“Issue […] affects a fraction of a percent of our iMessage users”

Oct 2, 2013 09:11 GMT  ·  By

A newly found glitch in iOS 7 is affecting iMessage delivery, causing a small number of users to take the forums by storm with complaints. Apple is hearing their cries and is working on a fix.

A statement provided by Apple to WSJ’s Digits blog reveals that the problem isn’t exactly widespread, but it’s big enough to require a patch in the upcoming iOS update (said to be 7.0.3).

“We are aware of an issue that affects a fraction of a percent of our iMessage users, and we will have a fix available in an upcoming software update,” Apple said.

“In the meantime, we encourage any users having problems to reference our troubleshooting documents or contact AppleCare to help resolve their issue. We apologize for any inconvenience this causes impacted users,” the Cupertino giant added.

A potential fix reported by affected customers is to simply restart the device. Others propose a more complex workaround: turn iMessage off; Settings → General Reset → Reset Network Settings; turn iMessage back on.

Just yesterday BGR reported that Apple had seeded iOS 7.0.3 for testing. The beta likely includes fixes for a number of bugs, not just the iMessage issue.

iOS 7, as all iOS releases before it, hasn’t been without its woes. The lock-screen continues to be susceptible to various exploits, while even Siri can be tricked into opening up access to the contents of a locked iPhone.

Several other bugs have been found as well, but none of them are too serious. Apple is doing its bit in releasing one incremental software update after the other, systematically patching the bugs as they are being reported in the media.

The company is said to be working on several upcoming software updates, including iOS 7.1, which is likely to deploy not only tweaks and fixes, but also new features, such as In-the-Car integration, and other stuff Apple has planned for the future.