Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

What happens if you send an iOS 10 iMessage to an iOS 9 or earlier user?

T

Ternary

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 4, 2015
168
162
iOS 10 iMessage as in utilizing the new features like invisible ink, bubble effects, tapback, etc. I tried searching all over the Web, but I couldn't find a definite answer.
  • Does it give the sender an error message?
  • Or does the iMessage go through, but the recipient gets a rendering error?
  • Or does the iMessage go through with the iOS 10 enhancements removed when viewing it on iOS 9?
  • Or does the iMessage go through, but the recipient receives nothing on his or her end?
  • Or does it do something else?
 
  • Like
Reactions: scapegoat81
EJ8 said:
I asked this a few weeks ago. Got nothin.
Click to expand...
Nothing as in you got no response, or nothing as in the recipient receives nothing?

Look, I apologize if this has already been answered. But I legitimately couldn't find any answer other than "you cannot send the new stuff." And I'm not sure if "you cannot send the new stuff" means that the sender receives an error or that you can't send the new stuff simply because the recipient doesn't get it.
 
nathorpe said:
I've tried it, I jut get the red "not delivered" notification pop up.
Click to expand...
Ah, I see. That makes sense. Since this happens, I now have other questions.
  • Does the "not delivered" error only happen on iOS 10 enhanced iMessages or for all iMessages sent with iOS 10?
  • What if the iOS 9 user uses MacOS Sierra, which is capable of viewing the new iMessages? Does the sender still receive the "not delivered" error, or does it go through and is viewable on MacOS Sierra, but not on iOS 9?
 
Regular iMessages go through fine, it's just the enhanced ones that don't get delivered. I don't have anything with Sierra though, so I'm afraid I can't weigh in on that.
 
Enhanced messages sent to a platform that can't read them (so anything older than iOS 10, macOS 10.12, or watchOS 3) just won't ever receive the message.
 
Kind of scary, though. What if there's an emergency of some kind, and someone is using those enhanced messages to get one's attention, but it never goes through because the reader hasn't updated to iOS 10 yet?
 
KoolAid-Drink said:
Kind of scary, though. What if there's an emergency of some kind, and someone is using those enhanced messages to get one's attention, but it never goes through because the reader hasn't updated to iOS 10 yet?
Click to expand...
You get a error message right away. It's only when using the new features, standard texts aren't effected. Can't imagine a situation where someone would be using the new options in an emergency anyway

Image1467521384.511471.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: Math889, 32828870, BarryL and 11 others
Thanks for the answers, guys. I do wish that Apple will make the error message more clear though, since the sender might think his or her phone has gone bad, when it really didn't.
 
Ternary said:
Thanks for the answers, guys. I do wish that Apple will make the error message more clear though, since the sender might think his or her phone has gone bad, when it really didn't.
Click to expand...

1. It's "Beta" for testing
2. That's not an "Error" message that's limited to beta software. It's the same thing you get in IOS 9 and others when a message doesn't go thru.
 
teeshot44 said:
1. It's "Beta" for testing
2. That's not an "Error" message that's limited to beta software. It's the same thing you get in IOS 9 and others when a message doesn't go thru.
Click to expand...
1. That's why I said "will."
2. Of course I know that. But this "error" is different from the same "error" from iOS 9 and earlier. That's why I think it should be clarified, since it's for a different reason.
 
Normal iMessages will be sent, but any of the new features will all fail to be sent, to any older iOS.
 
Ternary said:
1. That's why I said "will."
2. Of course I know that. But this "error" is different from the same "error" from iOS 9 and earlier. That's why I think it should be clarified, since it's for a different reason.
Click to expand...
Being a beta for developers I doubt anyone on iOS 10 would not know this.
 
I've downloaded Beta 2 on my iPad Air 2 and am able to send hand written messages from iOS 10 Beta 2 to iPhone 5s running 9.3.2 successfully. You can see the written message on the phone. I can also pull up the GIF keyboard on the iPad and send GIFs from Beta 10 to iPhone 5s running 9.3.2
 
  • Like
Reactions: KeanosMagicHat and JerTheGeek
Ternary said:
  • Does it give the sender an error message?
  • Or does the iMessage go through, but the recipient gets a rendering error?
  • Or does the iMessage go through with the iOS 10 enhancements removed when viewing it on iOS 9?
  • Or does the iMessage go through, but the recipient receives nothing on his or her end?
  • Or does it do something else?
Click to expand...

I am on Public Beta.

1. You would first get an "undelivered" error. But after a second, the msg would go through.
2. No rendering error on the receiving end.

The 3x emoji is shown as a blank box on iOS 9. The special effects (bubbles etc) are not shown on iOS 9. Stretch, hand written msg are shown as pictures.
 
I'm not sure why they can't have it convert for iOS 9 or lower.
For
Messages with effects, all effects are stripped out and the message just goes through.
A sticker is converted to a jpg or gif and sent.
A Digital Touch is sent as a jog of the final product.
A heartbeat just isn't sent.
Etc
 
Please do your part folks and report your findings and concerns to Apple.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back