Judge Dismisses Android-Switching iMessage Lawsuit Against Apple

imessage_ios72U.S. District Judge Lucy H. Koh has dismissed [PDF] a lawsuit against Apple over a long-standing issue that prevented some former iPhone owners who switched to Android smartphones from receiving text messages from other iOS users, as reported by Business Insider.

Koh originally ruled against granting the lawsuit class-action status, because it was not clear enough that all Android smartphone switchers were actually affected by the issue, but a trio of plaintiffs Adam Backhaut, Bouakhay Joy Backhaut and Kenneth Morris persisted with their case.

The three alleged that they switched from iPhones to Android phones in 2012. After that, texts sent to them from other iPhone users were not delivered. They were probably stuck in Apple's iMessage system, which was notoriously unreliable at delivering texts to Android phones until late 2014, when Apple introduced a fix for the bug. That constitutes a violation of the Federal Wire Tap Act, the three claim. Apple denied the allegations.

Apple launched a web tool in November 2014 for users to deregister their phone number from iMessage in the event they switched to a non-Apple device, and Koh ruled that Apple would face a federal lawsuit over the issue just two days later. As of Koh's ruling on Tuesday, however, all lawsuits against Apple related to the matter have come to a close with no punitive damages against the company.

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Apple Shows Off a Key Reason to Upgrade to the iPhone 17

Saturday February 7, 2026 9:26 am PST by
Apple today shared an ad that shows how the upgraded Center Stage front camera on the latest iPhones improves the process of taking a group selfie. "Watch how the new front facing camera on iPhone 17 Pro takes group selfies that automatically expand and rotate as more people come into frame," says Apple. While the ad is focused on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the regular iPhone...
wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Apple Logo Zoomed

Tim Cook Teases Plans for Apple's Upcoming 50th Anniversary

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026. "I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...

Top Rated Comments

friedmud Avatar
132 months ago

I won't buy a new Apple device until they fix this.
Ironically, buying an Apple device would completely fix your problem....
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Tycho24 Avatar
132 months ago
... Really?

Our court system makes no sense. It rules that Apple has a monopoly on ebooks (a claim that would make sense if you were talking about Amazon, and by extension, none if you talk about any other company), but that it's totally cool for Apple to hold phone numbers hostage.
Don't be such a silly goose!
Why not try to educate yourself?

Lol, @ "hold phone numbers hostage". *smh*
Sheesh, dramatic hyperbole much??
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Orlandoech Avatar
132 months ago
Sounds like Apple has a judge in their back pockets.

Waiting for the Apple apologist to back Apple and freak out over my post.

PS
I own lots of Apple products and dislike Android but this was a huge issue
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ArtOfWarfare Avatar
132 months ago
... Really?

Our court system makes no sense. It rules that Apple has a monopoly on ebooks (a claim that would make sense if you were talking about Amazon, and by extension, none if you talk about any other company), but that it's totally cool for Apple to hold phone numbers hostage.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Chatter Avatar
132 months ago
Sounds like Apple has a judge in their back pockets.

Waiting for the Apple apologist to back Apple and freak out over my post.

PS
I own lots of Apple products and dislike Android but this was a huge issue
Its just childish to say "Sounds like Apple has a judge in their back pockets".
Oh well...enjoy the holidays.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AbSoluTc Avatar
132 months ago
Just takes a search of MR or any search engine, to realise this was a quite big issue. So how come the judge saw it as a non issue ? Seems weird to me based on the data available.
Because of the following..


Apple […] discovered that two of the three plaintiffs in the case had gotten rid of their old iPhones after they filed the suit against Apple. They are thus unable to demonstrate whether texts sent to their phone numbers went to their Apple or Android devices, Apple claimed. One of the plaintiffs also previously asked that she be dismissed as a “named plaintiff” in the case.

The three plaintiffs were a husband, wife and family friend. Judge Lucy Koh dismissed the case in a single-paragraph order.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)