iMessage is a pretty handy application if you use multiple Apple devices. That’s because logging in to all your iDevices with the same Apple ID syncs your message across all the devices. However, at times, iMessage fails to sync on a Mac computer, which is what we’ll be talking about here.
iMessage mainly relies on your Apple ID to sync messages between multiple devices. And when it fails to do so, it’s usually because of unsuitable account configurations.
So, here we’ll talk about ways to overcome this issue and fix your iMessage once and for all.
Table of Contents
Why Is iMessage Not Syncing Between My Devices?
- Logged in two devices with different Apple ID
- Unsuitable iMessage settings
- iMessage server down
- Outdated OS
How to Fix iMessage Not Syncing on Mac?
Before diving into the fixes, ensure that the iMessage server is up and running and that the problem is within your computer.
Nevertheless, we have listed all the verified iMessage fixes down below. Follow all these steps until one of them solves your problem.
Log In Using Same Apple ID
If you have logged in from different Apple IDs on different Apple devices, your messages will not be synced between those devices. So,
On iDevices
- Open Settings.
- Click on your name.
- Scroll down and click the Sign Out button.
- Sign In with your Apple ID.
On Mac
- Click on the Apple menu.
- Open System Preferences.
- Click on Apple ID.
- Navigate to the Overview tab.
- Sign Out of your Apple ID.
- Log back in with the ID same as that of your iDevices.
Sign Out and Retry
More often than not, a glitch within a particular user session can cause certain performance issues on an application. So, in your case, you can sign out of iMessage and log back into a new session. For this,
On iDevices
- Open Settings.
- Scroll down and select Messages.
- Toggle off the iMessage option.
- Toggle it back on.
On Mac
- Open Messages.
- Again, click Messages on the application menu bar.
- Go to Preferences.
- Navigate to the iMessage tab.
- Sign Out of your Apple ID.
- Log back in.
Link Your Apple ID With the Right Phone Number
Your phone number is not mandatory when it comes to iMessage syncing. However, while researching through various forums, we found that linking your Apple ID with the phone number of your iDevice fixed this problem for a plethora of users.
For this,
- First, sign in with your Apple ID.
- Then, navigate to Personal Information.
- Go to the Contactable at section.
- Click + beside Phone Number.
- Enter and verify your phone number.
Check the Send & Receive Settings
Apple has provided its users with the Send & Receive option to choose which account they’d like to link with iMessage. So, we recommend you choose the Apple ID that you logged in on your Mac computer. This step should be carried out on your iDevice (iPhone, iPad, etc.).
For this,
- Open Settings on your iDevice.
- Select Messages.
- Go to Send & Receive option.
- Here, select the Apple ID logged in on your Mac.
- Also, select the phone number linked with that Apple ID.
Force Sync
There is a way to force sync the iMessage. It’s not an actual method per se but rather a smart workaround. That is if your Mac is refusing to sync the messages, send a message from the Mac. This might force the Mac to update its messages, fixing your problem.
Similarly, if your iDevice cannot sync the messages, send a text from that device to force the sync. As simple as that might sound, this is a verified workaround to update all the iMessage texts on your devices.
Update Your Device
Outdated OS can cause a lot of compatibility and performance issues. Apple often releases patches to solve these issues and install new security updates, and fix the compatibility and stability issues. So, update your devices,
On iDevices
- Open Settings.
- Select General Settings.
- Click on Software Update.
- Wait for your device to scan if new updates are available.
- If an update is available, Download and Install to upgrade your device.
On Mac
- Click on the Apple menu.
- Select About This Mac.
- Choose to perform a Software Update.
- Wait for your device to scan if new updates are available.
- If an update is available, Upgrade Now to upgrade your device.
Use Third-Party Applications
There are plenty of third-party applications that can help you transfer your messages to and between Apple devices. Although we rarely recommend using third-party applications, we understand that our viewers sometimes have no choice but to rely on one.
So, considering this, we researched a few third-party apps and found that AnyTrans, and IOTransfer are some popular ones nowadays.
