“iOS 12.0.1 is here and it brings some crucial fixes,” Gordon Kelly writes for Forbes. “That said, following a flurry of user complaints, we know now it also contains several new bugs while doubling down on what is arguably Apple’s most embarrassing problem in recent years.”
“Picking up from where iOS 12 left off, iOS 12.0.1 is still sending iMessages to the wrong people. Often with truly uncomfortable consequences,” Kelly writes. “Moreover, it appears Apple has no plan to fix this.”
“It stems from Apple now organising all contacts by Apple ID, so if family members or friends share an ID now all these messages are shared simultaneously with everyone who has that ID,” Kelly writes. “The move has been seen as an attempt by Apple to push users into each having their own Apple ID, whereas sharers have long enjoyed sharing because it means only having to purchase apps and iTunes content once. Given Apple didn’t announce this ‘feature’ in advance, the surprise and anger of affected users is understandable.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Yes, this is an issue (for sure!), but, further, there is something about the way Messages works – and this is long term, not just with iOS 12.x – that is confusing, especially when working fast with multiple messages. You sometimes reply to a message to the wrong person in what is technically, we suppose, “user error,” but it really something inherent in the way Messages works. We can’t even explain well why it happens. If you can, or if you’ve experienced the same thing (we know many of you have), please expound in the comments below. There’s just something fundamentally broken in Messages UI/UX.
The Wall streeters will now bump up the share price of facebook given it now owns WatsApp.
My wife and I share an iTunes account, but not an iCloud account. When setting up her devices we choose use separate iTunes and iCloud accounts. We’ve been doing this since before the Family Sharing option. We have no Message issues and share all music, video purchases as needed.
That is exactly the way it is supposed to work and it works flawlessly – Forbes is crap!
This is clickbait. Forbes is almost tied with Bloomberg in the “anything anti-Apple” department. AppleIDs are supposed to be one to a person, and have been that way for a long time. Having separate AppleIDs doesn’t prevent people from sharing apps and media content. That’s what Family sharing is for.
Actually, this is an incorrect assumption. Our company uses the same AppleID on nearly 100 devices (tablets and phones). Many companies do this to streamline management. Explain to companies who have even more devices (in the thousands), how each is supposed to have separate AppleIDs, or more absurdly – how each device should be expected to receive every single message regardless of the cellular number it was sent to. Thanks in advance.
Messages is a mess, bloated app
Really pushed away
There’s a Messages bug in Mojave too. When I open messages onto my desktop, frequently the last message I sent is still in the typing box even though right above it in the dialog box it’s shown as having been delivered. It’s just the first part of the message. Looks like I didn’t finish typing it even though I actually already sent the whole message. Mildly annoying.
Actually that bug has affected me for at least 3 years now.
Does it in iOS on occasion too.
Same here …
… and another manifestation of this is that the notification “ping” is wonky too – – it seems that the message shows up everywhere but is silent on all but one of the devices. If that device is the sender, then there is no notification ping.
One of Gordon Kelly’s most-used headlines is “macOS/iOS/tvOS, etc. has a nasty surprise”. He, and Forbes, are the epitome of the little boy always screaming FIRE in a crowded theater. He, and Forbes, are click-bait hack masters. I was guilty of clicking and reading their stories for years until I saw their pattern of deception. Even if there might be something to this story, I’ll investigate it somewhere besides Forbes and Gordon Kelly. And I’m surprised and disappointed that MDN is rewarding them with a headline on their site.
Article is a little misleading, Child accounts and family sharing works great for us. I love being able to approve purchases on child’s device from my device and not having the kids stuff showing up on my devices. Separate Apple ids also make find my friends work for keeping up with the locations of family members. Initial setup was a head scratcher until I found the Apple guide to setting up child accounts, but no real problems since.
Don’t share iTunes or iCloud accounts. BAD idea.
My wife and I used to do this and it caused all kinds of headaches. Messages was getting confused every time there was a major update, for example. Updating apps was nightmare because some apps needed her iTunes credentials and some needed mine. She would get an app, and it would automatically load on my devices.
We separated the accounts last time she got a new iPhone. Took an act of God and hours with Apple tech support to separate the them, but things are much better now.
“Took an act of God and hours with Apple tech support to separate the them”
This is why most people don’t. Apple does not make it easy to do, and most won’t bother. Especially if it requires calling up somebody.
In my comment below, it took the Genius bar 3 hours to recommend discontinuing family share. Spent several hours with @applesupport over 3 days. Crazy. Apple just need to get back to building quality software…you know, back to the days when “it just works” use to be the norm. Now, “it just works, sometimes.”
Agreed. Used to share my account with the wife. Then everything went to hell. My picture would then be automatically pushed to her account as her and vice versa. Editing the picture by using her picture take immediate effect on her iPad. A few hours later, it would change the picture into her on my iPhone. I use @applesupport. They could not help me. Went to the Genius bar. The only thing they could recommend was to not share. I ended up having to discontinue family sharing. It work fine after that. However, after updating to 12.1, my info on my wife’s iPad shows her picture, not mine. So I changed it again. So far, it’s holding. Hopefully, for good.
Just curious, when you were having the problems, you and your wife were both using separate Apple ID’s, with both accounts listed in family sharing? What you went through sounds like a mess, glad you got it worked out though.
These idiots haven’t figured out how to add a new Mac user account when they share, for 20 years. “Why is all out shit mixed together” they scream. “No idea, Apple sucks I guess” is the media’s answer.
iMessages is a clusterfuck. ‘It just doesn’t work’
I share with my wife. On her phone, I make sure iMessage is tied to her number..not the Apple ID. That’s not complicated.
Regarding replying to the wrong person..when you go to iMessage after unlocking the phone, make sure you choose the right thread. Sometimes defaults to the last thread before the new message. Or..just reply through the lock screen.
Yes! The reply to wrong person happens to me because I read the message in the notification, but when you open messages, it defaults to your previous conversation. Either I need to remember to check who I’m talking to or I need to disallow showing the message in the notification.
Five of us, including Rachel & Ray & my wife & I, were in the same conversation. Someone in the group posted a message that my wife & I each received apparently normally. But on my wife’s iPhone it showed as having come from Rachel and on my iPhone it showed as coming from Ray. Wired!
Sounds electrifying…definitely weird.
It stems from Apple now organising all contacts by Apple ID, so if family members or friends share an ID now all these messages are shared simultaneously with everyone who has that ID,”
What moron is sharing iCloud ID with others? iTunes ID sharing? Ok, convinient, but iCloud? Heck no.
It’s possible some of the ones that set up their devices to share all Apple accounts just don’t want to deal with accounts becoming inaccessible on death.
We have been having issues with messages coming from my daughter looking like they are from my wife and vice versa. Settings does not help. We all share basic iTunes account but weach have our own apple ID. Pain in the butt!
https://www.apple.com/family-sharing/
This is the guide we used when converted from all using the same Apple ID to separate ID’s for each family member and family sharing. Worked well for us, haven’t seen any of the issues others are describing.
Would be nice to be able to reply to some of my contacts I can re I’ve messages and indeed I used to be able to send but for some reason now any replies I make just don’t get through. Can’t believe an expensive phone can’t forget reliably what a cheap Nokia has always been able to do.
Forbes is an embarrassing problem. Shut it down, Steve, it’s an embarrassment of bitches bitching bitchily.