Phone freezes up every time I open Messages

I also have the same issue, which started occurring in the last 1 week. Messages app freezes, and hard reset of iphone does not resolve the issue. In Settings, the Messages and FaceTime settings cannot be open either. Please assist 🙏

I have the same issue. Messages freezes across all of my devices, iPhone, iPad and MacBook Pro. I cannot even get into settings to try sliding it off and on. As soon as I tap on messages in settings, it freezes. This has happened a few times over the last few months, what is going on Apple?

both my wife and I are having the same issue. Messages crashes, or freezes, or fails to send. Inside of settings, selecting messages causes settings to freeze. This is a massive issue, we text all day long

Same issue and I have a 15 pro with the latest operating system. It’s been happening for the last week and none of the ‘fixes’ do anything long term. I think it’s an issue with Apple that they need to fix as it appears to be happening to a lot of us this past week.

UPDATE: SOLVED FOR GOOD

I had this problem and found a durable fix. I got iMessages back to life and has worked for weeks now.

This is a problem that is unique to iOS 17.5.1. I switched to a later version and it works perfectly.

having the exact same issue and if I go to settings>messages, this stalls too. I've tried deleting the app, I've tried restarting the phone. This is unacceptable

update: so my wife's iMessages on her iPhone 15 started to hang again shortly after we did the logout/login from iCloud, so it really did not fix it permanently. She called Apple and Apple support asked her to reset the network/VPN settings by doing the following: Go to Settings -> General -> scroll down to "Transfer and Reset iPhone" and select -> click on "Reset" -> Select "Reset Network Settings". The assumption was that it might be freezing due to VPN settings messing up the network communication/DNS settings/.... After she did the reset of the network settings the issue disappeared.

When I had the issue on my phone I was using a VPN (Nord VPN) now and then which might have caused it as well on my phone, but not sure what I did to get rid of the issue on my phone. I tried many different things at the time but maybe it disappeared when I turned the VPN on and off. NordVPN might leaving something behind that messes up the network communication for iMessages.

Can I ask how you switch to a later version? I’m having this problem, and have tried all the suggestions above but nothing seems to work for longer than half a day. So frustrating! I just looked and I have iOS 17.5.1 but I don’t see option to change it?

I had a similar problem, and was able to get it un-stuck. Some forums said to go to Settings > Messages and toggle iMessage off and back on again.

When I tried to do that, clicking Messages just crashed the Settings app.

I was able to make progress by logging out my AppleID and then logging back in again. It seems to be working now, but I suspect my iPhone 13s is starting to not be powerful enough for 2024.

I am having the exact same issue. Also can’t go to settings to fix it. Help!

I had a similar problem. My Phone, facetime and messages app were not working. Whenever I clicked on these apps, my phone screen will go black. When I tried to access these app settings through the Settings app, my phone would just freeze. All my pther apps were working on my phone. I however could not receive any calls or messages on my phone. I just left the Upper East Side Apple Store where I was initially told I would need to change part of the motherboard to solve this issue and would cost me $449. I gave push back and wanted to know the cause of this issue since I did nothing wrong. I opted for the alternative to restore my IOS 17.5.1 software after reading similar complaints online. I had also visited T-Mobile and they also thought i was having a software issue. If your phne is glitching, go to the Apple store and request a software reset (you'd need to have a phone backup fyi). But def do this and don't be potentially scammed into paying for hardware damages or changes you did not cause!! Apple please educate your genius bar staff about this very common issue. It seems most places don't know there are major issues with the new IOS.

Exact same issue here, launching Message app hang, killing and restarting the app no luck, going to settings->Message hang also. Sometime signing off and then again of icloud help.. Yet my message sometimes are not delivered, or I don't received them .... I use iPhone 14. Very annoying since almost 2 weeks now.. very critical feature messages !

Did a similar things by fully desactivated iCloud and re-enabling it had to restore cards etc … bit of work indeed. Worked for 1week and then messages hang again, message preferences hang also …. Can’t use the phone for messaging this is incredibly annoying not to be able to received messages on a phone… already cost me a lot of misunderstanding situations with family and business contacts…..

131 people Said me too 35 people replies that they are stuck it is Time to link inform all your mac media website in each of your country to this thread so Apple start at minimum give some visibility on the résolution Time Line ….

Hello oliviawcooney, You can check a couple of things

• You can restart Messages by closing (moving app up to close) and then restarting app
• Restart your iPhone by shutting it down and restarting.
• ReEnable Messages in Settings > Messages > slide Off > Wait a few minutes and slide back on.
• Do you have many unwanted, unread messages in Messages? You can in Settings > Messages History > change the options from Keep Forever > to Delete in 30 Days to clean out very old and no longer need messages.