iMessage – Apple’s messaging service that was one of the major features of iOS 5, allows users to send free messages to other iOS device users.
However, according to this Apple Support Communities thread, some users have been complaining that they’re noticing a significant lag in receiving new messages.
For example: an iPhone 4 user complaints about the problem he is having sending messages to his girlfriend who also has an iPhone 4:
when i send her a Imessage on my iPhone it says “delivered” however she never gets them, so i always find my self having to click the message again and having to send it as a regular text which is becoming really annoying since me and her text ALOT!!. but the issue is only happening with her, with all my other friends using iphone4, 4s, 3gs, and ipod touchs running IOS 5 it works fine.
Brian X. Chen of The New York Times who was also facing the issue may have found a solution.
According to Brian X. Chen, the culprit for the issue strangely seems to be iMessage Beta for Mac, which was released back in February and will be an integral part of OS X Mountain Lion when it is released later this summer. He reports that after he and his friends uninstalled iMessage Beta on their Mac, they haven’t noticed the lag issue.
If you’re facing the problem, you can follow these simple instructions provided by Apple to uninstall iMessage Beta for Mac:
- From the Messages application menu, choose Uninstall Messages Beta….
- A dialog will appear, asking you to confirm uninstallation of Messages Beta and reinstallation of iChat. Verify that you wish to do this.
- Restart your Mac when prompted.
