Broken iMessage notification sounds/alerts

[cjhessing]

Hi everyone, currently have this case being sent to engineers by a really helpful guy over at 'Senior Applecare Advisor iOS / Mac+' so they can look into it but thought someone here might have an idea or something.


Have had remote diagnostics performed on iPhone (6s+) and all tests passed.
MacBook Pro (late2013) recently had staingate screen replaced and diagnostics tests all passed.


So when I updated iOS and macOS to their prior updates this situation started (3 weeks ago or so?)
Before that everything was fine, and having updated again yesterday to the lastest the problem remains.


So I get an iMessage on both devices, a MacBook and iphone.

I read it and send a reply from the MacBook. The next message I get back in turn will go off on the MacBook right away but be delayed on iPhone by about 40 seconds (as long as I didn’t read it on the MacBook because then it's read and a read message doesn’t notify on devices right?).
And vice versa, if I read and send the message on the iPhone, the MacBook will be delayed.

However sometimes that late alert on the phone will take longer than 40 seconds. Usually 3 minutes if it is going to happen and then the noise that goes of on my phone sounds like 10 messages all arriving at once and the alerts all going off at once, except there is just 1 message. Imagine the alert noise stuttering as if you're getting 10 messages all at once and the sound is trying to catch up with itself.

I do have several recordings of this, and it happens regardless of the tone used:default, custom, classic.


Have done numberous 'clean' installs of both Mac OS (using newly downloaded installers) and iOS via itunes.
No backups restored.
No 'do not disturb'.
Bluetooth off.
On the MacBook the smc and pram all cleared.


The only thing not done is a DFU on iPhone.


Have tried signing in and out, have tried using only my mobile number for iMessages, mobile and email etc.
All details on devices match, Apple ID, number being used etc.


When out and about in town all messages come to the phone just fine and all alerts sound etc (MacBook at home asleep, phone in pocket).


To be clear so the same info is here as with the engineers:


Scenario 1:

I read and reply to the message from my MacBook.

The reply I receive back sounds immediately on MacBook but is delayed on iPhone for 45seconds - 1minute or so. It is there (on notification screen) if I check manually but the screen does not light up or sound or vibrate for those 45+ seconds.

Occasionally the phone won't alert me for 2-3 minutes and then will finally alert me with that broken notification sound.


Scenario 2:

I read and reply to the imessage on iPhone. The reply (and further replies) I receive back will sound on my iPhone fine but might not sound on the MacBook. I can see in the background that it is there in the imessage window on macos, but the alert sound does not go off and the 'unread' counter in the dock over the app icon does not show a new message either.


So, if anyone has any ideas let me know and I can suggest it to my contact at Apple and he can pass it to the engineers.

Ps, no iwatch device complicating things here.

Sorry for the long post but had to make it all clear as I could

Thanks peeps

 

[zorinlynx]

I ran into a weird bug where if Bluetooth is turned on on my Mac, I would get no notifications on my iPhone. But if I turned off Bluetooth they would work fine. Try turning off Bluetooth and see if that's the issue in your case.

 

[cjhessing]

I ran into a weird bug where if Bluetooth is turned on on my Mac, I would get no notifications on my iPhone. But if I turned off Bluetooth they would work fine. Try turning off Bluetooth and see if that's the issue in your case.

Thanks for the idea, but bluetooth is off on MacBook as well as iPhone, I should have specified that
Don't have a use for bluetooth so its always off

** So I looked at Mac preferences just for fun and bluetooth was on! No idea why, maybe its default? I'v turned it off on the Mac now so will keep an eye on that. Really hope its that simple!

Thanks for the advice pal, will update as and when things happen.

 

[cjhessing]

I ran into a weird bug where if Bluetooth is turned on on my Mac, I would get no notifications on my iPhone. But if I turned off Bluetooth they would work fine. Try turning off Bluetooth and see if that's the issue in your case.

Sadly I'm still getting the delayed alerts
Not sure about the alert sound stutter/breaking because that's a random thing out of a whole days messaging but in the case of both 'scenarios' mentioned I still get the delay on iPhone of 45seconds-1min or so for alerts when I'v replied to messages on Mac OS and replies come back to me in turn.

Still appreciate the bluetooth tip! Cheers for that.
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Made a simple small video so anyone wanting to hear the audio glitch can do so

 

[cjhessing]

Managed to make a video so people can see what is going on and not just hear it:
The message already arrived on macOS, then after 2 mins still has not arrived on iOS.
So the video is trimmed down so you don't see a complete 2 mins of blank screen

 

[EssentialParado]

I have the exact same problem. It was on my 6s but I just upgraded to an iPhone X and the bug has followed me. Was this ever solved for you?

 

[pretty pixel]

I have the exact same problem. It was on my 6s but I just upgraded to an iPhone X and the bug has followed me. Was this ever solved for you?

