasn't been deleted. Thanks
Your post is still here and I hope you find a solution to your text dilemma. Take care.
 

cwext

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Despite some of the replies to your question, yours is NOT an isolated issue. It happens to me every single time I am in the process of composing an sms text and have to leave the messaging app, even just for a second. It also happens if, while composing a text, I set my phone down long enough for it to “go to sleep” and and the screen turns off. It does not matter whether the message is long, short or somewhere in between.

As noted, I have noticed that this only happens when sending messages as sms text rather than iMessage (texting someone who does not have an iPhone). So maybe this is Apple’s way of kindly encouraging everyone to get iPhones so they can further extend their global dominance of the mobile device world.

For those questioning why anyone would send long form information over text rather than email, a) why does it matter? and b) it happens regardless the length of the message.

It happened to me again moments ago (the reason I found this forum) while attempting to reach out to a family member for whom I have no other contact information besides their phone #. And yes, I had spent an inordinate amount of time composing the message when a phone call came in. I rejected the call, but when my screen returned to the messaging app, the text was gone.

I prefer iPhone to other brands for multiple reasons, and this issue is on a short list of con’s compared to the many pro’s. But it is an extremely frustrating con that it seems could be easily fixed
 

Jennifer Peterson2

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I am having this same problem now with my iPhone 8. Did Apple never solve it? It is time consuming to re-create even short messages if interrupted. Does anybody have a work around that does not involve drafting everything in Notes or another app prior to sending?
 

Annie_M

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I am having this same problem now with my iPhone 8. Did Apple never solve it? It is time consuming to re-create even short messages if interrupted. Does anybody have a work around that does not involve drafting everything in Notes or another app prior to sending?

If I have a long and involved text message, I type it in Notes and then copy and paste it into iMessage. You can also use and App’s like “Drafts”.
 

Wotchered

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Nothing more infuriating than having to re-compose a message, it happens to me occasionally Always with SMS never imessage .
 

nikkisharif

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I use to have this issue, but haven’t experienced it in a few years, since being able to back up messages to iCloud. Ever since the option was available, I’ve had it turned on. I always set my phones up as new, so this was a welcome addition to iOS & allows me to continue my messages where I left off. I would, definitely, suggest turning on messages in iCloud. If it’s already turned on, I would contact Apple support or make a genius appointment because there’s a reason some people are having this issue and some aren’t.
 

anon(10615171)

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Re: I am amazed!

@robrich247

I just joined this site JUST to respond to your comment to say YES. Thank you for saying what I was thinking while reading not only their comment, but all of these comments on here. This was the only forum I found talking about this issue, and all of these people are so condescending. I have a feeling most of these people saying "Oh this issue must be unique to you because no one else possibly spends so much time typing a text message" or the trash these other guys are saying, they probably are just older and don't quite understand how technology and how we use it has changed since their days of dial up and AOL. Emails are largely a thing of the past regarding social conversation, and on top of all of this, none of this even matters because it has no relevance to the issue at hand: Where are our drafts???

Like sorry, Karen, if using text messages as a platform for creating thoughtful, well written messages offends you. I'll make a mental note to only send a thumbs up emoji or "K" to you from now on, jeez.
 

Just_Me_D

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Re: I am amazed!

@robrich247

I just joined this site JUST to respond to your comment to say YES. Thank you for saying what I was thinking while reading not only their comment, but all of these comments on here. This was the only forum I found talking about this issue, and all of these people are so condescending. I have a feeling most of these people saying "Oh this issue must be unique to you because no one else possibly spends so much time typing a text message" or the trash these other guys are saying, they probably are just older and don't quite understand how technology and how we use it has changed since their days of dial up and AOL. Emails are largely a thing of the past regarding social conversation, and on top of all of this, none of this even matters because it has no relevance to the issue at hand: Where are our drafts???

Like sorry, Karen, if using text messages as a platform for creating thoughtful, well written messages offends you. I'll make a mental note to only send a thumbs up emoji or "K" to you from now on, jeez.

Please know that you’re replying in a thread that was created 3 years ago.
 

anon(10615171)

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I'd like to point out that the response posted right before mine was literally last month :)

It's interesting how the internet works, isn't it? Things posted at one point in time can still serve their purpose years later! Even more interesting is the fact that this was an issue three years ago and STILL has persisted to be a problem for iphone.

If/Once they fix this problem people will no longer need this thread, and you won't have to be reminded of your previous messages that you may or may not regret.
 

Just_Me_D

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I'd like to point out that the response posted right before mine was literally last month :)
I had no idea since you didn’t use the quote option.

