How to Fix Messages Out of Order on iPhone

Want to know how you can fix messages that are out of order on your iPhone?

Smartphones have become an essential part of our lives. One of the main things we do with our mobile devices is communicating through messaging apps. However, it can be frustrating if you are receiving messages on your iPhone in the wrong order. 

This makes it difficult for you to follow a conversation and confusing to know which messages are new and which are old. 

There are various reasons why you are receiving messages out of order on your iPhone. 

Most of the time, this problem is caused by incorrect date and time settings on your device. On the other hand, it can also be due to network problems, temporary bugs, or improper system settings. 

To help you out, we’ve decided to make a guide for fixing messages that are out of order on your iPhone. 

Let’s get started!

1. Restart Your iPhone. 

Whenever you encounter problems on your iPhone, the first thing you should do is restart your device. This should ensure that the issue is not caused by a temporary bug or glitch that occurred during use. 

For iPhone X, 11, 12, or later: 

1. Hold down the Volume Down button and Side button until the ‘Slide to Power Off’ prompt appears. 
2. Now, drag the slider to the right and wait for 30 seconds. 
3. Press the Side button afterward to turn on your device. 

---

For iPhone 6, 7, 8, or SE: 

1. Locate the Power button on your device. 
2. Now, hold the button until the ‘Slide to Power Off’ prompt shows up.
3. Drag the slider to the right and wait for 30 seconds before turning on your device. 

Go back to the Messages app on your device afterward and check if the problem is solved. 

2. Disable iMessage. 

If you use iMessage on your device, consider turning it off in the meantime. There might be an issue with the service that causes your text messages to become out of order. 

Here’s what you need to do: 

1. First, go to your home screen and open Settings. 
2. After that, tap on Messages. 
3. Lastly, tap the toggle switch beside iMessage to turn it off. 

Restart your device again and see if you’ll still encounter issues with your messages. 

3. Toggle Airplane Mode. 

Some users reported that toggling Airplane Mode on and off solved the issue of messages being out of order on their iPhones. This should force your device to refresh the connection with your carrier. 

Here are different ways how to toggle Airplane Mode: 

• Head to Settings and look for Airplane Mode. Tap the toggle switch beside it to enable the feature. 
• Swipe downwards from the upper right corner of your screen to access the Control Center. Tap on Airplane Mode to turn it on. 

After a few seconds, disable Airplane Mode on your iPhone and see if you’ll still encounter problems. 

4. Check the Date and Time Settings. 

Having the wrong date and time setting on your iPhone could also cause your messages to be out of order. This can also prevent you from accessing some websites, online services, and applications. 

To avoid problems, make sure that your iPhone’s date and time are set correctly. Here’s what you need to do: 

1. First, open the Settings app on your iOS device. 
2. After that, go to General > Date & Time. 
3. Lastly, enable the ‘Set Automatically’ option. 

Restart your device to apply the changes and see if you can now view your messages in the correct order. 

5. Force Restart Your iPhone. 

You can also try force restarting your iPhone if your messages are still out of order. This should force your device to perform a full system restart, flushing your temporary caches and data. 

Check out the steps below to force restart your iPhone: 

1. First, press and release the Volume Up button. 
2. After that, press and release the Volume Down button and hold the Side button. 
3. When the Apple logo appears, release the Side button and wait for your iPhone to initialize. 

Go back to the Messages app afterward and see if your messages are now in order. 

6. Update Your Device. 

There might be an issue with the version of iOS you’re using that causes messages to be out of order on your iPhone. To fix this, update your device to the latest version to patch bugs and other errors. 

Here’s how you can update your iPhone: 

1. First, open the Settings app on your iPhone. 
2. After that, access the General tab. 
3. Lastly, tap on Software Updates and choose Download and Install. 

Wait for the download to finish and follow the prompts. While installing an update, your iPhone might restart a couple of times. 

Head back to the Messages app afterward to check if the problem is solved. 

7. Reset Your Settings. 

You might have recently explored your iPhone’s settings and changed some crucial configurations that caused your messages to become out of order. To rule this out, reset your system settings to roll back any changes. 

Follow the steps below to reset your iPhone’s settings: 

1. On your device, head to Settings and access the General tab. 
2. From there, tap on Transfer or Reset iPhone. 
3. Finally, choose Reset and tap on Reset All Settings. 

Wait for your device to complete the process and check if your messages are now in order.

8. Contact Apple Support. 

If none of the solutions above worked, the last thing you can do is report the issue to Apple’s team. Head to their support page and submit a ticket to ask for assistance. Provide your account details, the model of your iPhone, and the carrier you’re using to make it easier for their team to assess the situation.

 

While waiting for a response, you can browse the guides on their page and see if you can find other solutions not mentioned above. 

That ends our guide for fixing messages that are out of order on your iPhone. If you have questions or other concerns, please let us know in the comment section, and we’ll do our best to respond. 

If this guide helped you, please share it. 🙂