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

iMessage and Facetime remain the two main reasons to invest in the Apple ecosystem. It works seamlessly across all Apple hardware, including iPhone, iPad, and Mac. There are times when iMessage fails to sync between iPhone and Mac causing confusion and errors in conversations. Here’s how to fix iMessage not syncing on iPhone and Mac.

iPhone and Mac users swear by how useful the Apple ecosystem can be during day-to-day operations. It can be frustrating when iMessage doesn’t sync recent messages between iPhone and Mac, as your recent conversations on iPhone don’t show up on Mac and vice versa.

1. Check the Apple ID

You should make sure that your iPhone and Mac have the same Apple ID. Only then can iCloud sync messages on both devices.

Open the Settings app on iPhone 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’ll need to sign out and make sure both the Mac and iPhone have the same ID.

2. Disable and Enable iMessage

On iPhone, you need to unregister the iMessage service and enable it again after a few minutes. This trick worked wonders for us and enabled iMessage sync on Mac and iPhone. Here’s what you need to do.

Stage 1: Open the Settings app on iPhone.

Step 2: Scroll down to Messages.

Stage 3: Disable iMessage toggle.

Enable it again and check if iMessage sync is working.

3. Manually Sync Messages on Mac

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

Stage 1: Open the Messages app on Mac.

Step 2: Click Messages in the upper left corner.

Stage 3: Select Preferences.

Step 4: Swipe to the iMessage menu.

Step 5: Click the Sync Now button.

4. Enable Messages in iCloud

Apple uses iCloud to sync messages across all your devices. By default, the Messages option for iCloud is enabled. You can temporarily disable and re-enable Messages in iCloud. Follow the steps below to make changes.

Stage 1: Open Messages on Mac.

Step 2: Click Messages in the menu bar.

Stage 3: Open Preferences.

Step 4: From the iMessage menu, disable Messages in iCloud.

Enable it again and restart the app.

5. Check iMessage Servers

If iMessage servers are having a rough day, you won’t be syncing messages between Apple devices. You can go to Downdetector and confirm the problem.

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

6. Reset Network Settings

If your iPhone’s network settings are broken, you may encounter problems with iMessage syncing. You should reset the network settings and try the syncing process again.

Stage 1: Open the Settings app on iPhone.

Step 2: Go to the general menu.

Stage 3: Proceed to the Transfer or Reset menu.

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

7. Update iOS and macOS

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

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

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

8. Exit Beta OS

We ran into this issue while using iOS 15 betas on iPhone. Our iPhone was running the Apple beta software with new iMessage features, while the Mac was on macOS Big Sur with the old and stable Messages app.

This arrangement can lead to syncing issues on iPhone and Mac as both Message apps lack feature parity. On iPhone and Mac, you need to remove the beta profile and revert to the stable public version.

Make iMessage Work on iPhone and Mac

iMessage is an essential part of many iPhone/Mac users. Service not syncing messages can cause problems with conversations. You can receive new messages on your iPhone, but it will be confusing if the same thing doesn’t appear on a Mac. The above steps will help you overcome such a scenario.