Message App utterly destroyed

[simonds79]

This issue has completely baffled me, let's see if someone can solve it. My wife's iPhone X's Message app was completely empty today. Hundreds of text threads from over the years, gone. Also gone is her ability to send a text message, both cellular and iMessage. She can enter a name/number, type the text. but pressing the send arrow does not respond. She cannot add a picture or other attachment, like animoji/giphy/sticker. All are non-responsive.

She can receive a text, but it only shows in notifications, no record is shown in the Message app. She can, however, respond to someone if she force presses the notification to bring up the mini message window. Here is what I have tried to do:

1. Kill Message app and reload.
2. Hard reset iPhone.
3. Disable iMessage, reboot, enable iMessage
4. Reset settings.
5. Reset network settings.
6. Reset all settings and erase iPhone.
7. Restore via iCloud.
8. Restore via DFU iTunes.
9. Restore from earlier backup (different from previous two restores)
10. Restore and setup as new iPhone.

The only thing that worked was setting up as a new iPhone, but my wife REALLY doesn't want that, because she will lose a ton of information that isn't available in iCloud. I don't understand how using an older backup when messaging was fine is any different than setting up as new. Anyone have some insight?

 

[BugeyeSTI]

Sounds like some type of corruption in the backup. Who knows why it happened. If the phone works normally after restoring and setting up as new I’d say you really have no choice considering..

 

[Chazzle]

This issue has completely baffled me, let's see if someone can solve it. My wife's iPhone X's Message app was completely empty today. Hundreds of text threads from over the years, gone. Also gone is her ability to send a text message, both cellular and iMessage. She can enter a name/number, type the text. but pressing the send arrow does not respond. She cannot add a picture or other attachment, like animoji/giphy/sticker. All are non-responsive.

She can receive a text, but it only shows in notifications, no record is shown in the Message app. She can, however, respond to someone if she force presses the notification to bring up the mini message window. Here is what I have tried to do:

1. Kill Message app and reload.
2. Hard reset iPhone.
3. Disable iMessage, reboot, enable iMessage
4. Reset settings.
5. Reset network settings.
6. Reset all settings and erase iPhone.
7. Restore via iCloud.
8. Restore via DFU iTunes.
9. Restore from earlier backup (different from previous two restores)
10. Restore and setup as new iPhone.

The only thing that worked was setting up as a new iPhone, but my wife REALLY doesn't want that, because she will lose a ton of information that isn't available in iCloud. I don't understand how using an older backup when messaging was fine is any different than setting up as new. Anyone have some insight?

I’m assuming her phone is not running the 11.3 beta, correct?

 

[Apple_Robert]

What information is she afraid of losing that is not currently in iCloud? You can use a program like iMazing, to back up the contents of your phone that iTunes does not etc.

 

[simonds79]

Sounds like some type of corruption in the backup. Who knows why it happened. If the phone works normally after restoring and setting up as new I’d say you really have no choice considering..

That's what I thought, but after trying several different backups, I was even more confused.
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I’m assuming her phone is not running the 11.3 beta, correct?

Correct, she only runs the official releases.
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What information is she afraid of losing that is not currently in iCloud? You can use a program like iMazing, to back up the contents of your phone that iTunes does not etc.

I ended up interviewing her and she wasn't aware that she could transfer her notes to iCloud. Apparently she has a ton. We transferred and set up as new.

 

[woodynorman]

Theres another thread here about losing all messages due to lack of storage. Is her phone out of storage?

 

[maliu]

Welcome to my world. I’ve had this problem since December. Apple engineering is working on a fix. Per my senior tech about 200 people have this problem. I can only read texts on notifications, messages is blank. However I can get messages on all my other Apple devices and reply from there.