Text messages vanishing

Today (8-10-25) I received a text - I read the badge/banner thingy - but when I opened Messages it wasn't there. Not only that, but the thread itself was there twice. About 20 minutes later, the missing text appeared.

Then, later today, a similar thing happened on my husband's phone: he got a text - a very important text I might add - he read the banner thingy, but it's been two hours and it still has not shown up in Messages.

Is this a Verizon network issue? an Apple issue?

Has anyone else experienced this?

Accepted answers

Verizon_Support

We don't want any of your text messages to go missing. As your cellular service provider, we simply send the text messages from one party to the other. The actual formatting and programming related to those texts is processed by your locally installed messaging application. Formatting and compatibility issues are the most likely cause of these missing messages. For best performance, you'll want to make sure your phone's software is up to date. If anyone in your group message is using 3rd party apps, they'll want to have these updated as well.

For iPhones software updates can be installed under Settings > General > Software Update. On Android this may differ depending on your model, but is usually found under Settings > Software Update.

Our support teams are always here if you need additional assistance with your device. -James

All comments

SynthpopAddict

Are these texts from short codes you're not receiving, or texts from other people which you're missing?

VeryWiseOne

Texts that are in the midst of conversations with people we know.

SynthpopAddict

Do you have RCS enabled on your texting app, as well as SMS and MMS? Depending on what texting app someone is using, with some people still using the older SMS/MMS and others using RCS or possibly some other format, it gets complicated, particularly with group texts. When some are using SMS and others are using RCS or some other version of encrypted texts, and the people who are on SMS can't receive RCS or whatever, then everyone else's devices have to "decode" the texts for the non-supporting group members, while the rest of the group can simply get the encrypted texts. If the "decoding" goes awry or just doesn't happen, then texts get lost. Or people start getting texts as individual strings instead of a group conversation because of the "decoding" involved going back and forth.

There may also be conflicts with some texting apps based upon how they are encrypting the texts, so if iMessage doesn't like the format of texts from some other app, then you don't get them, or it takes ages because iMessage is trying to figure out just exactly what it is?

VeryWiseOne

In both instances, these were conversations that were ongoing - messages had been sent and received over days and months without issue. And in both instances, this weird thing happened yesterday - that's why I thought it might be a network issue.

On my phone, it was a conversation between 3 people; on my husbands' phone, it was just himself and a friend.

And like I said originally, the text showed up then vanished. And yes, I checked "deleted messages" just in case it had somehow landed there.

Verizon_Support

Thanks for letting us know about the vanishing text message. That sounds unusual for a message to reappear after not showing the text contents.

Many messaging apps like WhatsApp, Signal, and Google Messages offer a "disappearing messages" or "expiring messages" feature. This setting automatically deletes messages after a set timeframe (e.g., 24 hours, 7 days), Hopefully, this is not a phishing attempt. -Ross

Timeflies3000

All you’ve got is to suggest that it might be phishing? Sigh. This is an ongoing problem and one that has happened to me multiple times over two group chats recently. We are long time Verizon users. Most of our group has iPhones, but two have android. We have had occasional problems like this in the past, but now this problem is happening on multiple groups. I would love to hear some real solutions rather than speculation. It is beyond frustrating. Because not only are my messages *selectively* gone, (as in not all the contents of a message thread disappear, but just some) there is no history either. (I.e. someone would send a new message or respond to a previous message, and then the only thing that shows up is that current response or message. There is nothing before it as though no thread had ever existed.)

Verizon_Support