I too have the same problem on my iPhone 6s Plus. Did you resolve the problem?

 

[belvdr]

I had this issue as well as an issue where calls would no longer ring on my Mac. So far (*knock on wood*), both have been fixed by wiping my iPhone and rebuilding everything from scratch as a new phone (not a backup/restore).

 

[babarambi]

I am having the exact same problem with the stuttering ringtone with imessage.
I've spent many hours on the phone with apple support but so far no one was able to do anything.
I performed many DFU resets with itunes and always set up the iphone as a new phone but nothing has helped.
The problem persists with every ios update.
Today I was finally able to at least record it, so that I have proof for apple support.
I also noticed that the chronological order of imessages gets confused, displaying the reply before the preceeding message. This happens for myself and/or my chat partner.

Did anyone here found a solution?

 

[EssentialParado]

iMessage in the Cloud is supposed to be a major iMessage update coming in iOS 11.3 (it’s been delayed a few times). I have my fingers crossed that the reason Apple hasn’t fixed our issue is because the new update resolves it. Just have to wait and see.

 

[C DM]

iMessage in the Cloud is supposed to be a major iMessage update coming in iOS 11.3 (it’s been delayed a few times). I have my fingers crossed that the reason Apple hasn’t fixed our issue is because the new update resolves it. Just have to wait and see.

11.3 has already been released and unfortunately iCloud iMessage integration didn't make the final version.

 

[babarambi]

any news on this front? I am still waiting. Apple Support is totally unable to get anything done. It‘s now a back and forth for over a 3/4 year and still no real progress

 

[EssentialParado]

I’ve updated to 11.4 and turned on iMessage in the Cloud and can confirm it has not fixed the issue for me.

It’s really annoying now and happens all the time. Has anyone been to the Apple Genius Bar about this?

To clarify: I do not think this is a Mac problem as I am only using an iPad Pro and my iPhone X with iMessage these days. But it’s basically the same situation — reply to a text on my iPad and when the reply appears on my iPhone I get about 5-10 alert tones all happening at the same time.

 

[babarambi]

When did this start to happen for you? For me it started when I got my iPhone 8, right from the beginning. Before that with my iphone 6 I 've never had any issues of that sort.

 

[EssentialParado]

When did this start to happen for you? For me it started when I got my iPhone 8, right from the beginning. Before that with my iphone 6 I 've never had any issues of that sort.

I think my 6S… then I upgraded to a X and the problems followed.

 

[babarambi]

did anyone here get it fixed?

 

[cjhessing]

did anyone here get it fixed?

I never got it resolved no, it went through several checks and even got sent to Cupertino, so we might presume it is fixed for ios 12. The logs never showed any issue, we went through extensive testing and logging.

Some quirks are intended and only revealed themselves because of what they called 'unique use pattern': ie, when you are using your mac and have just recently had the imessage window active on it, it will alert there rather than since that is the active device but if there is no response from you such as reading it or touching the messages app, the next message received will ring on both (and vice versa btw). It is a small quirk considering that it is there on all devices regardless and you have been alerted to it either way lol. Doesn't matter really, just a quirk.

The broken audio notification noise is not part of that quirk though and happened again as recently as last week. Have just upgraded to the xs so we will see if it is gone via new phone and new iOS.
[doublepost=1537657599][/doublepost]

any news on this front? I am still waiting. Apple Support is totally unable to get anything done. It‘s now a back and forth for over a 3/4 year and still no real progress

No, it was never resolved, senior support took logs from my device for weeks, i was only too happy to oblige there and I believe it did indeed go to the engineers at Cupertino who were already requesting the logs and requesting certain patterns of use so they could compare logs over and over. I presume it is now fixed with iOS 12, the logs showed no errors or anomalies, the hardware check showed no hardware errors either.

In just got the xs so we will see if a new iOS and new phone have resolved this.

 

[ferk]

Did the iPhone XS help?

I have the same problem, exactly as you have described—delayed or no notification although the message is on the screen, stuttering text tone. Started on my iPhone 7 but has followed me to an iPhone X. I will have the problem even when I am apart from my iMac in my office over the weekend (although the iMac is on and not sleeping).

I was just iMessaging a contact back and forth a few times on my Mac, not using the phone at all, and then one response showed up in the banner in the corner but never made a noise on either device.

 

[EssentialParado]

I’ve just taken to muting my iPhone when on my iPad now. A bit of a pain but ah well. Seems it’ll never be fixed.

 

[cadec]

it is now 2023 and this stupid UNACCEPTABLE bug persists.

A few minutes ago I got an initial iMessage alert tone on my iPhone but not my desktop. A few minutes later, the same person sent me new texts in iMessage AND voila ZERO ALERT TONES on either NOTHING!!! Nada, zip, zilch no sound at all on EITHER device.

THIS IS RIDICULOUS APPLE!!!!