How do I fix 'You left the conversation' issue in mixed group chats after upgrading to iPhone 17 Pro?

I upgraded to an iPhone 17 Pro recently and I have been running into a strange issue with iMessage in mixed group chats that include both iPhone and Android users.


Several times a day, these group threads suddenly display a system message that says “You left the conversation,” even though I never leave the group. I still receive all messages in the thread on my iPhone, and I can continue replying as normal. However, the message keeps repeating itself as if I am leaving over and over.


Here is an example screenshot of what I’m seeing.



The second part of the issue is on my Mac. In the Messages app on macOS, I can still see all the mixed-group messages, but I am not able to reply to them at all. The text field is present, but sending a message does nothing. It is like macOS believes I’ve actually left the group while the iPhone does not.


Troubleshooting I have tried so far:


• Turned iMessage off and back on

• Restarted the iPhone several times

• Confirmed I’m signed into the same Apple ID

• Verified phone number and email addresses for iMessage are active

• Deleted the message threads and started completely new ones

• Updated to the latest version of iOS 26

• Checked for carrier settings updates (none available)



None of these steps have fixed the problem. The “You left the conversation” message continues to appear repeatedly in any mixed SMS/MMS group, and macOS Messages remains unable to send replies even though the iPhone still works.



Device details:


• iPhone 17 Pro, iOS 26 (latest version 26.2)

• Mac running latest macOS Tahoe 26.1 (Messages syncs, but cannot send to mixed groups)

• Carrier: Verizon

• Issue only affects mixed iPhone/Android groups, not iMessage-only groups


Before the upgrade to the iPhone 17 Pro, I never experienced this behavior.


Has anyone else seen this after upgrading, and is there a known fix or setting I may be missing? Any guidance would be appreciated because it is becoming pretty disruptive and very annoying.


[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Original Title: Messages keeps saying I left mixed group chats I am still in and don’t intend to leave, after upgrading to iPhone 17 Pro.

iPhone 17 Pro, iOS 26

Posted on Nov 17, 2025 9:29 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jan 4, 2026 6:40 PM

I tried everything that has been suggested except taking the phone to Apple. It's my wife's 17 Pro Max with iOS 26.2, and it wasn't receiving messages in a group chat with 4 iPhones and one Android phone. The problem started when the Android phone was added to the group. After many hours and lots of good suggestions, I tried something, and it worked. I signed my wife out of her Apple account, then did a hard reboot. (Volume up, volume down, long-press the power button.) Next, I went to Settings > Apple Account and signed her in again. After she was signed in, I synced Messages with iCloud. When it was done, I went to the Messages app and selected the menu in the upper right-hand corner. At the bottom of the menu is Recently Deleted. I selected that and found a message that had been deleted from that chat group before the problem began. I selected to recover that message, and I watched in amazement as EVERY message, image, and video that had not been received suddenly appeared. If you're wondering why I thought that would work, my guess has been that it's a cloud sync problem, and the messages are being received. They just aren't displaying. Why it only happened to one phone is anyone's guess, but my steps worked. Good luck, and I hope it works for you.

12 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jan 4, 2026 6:40 PM in response to RatedRSE

I tried everything that has been suggested except taking the phone to Apple. It's my wife's 17 Pro Max with iOS 26.2, and it wasn't receiving messages in a group chat with 4 iPhones and one Android phone. The problem started when the Android phone was added to the group. After many hours and lots of good suggestions, I tried something, and it worked. I signed my wife out of her Apple account, then did a hard reboot. (Volume up, volume down, long-press the power button.) Next, I went to Settings > Apple Account and signed her in again. After she was signed in, I synced Messages with iCloud. When it was done, I went to the Messages app and selected the menu in the upper right-hand corner. At the bottom of the menu is Recently Deleted. I selected that and found a message that had been deleted from that chat group before the problem began. I selected to recover that message, and I watched in amazement as EVERY message, image, and video that had not been received suddenly appeared. If you're wondering why I thought that would work, my guess has been that it's a cloud sync problem, and the messages are being received. They just aren't displaying. Why it only happened to one phone is anyone's guess, but my steps worked. Good luck, and I hope it works for you.

Dec 30, 2025 12:01 PM in response to RatedRSE

I have been having the same issue since the end of November. I have a 17 Pro and am on iOS 26.2. I cannot send any messages when on RCS in group chats with a mix of Android and iPhone users. I can only send when I turn RCS off, but then I randomly do not receive messages in the chat when on SMS. I have also found that I will only receive messages when the Android user creates a new group message. It cannot be an iPhone user that starts it. I spoke to customer service three times and tried troubleshooting every way we could. I reset the phone to factory settings twice and am still having the issue. I went to the Genius Bar this morning and they tried everything they could and said they think its the service provider, or my specific phone line. So I went to ATT, and they gave me a new ESim and that did not work. They said its 100% not them since I can text Androids individually or even in a group message with just Androids. They said its Apple for sure. Now I am at a dead end, because neither can help me.

Dec 7, 2025 1:34 PM in response to RatedRSE

I'm having the same issue! Tried all the troubleshooting and it seems to have stopped for now, but it's so bizarre and irritating everyone in the chat (myself included)!


I just upgraded to 17 Pro and that's when the issues kicked in. I also noticed that these same group chats that used to have 3 Names at the top (because it's myself and my 3 friends) now show 4 Names at the top (myself included). I feel like the glitch is somehow related to that, but I can't prove why!

How do I fix 'You left the conversation' issue in mixed group chats after upgrading to iPhone 17 Pro?

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