Text messages are randomly delayed by up to a day

  • 28 April 2020
  • 36 replies
  • 39830 views
S
Userlevel 3

I've been seeing this off and on for months in group texts mostly, but also in direct texts as well. The problem is that text messages are often delayed by up to 24 hours and then dumped all at once into my phone. This is looking to be a TMobile issue. I'm on an iPhone 11 Pro with the latest version of iOS. To sum up:

  • This is only with text messages, not iMessage or other messaging apps.
  • This happens when I have a good signal and a wifi connection in my house, but it has also happened when I'm out and have only cellular, but still a good signal.
  • The other people in group chats are spread across numerous different carriers. None of them have reported this.
  • The usual phone troubleshooting steps (quit the Messages application, restart the phone, etc) do absolutely nothing.
  • I checked the activity logs in my TMobile account. The text messages in question all came through at the same time according to the logs. It looks like it's somehow getting delayed inside of TMobile's system.

I've missed some texts due to this that were relatively time-sensitive. I don't think I need to express my frustration at something as old and dead-simple as SMS/MMS getting screwed up like this.

It also doesn't help my frustration when the browser based Places/Topics Browser is hopelessly broken and the page I'm using to write this keeps auto-scrolling down when I interact with a number of elements on the page.

36 replies

F
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +16

when it seems like you havent received any texts in a while try texting yourself to see if it comes right through or if its delayed..helps rule out the problem being on your side..at least with sms...to test mms send youself a pic and see how long it takes to come through...

the delayed texts coming in...are they usually delayed from a specific person/people in the group or is it a bit random? could end up being the relay from one carrier to you that has the issue as well..kind of a hail Mary but cant exactly rule it out either.

one other thing to do would be a network reset..your phone might say you have great signal but you might be hung up on a further out tower causing issues.

someoneelse wrote:
I've been seeing this off and on for months in group texts mostly, but also in direct texts as well. The problem is that text messages are often delayed by up to 24 hours and then dumped all at once into my phone. This is looking to be a TMobile issue. I'm on an iPhone 11 Pro with the latest version of iOS. To sum up:
  • This is only with text messages, not iMessage or other messaging apps.
  • This happens when I have a good signal and a wifi connection in my house, but it has also happened when I'm out and have only cellular, but still a good signal.
  • The other people in group chats are spread across numerous different carriers. None of them have reported this.
  • The usual phone troubleshooting steps (quit the Messages application, restart the phone, etc) do absolutely nothing.
  • I checked the activity logs in my TMobile account. The text messages in question all came through at the same time according to the logs. It looks like it's somehow getting delayed inside of TMobile's system.
I've missed some texts due to this that were relatively time-sensitive. I don't think I need to express my frustration at something as old and dead-simple as SMS/MMS getting screwed up like this.
It also doesn't help my frustration when the browser based Places/Topics Browser is hopelessly broken and the page I'm using to write this keeps auto-scrolling down when I interact with a number of elements on the page.
***I like many others come onto this site for assistance and to help others. Marking a reply as helpful or correct helps others with like issues when they try to search the site for assistance. I do not work for Tmobile and my suggestions and or opinions are my own**.~~~~ The site here is primarily peer to peer with some TMO moderation to keep the site in order..They do not have account access..The prefered method would be to contact TMO through either calling in (tier 1 support) or by contacting them through either Facebook/Twitter (tier 2 support)**~~~~
S
Userlevel 3

The problem with sending messages to myself is that the issue is random. It's not constant. Things might be fine for a week and then suddenly I'll get a couple dozen texts dumped from a single group thread. It's not any specific person being delayed in this case. It's the whole thread. I've also seen it with 1-on-1 texts as well, though it's usually groups. I've already tried resetting the network/carrier settings on the phone, but it keeps happening. I also have zero issues with any other network activity when this happens. I can call, browse the internet, etc without issue, and as I am, I get the text dump.

Also, TMobile, please learn what QA is when designing web pages. Clicking off of the text box that I'm currently typing in and then back on it should not autoscroll my browser to the bottom of the page.

F
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +16

interesting. do they just up and come through or is it usually right after you make/receive a call that they all start coming through?

***I like many others come onto this site for assistance and to help others. Marking a reply as helpful or correct helps others with like issues when they try to search the site for assistance. I do not work for Tmobile and my suggestions and or opinions are my own**.~~~~ The site here is primarily peer to peer with some TMO moderation to keep the site in order..They do not have account access..The prefered method would be to contact TMO through either calling in (tier 1 support) or by contacting them through either Facebook/Twitter (tier 2 support)**~~~~
S
Userlevel 3

It's completely at random. No calls, nothing. Sometimes I'm browsing the web and sometimes my phone is in my pocket.