It's interesting how the internet works, isn't it? Things posted at one point in time can still serve their purpose years later! Even more interesting is the fact that this was an issue three years ago and STILL has persisted to be a problem for iphone.
I agree that certain things can still be relevant today, but in regard to the thread topic, I disagree that it is a “problem”. Could it pose a problem for some? Sure.

If/Once they fix this problem people will no longer need this thread, and you won't have to be reminded of your previous messages that you may or may not regret.

If you frequent forums as much as many of us do then you learn to recognize certain trends and 9 out of 10 end up being as suspected. In the meantime, take some good advice and be mindful of the date of certain threads and please use the quote option when replying so that readers can know to whom you’re replying. Take care.
 

anon(10615171)

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Lmao!!!!
Idk man I figured it was pretty obvious who and what I was referring to, you seemed to since you responded the way you did ;) But don't worry, next time I will make sure to quote you so you can follow along.

If you read literally any of the comments in this thread you would see it's obviously a problem for a lot of people. I would say the fact that this thread is still going "3 years" later shows that enough people have come here looking for an answer to their "problem" for it to be considered a "problem," but go off I guess.

So much for that thick skin huh. :rotfl:

Take some good advice, try and look past your own nose to see that just because you don't have a problem doesn't mean the problem doesn't exist for other people. ;)


Take care Buddy
 

Just_Me_D

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Lmao!!!!
Idk man I figured it was pretty obvious who and what I was referring to, you seemed to since you responded the way you did ;) But don't worry, next time I will make sure to quote you so you can follow along.
Thank you.

If you read literally any of the comments in this thread you would see it's obviously a problem for a lot of people. I would say the fact that this thread is still going "3 years" later shows that enough people have come here looking for an answer to their "problem" for it to be considered a "problem," but go off I guess.

So much for that thick skin huh. :rotfl:
I still don’t see it as a problem, but if you do then so be it, and yes, my skin is still thick.

Take some good advice, try and look past your own nose to see that just because you don't have a problem doesn't mean the problem doesn't exist for other people. ;)


Take care Buddy
Advice taken.....but answer this....How can I see something as a problem if I’m not affected by it or haven’t experienced it? My saying that “I don’t see it as a problem” shouldn’t cause you to think I’m being insensitive or cause you to think that I’m doubting your claim. You know what you’re dealing and I know what I’m not dealing with. Therefore, for you to jump in this thread just to say yes or jump on the bandwagon of those experiencing the problem and jump to the conclusion that those of us who say we aren’t are somehow demeaning you is you being insecure, in my opinion. Anyway, take care and enjoy the rest of your evening.
 

robrich247

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Re: I am amazed!

@robrich247

I just joined this site JUST to respond to your comment to say YES. Thank you for saying what I was thinking while reading not only their comment, but all of these comments on here. This was the only forum I found talking about this issue, and all of these people are so condescending. I have a feeling most of these people saying "Oh this issue must be unique to you because no one else possibly spends so much time typing a text message" or the trash these other guys are saying, they probably are just older and don't quite understand how technology and how we use it has changed since their days of dial up and AOL. Emails are largely a thing of the past regarding social conversation, and on top of all of this, none of this even matters because it has no relevance to the issue at hand: Where are our drafts???

Like sorry, Karen, if using text messages as a platform for creating thoughtful, well written messages offends you. I'll make a mental note to only send a thumbs up emoji or "K" to you from now on, jeez.

Thanks for going through the effort of joining just to respond. I feel deeply humbled that somebody would take the time. I might've flown off the handle a bit at the end of that rant but I will not stand for bullies using their authority to belittle people. Your post has made my day, it's nice to be understood. Cheers
Rob
 

Ledsteplin

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Thank you.

I still don’t see it as a problem, but if you do then so be it, and yes, my skin is still thick.

Advice taken.....but answer this....How can I see something as a problem if I’m not affected by it or haven’t experienced it? My saying that “I don’t see it as a problem” shouldn’t cause you to think I’m being insensitive or cause you to think that I’m doubting your claim. You know what you’re dealing and I know what I’m not dealing with. Therefore, for you to jump in this thread just to say yes or jump on the bandwagon of those experiencing the problem and jump to the conclusion that those of us who say we aren’t are somehow demeaning you is you being insecure, in my opinion. Anyway, take care and enjoy the rest of your evening.

This issue is hit or miss with me. My texts vanish maybe 50% of the time. And it's new with me. Since updating to iOS 12. Never happened up through iOS 10. It is annoying. The weird thing is, it never happens when I test it to see if it happens. But it does.