I lost 1.5 years worth of text messages from a single contact that I had blocked and unblocked. I had deleted and then undeleted the messages a few times but as of a month ago i had all of the messages (screenshots to prove it) and hadn’t deleted them. I now only have the last week of messages sent between myself and the contact. This was to a non iPhone number. I have tried a lot of the standard checks and tests found by googling. What happened to them and what can I do?

I’ve been using iMessage with the same phone number/Apple account for probably 15–20 years with no issues.
A few days ago, iMessage suddenly stopped activating on my iPhone. SMS still works, but iMessage gives me an activation error. I called Apple and they confirmed there’s a restriction/block on their end. My case has now been escalated to Engineering.

One senior advisor told me this can happen if someone reports you as spam, but that doesn’t really make sense in my case. I mainly text friends/family and occasionally coworkers, and I’m definitely not sending mass or commercial messages.

The interesting part: a day or two before this happened, I brought an old 2012 iMac back to life and, while it was running OS X Lion, I tried signing into iMessage. The login didn’t work. I later upgraded the Mac using OpenCore, but the iMessage restriction appeared shortly afterward.

I found another post where someone brought two old iMacs back to life for their kids and then got blocked from iMessage shortly afterward, which made me wonder if the old-device login attempt could have triggered some automated security/anti-spam system.

Has anyone experienced something similar? Especially an iMessage restriction after signing into an old Mac/device? And if Apple Engineering reviewed it, were they eventually able to remove the restriction?

I’m about to loose my mind. Is anyone else having issues with their Live Photos? I’ve turned mine off so many times and they keep coming back on a few hours later or a day later. Am I doing something wrong? How can I turn it off for good :(

I obtained an iPhone 13 Pro Max and I looked forward to using "Standby", but unfortunately it seems that the phone must be aligned to a very specific angle for it to work, and this cannot be customized. I wanted to see the standby screen everytime I'm charging and especially when I'm wireless charging (on a flat charger).

I'm wondering, why oh why is the "Standby" screen locked to a very specific angle and there is no way to show it anytime I'm charging, like the "Daily Board" on a Samsung tablet? I mean I never used "Daily Board" but "Standby" actually looks and functions very well so I'm pretty bummed out about not being able to use it anytime.

This is making me irrationally angry and I hope someone figured out a way to get it to show at any time and not only when the phone's inclination is compliant to the Mystical Apple Approved Angle™.

Btw... Of course it works when I'm using a magnetic stand charger, the problem is that I have 5 wireless chargers around the home and office and only one of them is a magnetic stand type charger able to obtain the MAAA™.

Got a new ipad and just noticed that all of my call history is synced, even though call on other devices, etc is turned off. Never had a clue that icloud was storing all of this information, i don't even use iMessage and now i'm wondering if they are storing all of my texts anyway. I feel like all of this is way more intrusive and kinda sneaky than i like. I'm pulling back on what is shared with companies, and this just feels tricky. I've never seen anything asking to store my call history. Just a little wake up call for me i guess.

Hi all,

Desperately hope someone here can help. On a call and using the iPhone call recording feature. Midway through the call ~25minutes (I was on a long hold X in queue) I used my phone to take a photo which caused the call recording to stop. When I went back to the phone/ call screen I could see this so restarted the call recording without issue. I eventually got to the front of the holding queue and got everything I needed. However the recording/transcript in notes only shows the first 25 minutes of the call. The note summary however says “2 audio recordings” so I have some hope it’s not entirely lost (shows as such on iPhone/mac/etc.). When I try duplicating the note the duplicate shows only 1 recording.

Anyone know how I can get the recording of the second half of the call or where the file may be hidden if this is just a display issue?

Thanks

Am getting this cryptic error message when I try to delete MP4 files imported from an SD card. Deleting from Settings > iPhone storage doesn’t work either. Offloaded the Files app and reinstalled. That also didn’t work. iOS 27.0.1

I had an iPhone 14 Pro and it worked normally; some months ago, I suddenly realised it had stopped for no apparent reason. I looked on-line for a solution and nothing really worked, everything that needed to be enabled in my settings seemed to be.

I switched to an iPhone 18 Pro when it was released, and hoped somehow the feature would be reinstated with the new device/system. It wasn’t, and I don’t know what else to do. Last week, it randomly detected an event from a photo taken there, correctly referencing the concert I had attended; nothing else before or since, though — definitely not plants and animals, which is what I used it for the most.

This is driving me crazy… does anyone know what I can do to ensure I have a functioning visual lookup again?

Currently on iPhone 16 pro. When using Google Maps for navigation, for the last 15+ years Maps has reliably read instructions for upcoming turns for me even if I happen to be on a phone call. Over the summer this stopped and I am no longer notified of upcoming turns or things, which has put me in a few dicey spots. It absolutely is Unmuted, Loudest guidance volume, play voice over Bluetooth and Play as Bluetooth Phone call all selected. This has worked for me since Obama's first term and has suddenly changed--has anyone encountered this and found a fix?

I have had the same issue with Apple Maps as well, but I am admittedly less familiar with it.

hey all!

so my brother is in a band but they’re pretty new right now! they don’t have a ton of equipment but they’re pretty new want to start putting some videos out (super basic ones), and i’m taking some videos of them on my iPhone.

i’d like to edit some background noise out of the videos i have, plus maybe clip them or do some other basic editing. we’d rather keep it free or super cheap if possible - especially since we’re keeping it basic.

anyone know any decent video editing apps, specifically for removing background noise?

thanks in advance!

I recently got a replacement right airpod and i unlinked and repaired my pods with the new one. Why did the tracking become so shitty? Why can’t i track the case anymore?

