iPhone Messages Indexing: How to Fix

It’s no secret that it’s hard for Apple fans with older devices or software. Multiple lawsuits have proven that Apple makes it harder to use older devices to encourage customers to purchase newer models. One such problem that a few users might face is the iPhone messages indexing issue. Although it’s a potentially annoying issue, luckily, it’s easily fixable. If you’re encountering the notification, then read on below to find out how you regain access to your messages.

Related Reading:

iPhone Messages Indexing: What Does it Mean?

Whenever you update your iPhone’s software, the device performs a slight reindexing of some of its contents. This content includes your text messages and certain attachments and multimedia in those threads. The indexing process usually takes a few seconds, and you don’t even know it’s happening.

So, when you update to the newest software version, you might have access to all the new features, but some people might notice that they receive a message saying, “More results will be shown once Messages finishes indexing” when trying to use the Messages search feature. This might be a slight bug or a minimal error that occurred when updating your phone. If you’re suffering from this issue, find out how to fix it below.

How to Fix iPhone Messages Indexing

First and foremost, you’ll most likely have to wait out the indexing process regardless. If you do want to access your messages again, though, you can try a few of these methods:

1. Restart Your iPhone

The age-old fix: restarting your device. The first thing you should try if you’re facing an indexing error is restarting your iPhone. There’s no harm that can be done to the indexing process if you restart – in fact, it could help your device recalibrate and finish the process as quickly as it should. To restart your iPhone if you don’t have a Home button, press the volume key and the power button until you see the power slider. If you do have the Home button still, then hold the Home button and the power button until you see the slider.

2. Toggle iCloud Messages

Indexing issues could occur due to iCloud syncing. If there’s an error, lag, or slow connection between the iCloud network and your phone, then your indexing process could take much longer than usual. You could try toggling iCloud messages to see if it helps. To do this, go to Settings > Tap on your Apple ID > iCloud. Find the Messages option and toggle it off. Restart your iPhone and go back and toggle it on again.

3. Toggle Indexing Settings

Another way to potentially speed up the indexing process is by altering more settings. The Siri & Search tab in your Settings app deals with all apps that deal with Siri or search functions, and this could be a major reason why you’re experiencing an error when using the search bar in your Messages app. To access this Settings tab, head over to Settings > Siri & Search > Scroll down until your see Messages > Toggle all settings off and on.

4. Turn off iCloud Backup

Again, iCloud could be one of the reasons why indexing is taking ages. By disabling iCloud backup, you’re given the option to download all content, such as messages, which means they’re not locally accessible, rather than you having to connect to iCloud to access them. This only makes a difference if you have iCloud enabled for Messages. To turn off iCloud backup, go to Settings > Apple ID > iCloud Backup. Turn it off if it’s on.

5. Downgrade iOS, Then Re-Update

In extreme cases, you might want to downgrade to an older version of iOS and then reinstall the update. If you face constant indexing issues that you can’t fix no matter what you try, then downgrading might be your solution. You can find an in-depth guide on how to downgrade iOS 16 to iOS 16 without losing any data, and the steps are similar for any other version.