MacOS High Sierra Update Problems: Users Experiencing iMessage Delays After Release Date

Apple’s macOS High Sierra update has been out now for weeks and some users are experiencing an issue with iMessage. Users are reporting that after updating to High Sierra, iMessages are arriving late on their Mac computers.

The problem with iMessage on macOS High Sierra was first spotted by AppleInsider in the official Apple community's forum. A user started a thread (dated Sept. 26) claiming that he’s been receiving iMessages on his Mac since installing High Sierra. The thread is now growing with more users having the very same complaint. As of this writing, 135 other users on the Apple forums have complained about the issue.

“Receiving messages on my Mac are now extremely delayed since installing High Sierra. They will show up on my iPhone, but without a notification so I can't see or hear it,” the user said. “Then several minutes later it will pop up on the Mac. I didn't have this issue with Sierra, and would rather not downgrade.”

Although the issue is primarily found in macOS High Sierra, it’s also affecting iMessage on iPhones, iPads and Apple Watches. Users would receive the message on their mobile device but this won’t prompt a notification. The problem with this is that some users might not be able to receive and read SMS texts or iMessages for hours after they’ve actually been delivered. The iMessage delay also varies for different users. Some are saying that iMessages would only be delayed for a few minutes, while others are saying that messages would be delayed for an hour or more.

People in the forum thread have suggested that the iMessage delay in macOS High Sierra might be due to iCloud. It is being speculated that Apple may have done something in High Sierra that changes the way messages are synced through iCloud.

Apple did say that it planned to roll out Messages in iCloud on High Sierra, as pointed out by The Verge. This feature would sync the user’s messages across all his devices as long as they’re linked to a single iCloud account. Messages synced through iCloud on High Sierra is particularly useful when a user wants to delete a message on an iPhone and have it deleted on their Mac at the same time.

Some users in the Apple forums have suggested temporary fixes for the iMessage delay. If users are experiencing this issue, they should try to disable and re-enable messages on their Mac. Another thing to try out is try sending messages on their Mac instead of replying on their iPhones or iPads. These solutions aren’t guaranteed to work and it looks like the permanent solution right now is simply downgrading back to macOS Sierra, according to MacRumors.

In the meantime, a community bug report for the iMessage delay issue has already been created. This should alert Apple about the problem so that it can start finding a fix for this issue. Unfortunately, the bug hasn’t been fixed yet in the latest beta builds of the operating system.