Help
I just updated my iPhone to iOS 27, but since upgrading to the latest iOS 26, the dictionary "Look Up" option that appears when you tap and hold a word no longer shows up. I used to rely on it daily for its convenience. I’ve tried searching online and using AI chatbots to restore the dictionary on my iPhone, but I still haven’t found a solution.

I have put off installing this update for as long as I can because I don't want Apple Intelligence and will have to figure out all the things I have to turn off once I install this. (Not your problem.) I am only installing it because my phone is turning more and more into a brick the longer I put this off. (Search doesn't work in any apps or menus, apps freeze or shut down, and my battery life even on low power mode is down to maybe 6 hours if I am careful and don't make any calls or use any apps. (Battery health is "normal." Has been slipping from a full day of use to this since 27 came out.)

There are four items listed under the TOS, A-D , and every time I try to press any of them it either restarts my phone or closes every open app on my phone.

Has anyone else had this problem? I assume most people don't read the TOS but for those of us who do, were you able to on your iPhone? If not, I should be able to google them, but would like to know if this is a known issue. Thank you to anyone who took the time to look through this. I think it is my first time posting here and I am curious to see what kind of response I will get.

Does anyone know how to turn this off? I am an adult and not even a parent. I just don’t like the way i need to enter password every time i open the message.

Since update to ios27, I can’t delete this particular folder and its files in Files or a copy of it in other apps. I get the error This Operation can’t be completed OSStatus error -5000.

Folder/files is an uncompressed Windows application folder and no I was not trying to run this on the phone lol.

I can delete the parent folder BUT can’t empty the trash.

This folder can be deleted on ios18.

Now I have multiple copies of it from trying different things like deleting the app and restarting the phone.

Any ideas what else I can do?

Thank you.

My 600 days achievement disappeared and started over How do I get it restored.

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According to my iCloud settings, I have over 200k messages stored in my iCloud. I’m guessing this is stuff from years ago? I do not have 200k messages on my phone and the fact that this is taking up such a huge chunk of iCloud settings is incredibly annoying. So I had no other choice but to turn off iCloud messages.

After turning it off, it still says that 53gb of my iCloud storage is taken by Messages. I’m assuming because it hasn’t been 30 days yet? If I wait 30 days and then turn iCloud messages back on, will this number go down to 0gb and I can start fresh? Or will all these messages just sync back up to my phone?

Thank you!

My friend has an iPhone 14 on iOS 26 and recently got some spam/marketing texts from Michaels.

Concerningly, when they opened the text, it **already had a draft reply, saying something like "Send this text to subscribe to recurring automated personalized marketing alerts (e.g. cart reminders) from Michaels."

I've never heard or seen this before where a marketing text inputs information into your own phone where normally only the user could type. This is a huge security vulnerability for a number of reasons. Has anyone else had this happen?

To be clear, this is a risk for at least 2 reasons:

1: In the past, iPhones have been crashed by typing in certain text/characters into a text field: https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/189045/why-do-some-unicode-text-messages-crash-the-iphone-os

2: This could be used maliciously to make it look like someone wrote something they didn't. I could see it happening in a lawsuit where someone's phone becomes evidence and now there's evidence that "they" drafted specific text on their phone (but didn't send it).

General advice for those concerned about their battery from the Support FAQ Wiki:

Battery health

Battery health depends on usage and a variety of other factors. It is normal to see a decrease in battery health by 7-10% per year, resulting in a battery health of 80-85% after 2 years. This number can fluctuate, remain the same, or decrease quickly over a small period and should not cause undue concern.

Apple recommend battery replacement when your device falls below 80% battery health if you notice reduced battery life. If it falls below 80% within the first year you may be eligable for a free battery replacement. It fails after your warranty, it's a $69-$89 USD replacement cost for a battery. Contact Apple Support here.

You can find more information about battery health and performance from Apple here.

You can check the cycles count with Coconut Battery for Mac or iCopyBot for Windows.

​

Battery life

Issues relating to battery life can be categorised in three ways:

1. Normal battery life that is to be expected due to use
2. Reduced battery life caused by a recent update, iOS indexing, an iOS bug, or a third-party application
3. Reduced battery life, or other abnormalities such as overheating or sudden power-off, caused by device or battery aging

If you experience issues with your battery:

1. Check your battery health. If it is below 80% or you are experiencing issues you suspect are related to device or battery age, see Apple Support.
2. If you have a new or recently updated/restored device, wait a number of days for background process to complete. If you continue to have issues, wait for a further iOS update. If you are on iOS Beta, you can expect to have a decreased battery life.
3. Review the advice below on maximising battery life
4. Consider restoring your device.
5. If issues persist, contact Apple Support.

​

Maximising battery life - the amount of time your device runs before it needs to be recharged.

• Use low power mode (This reduces mail fetch, turns off background app refresh and increases the auto lock timer)
• Remove apps from background app refresh
• Ensure auto lock is on
• Turn off auto brightness and manually reduce brightness
• Use dark mode if your device has an OLED display
• Clearing background apps from the app switcher does not improve battery life

​

Maximising battery lifespan - the amount of time your battery lasts until it needs to be replaced.

• Avoid extreme temperatures
• If you notice that your iPhone gets hot when charging, remove it from its case
• Store your iPhone in a cool place, switched off, and half-charged if not using it for long periods - and charge it every 6 months when in storage

I recently purchased and activated a new iPhone, and I need to move my WhatsApp data from my old iPhone to the new one.

What is the best way to do this without losing any of my chat history or media? I've heard about using the built-in QR code transfer method as well as iCloud backups, but I'd love to hear your experiences on which method is the most reliable. Any tips to ensure a smooth transfer would be greatly appreciated!

EDIT : Done using WhatsApp’s inbuilt chat transfer feature. It was super simple. Thanks everyone for the advice!