F
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +16

i know there is a reset or refresh that can be done on your specific line internally on the TMO side but im not sure if the agents in here can do it or if you must call in to get it done..

these are only guesses as to what might fix it on your end.. its basically going to end up being either something with your account/line messing up a bit or your device..

out of curiosity...do you happen to know anyone else with TMO around you? and if so are they seeing the same thing or only you?

***I like many others come onto this site for assistance and to help others. Marking a reply as helpful or correct helps others with like issues when they try to search the site for assistance. I do not work for Tmobile and my suggestions and or opinions are my own**.~~~~ The site here is primarily peer to peer with some TMO moderation to keep the site in order..They do not have account access..The prefered method would be to contact TMO through either calling in (tier 1 support) or by contacting them through either Facebook/Twitter (tier 2 support)**~~~~
E
Userlevel 1

I’d love to get an  answer here if the original poster found one or if a T-Mobile rep can be bothered to respond as I have the same problem. Notably I had  been using a Samsung Android phone with T-Mobile until 5 or so months ago and am now using an iPhone with T-Mobile and  I’ve had the problem  with both phones. I feel like that pretty much rules out the issue b eing anything other than a T-Mobile problem.

S

I’ve been experiencing this ever since I switched over from AT&T. Never had an issue with ATT. I had with with a ATT phone that was carrier unlocked to Tmobile, and now with a TMobile Iphone XS Max. It happens at random as the OP mentioned. Rebooting my phone every so often seems to help. I already cleared out all my texts to be sure it’s not a phone/memory/text cache issue. It’s a TMobile network issue. 

S

I have the exact same problem.  I just had a dump of around 150 messages dumped about 5 mins ago.  Messages were anywhere from 1 hour to about 24 hours old.  It is very sporadic for me as well.  This seems to happen every 3 months or so. 

My issue doesn’t just apply to group MMS though.  There were at least 4 single SMS messages that were delayed and then dumped all at once.

I don’t know who to blame.  I have an older original Pixel phone, but I don’t have any issues with any other cellular related apps (phone calls for example).  Plus, I almost NEVER use Wi-Fi , so I don’t use Wi-Fi calling. 

I have great service (4-full bars almost all the time). 

This is extremely frustrating because it feels like my messages are being ignored… and then when they do dump over, they dump all at the same time so the time stamps are incorrect.

I can’t find anything online on what the issue is.  Any help is greatly appreciated.  I can also provide any additional data if needed.


Thanks!

F

This has been a problem on my Google Pixel 1 for several months. I thought it was my outdatedpoutdated model but I'm pretty sure it's the quality of T-mobile's service. I used to be delayed a day, maybe 2, but yesterday (Friday at 2:11pm) I received texts from the previous Saturday (2:27pm). That's ridiculous!

The one time I called T-Mobile, they advised me to go to Settings > Apps and Notifications, clear the settings, and restart. That seemed to be a temporary fix, but this bug happens pretty regularly.

T-Mobile, how are you embarrassing yourselves with something so basic that other companies have figured out? 

H

This problem has appeared on this forum going back years.  It has been asked many, many times.

Im a new TMobile customer (was using Sprint with no problems for years).  As soon as I switched to T Mobile I started getting massive delays in group SMS.

I don’t think the make/model of your phone matters, I don’t think resetting your phone, resetting default network settings, etc etc, helps.  Nothing helps.  Just read the forums - the same issue gets posted, and there are 100s of people trying to troubleshoot to no avail.  This is 100% a TMobile problem and it is extremely frustrating.  I can’t believe TMobile has this issue

S

Can confirm that this is still happening, as I just joined T-Mobile and started seeing these issues. It’s disappointing to see that this has been an issue for so long.

P

Just joined T-Mobile after 3 years on Google Fi and am having the same issue. I figured since Fi uses Sprint & Tmo, switching was a no brainier... Apparently I was wrong.

I'm getting delayed messages and voicemails. I figured tier 1 service from T-Mobile was better than tier 2 Google Fi, but apparently I'm wrong.

K

I’ve now been having this problem for several weeks from my family group text and it’s extremely frustrating as I’m always out of the loop now and might as well not even be in the group text. Restarting my phone only works sometimes. Can’t wait to switch back to Verizon ASAP

J

Both my wife and I are having the same issues… no ideas why. Been going on for 2 days now. We just get a dump of message at night. So frustrating to be out of the loop with friends and family. Thinking of switching after 4 great years. 

A

I am happy and disappointed to realize this is not just me. The same exact issue you are all experiencing is happening to me as well. I’ve been shown text messages that were sent to me and never hit my phone. For example, around 4 am there was a bulk of text messages that came through to my phone from days ago. This is not good. I have an iPhone8  with the latest iOS update. I’ve tried rebooting the phone and taking it off wifi to let it use the cellular network. If anyone has any idea or tricks they tried on their own that worked please share. Otherwise, hopefully someone from t-mobile support raises this issue.

T
Badge

I had a similar issue and was able to find a solution. No promises but something you can try.

