Apple iPhone owners are suffering a new glitch bugging their messages; this time with GIFs and memes suddenly getting corrupted when sent to Android devices.
First noted in r/GoogleMessages, the issue involves pictures, videos, and GIFs suddenly sprinkled with black or white squares when sent to an Android phone.
What's up with this (with the screenshot this time)
byu/Wooden-Structure158 inGoogleMessages
While Apple has not yet issued a permanent fix for the bug, here are some remedies iPhone owners can employ to continue their conversation with Android users without weird interruptions.
Use an iMessage Proxy
As other news outlets have noted, the problem seems to stem from an issue with Apple's cross-platform message feature, corrupting GIFs and image files when sent to devices without iMessage.
To temporarily solve the problem, Android users can install iMessage proxies like Beeper Mini or AirMessage on their phones to prevent the image files from being compressed or corrupted during the sending process.
Use Online Messaging Platforms
Another option is to use online messaging platforms where the differences between Google's and Apple's operating systems would not be largely felt.
Since the issue seems to be only contained in Google Messages and iMessage, using apps like Meta's Messenger, Telegram, and WhatsApp can resolve future problems with cross-platforming.
Disable Updates on Google Messages, iMessage
For people who really need to use Google Messages or iMessage for their communications, delete all current app updates.
For Android users, this can be done through your phone's settings, accessing Apps > Messages > Storage, and clicking "Clear Data."
iPhone owners can do the same via Settings > General > iPhone Storage > Messages. Once accessed, people can delete updates and content data on the app's storage settings.
Just remember to disable auto-updates on the apps to prevent the Google Play Store or Apple App Store from installing the bug-affected patch on the app.
Factory Reset
If all else fails, users can still choose the nuclear option and factory reset their phones. Rebooting the phones to their default settings often resolves system issues as the process removes all current updates on the device.
It is advised to back up all important files on the device before resetting the phone as it would permanently delete non-default apps and files.
