8 Best Ways to Fix iMessage Not Syncing on iPhone and Mac

iMessage and Facetime remain two main reasons to stay invested in the Apple ecosystem. It works seamlessly with all Apple hardware including iPhone, iPad, and Mac. There are times when iMessage does not sync between iPhone and Mac resulting in confusion and errors in conversations. Here is how to fix iMessage syncing issue on iPhone and Mac.

IPhone and Mac users swear by the usefulness of the Apple ecosystem on a daily basis. iMessage not syncing latest messages between iPhone and Mac can be frustrating because your latest conversations on iPhone are not showing up on Mac and vice versa.

1. Verify Apple ID

You need to make sure your iPhone and Mac have the same Apple ID. Only then will iCloud be able to sync messages on both devices.

On iPhone, open the Settings app and go to the Profile menu. Check your current Apple ID. On Mac, you need to open the System Preferences menu and load the Apple ID menu.

If the Apple ID is different on any of the devices, you need to sign out and make sure Mac and iPhone have the same ID.

2. Disable and enable iMessage

You need to unsubscribe the iMessage service on iPhone and after a few minutes re-enable it. This trick did wonders for us and made iMessage sync on Mac and iPhone. Here is what you need to do.

Step 1: Open the Settings app on iPhone.

2nd step: Scroll to Messages.

Step 3: Turn off the iMessage toggle.

Turn it on again and check whether iMessage sync is working or not.

3. Sync messages manually on Mac

If you are still having trouble getting the latest messages on the Mac, you need to sync it manually. Here’s how.

Step 1: Open the Messages app on Mac.

2nd step: Click Messages in the upper left corner.

Step 3: Select Preferences.

Step 4: Slide to the iMessage menu.

Step 5: Click the Synchronize Now button.

4. Enable messages in iCloud

Apple uses iCloud to sync messages between all of your devices. By default, the Messages option is enabled for iCloud. You can temporarily turn off messages in iCloud and turn them back on. Follow the steps below to make changes.

Step 1: Open Messages on Mac.

2nd step: Click on Messages in the menu bar.

Step 3: Open Preferences.

Step 4: In the iMessage menu, turn off Messages in iCloud.

Activate it again and restart the app.

5. Check the iMessage servers

If iMessage servers are having a rough day, you will not sync messages between Apple devices. You can either go to Downdetector and confirm the problem.

Apple also offers a dedicated System Status page for you to check the status of services in real time. You can visit the page from the link above and check the status of iCloud and iMessage.

6. Reset network settings

You might experience issues with iMessage syncing if your iPhone’s network settings are disrupted. You must reset the network settings and try the synchronization process again.

Step 1: Open the Settings app on iPhone.

2nd step: Go to the General menu.

Step 3: Scroll to the Transfer or Reset menu.

Step 4: Select Reset Network Settings from the next menu.

7. Update iOS and macOS

Are you still having issues with iMessage not syncing on iPhone and Mac? Make sure you are using the latest iOS and macOS version on iPhone and Mac, respectively.

On iPhone, you can go to Settings and open the General menu. Select Software Update and install the latest version of the operating system on iPhone.

Mac users should use the System Preferences menu and go to Software Update to install the latest version of macOS.

8. Exit the beta version of the operating system

We encountered this issue while using beta versions of iOS 15 on iPhone. Our iPhone used Apple’s beta software with new iMessage features while the Mac was still on macOS Big Sur, which had an old and stable Messages app.

This arrangement can cause syncing issues on iPhone and Mac, as the two Messages apps don’t have feature parity. You need to remove the beta profile on iPhone and Mac and revert to the stable public version.

Get iMessage working on iPhone and Mac

iMessage is a staple for many iPhone / Mac users. The service fails to sync messages can cause issues in conversations. You can receive new messages on your iPhone, but the ones that don’t appear on Mac will be confusing. The above steps should help you overcome such scenario.