I was having an issue where receiving MMS texts (both group chats and pictures) would be delayed by 30-90 minutes, sometimes up to 4+ hours. Sending was fine, but then responses would come back 90 minutes late, which is suboptimal. I tried rebooting my phone, switching airplane mode on/off, adjusting settings in my messaging app. (I use Textra on a Google Pixel). Nothing worked.

But then I tried switching my network settings from LTE (preferred) and forced it to 3G service. All of the sudden, MMS was sending and receiving normally again. After 20-30 mins I switched back to LTE and it continued working normally. I wonder if during the pandemic without traveling as much and being connected to the same cell tower for too long it can creating timing issues between the tower and your phone. I assume switching to 3G forces the phone to reset the connection with the other network.

Hopefully this tip can help others! Good luck.

S

I have the same problem, SMS and MMS, not just in group messages. I'm wondering if the above solution helped, or if anyone has found a solution?

C

I've also been experiencing delayed and out-of-order texts (usually in group chats, but also direct texts) since switching from Verizon 3 months ago, though my wife has not noticed delayed texts. I did call t mobile support and reset my text messaging settings, but the problem persists. Very frustrating.

J

This just happened to me today.  After months of my contacts knowing me as “the guy who randomly doesn’t get messages,” and when I don’t reply they have to ask “T-Mobile again?” I just received about 40 messages from within the last 24 hours.  There are implications as some of these messages were work-related.  Not good.  At least this time I received the messages, usually they must just time out and die somewhere before reaching my phone.

H
Userlevel 1

So can we get an answer here?

this has been happening for years to me. I’m ready to switch carries. 
 

also a common theme I’ve noticed is, the person who isn’t getting the txts has had their number for a long time. I’ve had mine for 10+ years.

ive exhausted all ends at apple. It’s a T-Mobile issue. 

F
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +16

if you are needing actual TMO agent assistance with this you will need to contact them via FB or twitter..the site here is peer to peer only..

 

So can we get an answer here?

this has been happening for years to me. I’m ready to switch carries. 
 

also a common theme I’ve noticed is, the person who isn’t getting the txts has had their number for a long time. I’ve had mine for 10+ years.

ive exhausted all ends at apple. It’s a T-Mobile issue. 

 

***I like many others come onto this site for assistance and to help others. Marking a reply as helpful or correct helps others with like issues when they try to search the site for assistance. I do not work for Tmobile and my suggestions and or opinions are my own**.~~~~ The site here is primarily peer to peer with some TMO moderation to keep the site in order..They do not have account access..The prefered method would be to contact TMO through either calling in (tier 1 support) or by contacting them through either Facebook/Twitter (tier 2 support)**~~~~
H
Userlevel 1

Thanks fire guy, I actually was asking the group if they found anything out. But no worries, I fixed my issue! I got a new SIM card (mine was at least 10 years old) and I haven’t had any missing group txts since then. Hopefully this info will help other people!

H
Userlevel 1

I've been seeing this off and on for months in group texts mostly, but also in direct texts as well. The problem is that text messages are often delayed by up to 24 hours and then dumped all at once into my phone. This is looking to be a TMobile issue. I'm on an iPhone 11 Pro with the latest version of iOS. To sum up:

 

  • This is only with text messages, not iMessage or other messaging apps.
  • This happens when I have a good signal and a wifi connection in my house, but it has also happened when I'm out and have only cellular, but still a good signal.
  • The other people in group chats are spread across numerous different carriers. None of them have reported this.
  • The usual phone troubleshooting steps (quit the Messages application, restart the phone, etc) do absolutely nothing.
  • I checked the activity logs in my TMobile account. The text messages in question all came through at the same time according to the logs. It looks like it's somehow getting delayed inside of TMobile's system.

 

I've missed some texts due to this that were relatively time-sensitive. I don't think I need to express my frustration at something as old and dead-simple as SMS/MMS getting screwed up like this.

 

It also doesn't help my frustration when the browser based Places/Topics Browser is hopelessly broken and the page I'm using to write this keeps auto-scrolling down when I interact with a number of elements on the page.

I fixed this exact issue by getting a new SIM card!

M

I just started having this issue. My wife is also on TMO + Android but unaffected. The technique of disconnecting from LTE and switching to 3G worked immediately. Got a small flood of delayed group messages (which my wife had already received). Hope  this method also helps others. 

J

We’ve noticed the exact same issue since switching from Verizon.  It’s with single texts too...just most easily observed on group texts with spouse gets one and I don’t or vice versa. No issues with other apps like Facebook Messenger.  It’s T-Mobiles issue to fix (no way I’m bothering with the 3G trick periodically) - If they don’t fix it soon, it’s back to Verizon.  They’re pretty comparable now in price/value and missing texts (+plus more weak coverage spots) just isn’t worth the small $ difference.

Reply


New badge winners

Show all badges
Terms & Conditions