Messages-Syncing iPhone and Mac

[jusacruiser]

I don't know why Messages is not syncing between my Macbook and iPhone.

If I am having a iPhone messages conversation.....shouldn't that be showing up in the messages app in my Macbook....and vice/versa?

Thanks

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

Yes it should. You are using the same AppleID account on both? Otherwise try to remove it on one of them, and readding it.

 

[Eric5273]

An annoying thing that I have noticed is that when you delete a message on one device, it is not deleted on the others.

 

[igucl]

An annoying thing that I have noticed is that when you delete a message on one device, it is not deleted on the others.

Yes, this has been my exact experience from the beginning of the whole Continuity rollout. As much as I wish it wasn't the case, Apple still has a ways to go with their cloud service stability.

 

[jusacruiser]

How do I fix it so that Messages is synced on both my iPhone and Macbook??

 

[adrianlondon]

Yes, this has been my exact experience from the beginning of the whole Continuity rollout. As much as I wish it wasn't the case, Apple still has a ways to go with their cloud service stability.

I don't think iMessages are ever stored in the cloud; they're queued for delivery to any device registered to use the ID/number the message is sent to, then deleted.

This is why, once delivered, there's no further synchronisation. Of course, they could give each one an ID and then push a "delete iMessage ID nnnn" message to each device when you click "delete" on one, but I guess they decided not to bother.

How do I fix it so that Messages is synced on both my iPhone and Macbook??

Do you have the same "You can be reached by iMessage on" setting on both devices? Maybe one is using a phone number and Apple ID whereas the other only an Apple ID, and your un-sync'd conversation is going to the phone number? Just as an example.

 

[Eric5273]

This is why, once delivered, there's no further synchronisation. Of course, they could give each one an ID and then push a "delete iMessage ID nnnn" message to each device when you click "delete" on one, but I guess they decided not to bother.

Not true. Read receipts are synchronized. If the message shows as new on my iPad and I read on my iPhone, on the iPad the notification disappears and the message is marked read there too.

It would seem like an easy fix to also sync deletions.

 

[adrianlondon]

Not true. Read receipts are synchronized.

Good point; I forgot about that. In which case, synchronised deletion should be a simple matter as you say.

 

[BrianBaughn]

What Mac OS version are we discussing here?

 

[igucl]

I don't think iMessages are ever stored in the cloud; they're queued for delivery to any device registered to use the ID/number the message is sent to, then deleted.

Maybe you're right, but I don't see how this could explain the fact that messages are often received on my Mac after I've already received them on my phone. Sometimes hours, sometimes days after I received them and opened them on my phone. Whatever system Apple is using, it is often flakey.