Skip to main content

iMessage: Judge orders Apple to face lawsuit over disappearing text messages

apple imessage facetime patent infringement
Image used with permission by copyright holder
If Apple thought that launching a Web tool to clear up an ongoing iMessage issue would finally put the whole thing to bed, it was wrong.

A lawsuit brought against the company back in May that claimed the tech giant failed to explain to iPhone users that text messages would fail to arrive if they switched to a handset with a different operating system was this week given the green light to proceed, Reuters reported Tuesday.

US District Court Judge Lucy Koh said in a San Jose, California court that Apple will have to defend itself against the claim brought earlier this year by Adrienne Moore.

The plaintiff had switched from an iPhone 4 to a Galaxy S5, but a failure to deregister her old Apple phone from iMessage meant countless text messages never made it to her new Android handset.

Judge Koh, who’s already well known to Apple through the company’s long-running patent-related battles with Samsung, said Moore should be allowed the opportunity to present her claim that the tech giant interfered with her wireless service contract and broke California’s ‘unfair competition’ law by preventing text messages from reaching her, Reuters reported.

Responding to Moore’s claim in court papers, the Cupertino company said, “Apple takes customer satisfaction extremely seriously, but the law does not provide a remedy when, as here, technology simply does not function as plaintiff subjectively believes it should.”

While Apple acknowledged the existence of the iMessage bug several months ago, it took till this week to roll out an effective fix.

As for how Moore fares in her court battle against one of the biggest companies in the world, we’ll keep you posted.

Editors' Recommendations

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
How to use Apple Cash to send and receive money on your iPhone
Apple Pay Cash

Over the past few years, Apple has been getting perilously close to becoming a full-fledged bank. Features like Apple Pay, Apple Cash, the Apple Card, and the most recent additions, the Apple Card Savings Account and Apple Pay Later service, are blurring the lines between your bank account and your iPhone — and that's not a bad thing for those who enjoy life in Apple's walled garden.

Next to Apple Pay, perhaps the most useful of Apple's iPhone-integrated financial features is Apple Cash. Initially known as "Apple Pay Cash," the company dropped the "Pay" branding a few years ago to simplify things, but it's still the same service it's always been — a Venmo-like money-transfer service that's built into your iPhone and other Apple devices that lets you easily send and receive money via Apple's Messages app, as well as move money to and from your bank account using your debit card and bank transfers right from the iPhone's Wallet app. However, thanks to Apple Pay, Apple Cash goes one step further, giving you a virtual debit card to let you spend money directly at any retailer that accepts Visa Debit. (Apple Cash originally used the Discover card network, but switched to Visa Debit in early 2022.)

Read more
Hands-on with the Belkin iPhone Mount with MagSafe for Apple TV 4K
The Belkin iPhone Mount with MagSafe for Apple TV 4K.

The Belkin iPhone Mount with MagSafe for Apple TV 4K perched atop an extremely thin OLED television. Phil Nickinson / Digital Trends

The Belkin iPhone Mount with MagSafe for Apple TV 4K is one mouthful of an official name. What it does is much more simple. It is a mount for your iPhone to be used with an Apple TV 4K. And it has MagSafe to keep the phone in place. That's it.

Read more
Apple just released iOS 17.4. Here’s how it’s going to change your iPhone
The Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 14 Pro showing the screens.

Apple iPhone 14 Pro (left) and iPhone 15 Pro Max Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

If you have an iPhone, you'll want to check it right now for a big update. The iOS 17.4 update is officially rolling out right now and it includes some fairly significant new features.

Read more