# iPhone texting hack? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 20, 2022, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-texting-hack/961368 "2022-03-20T00:54:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-texting-hack/961368/1 "2022-03-20T00:54:14Z")
My mother-in-law has likely been hacked, and I don’t see an easy solution on Google search. Here’s the issue: We recently realized she’s been sending out really cryptic text messages, always in response to something someone says. It’s is NOT her “liking” a text or sending a reaction. But it usually goes like this: Me: thanks for watching the boys last night for us. MIL: I’m glad you liked me watching the boys last night. Wife: the baby had to come home from daycare because he was puking. Father in law: it doesn’t look like he minds staying at home. MIL: I’m glad he doesn’t mind staying at home. Me: MIL, what’s the deal? MIL: I’m afraid I don’t know how to respond to that. Then there’s this very advanced robo-response: Me: the big boys have baseball next week, and soccer together. MIL: I’m glad they are playing sports together. Wife: they aren’t playing baseball together, just soccer. MIL: I’m sorry to hear that they’re not playing baseball together but at least they’re playing soccer together. She wrote none of those texts. From Google, I’ve gone to Settings-Privacy and run down every app with permissions, and nothing seems off. Any suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-texting-hack/961368/2 "2022-03-20T01:46:47Z")
This is in iMessage (“Messages”) on her iPhone, is that right? If so, does she also have a Mac or Macbook, and uses that for messages too? When viewed on another iPhone, are these replies in blue or green? Is her iPhone completely up to date, iOS 15.4? ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-texting-hack/961368/3 "2022-03-20T01:53:21Z")
She has an iPad, and occasionally texts from that. But when she does, it comes from her iCloud account. As for the green/green, do you mean from her perspective? (I.e. they’re grey to me) I’ll ask about her iOS version. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-texting-hack/961368/4 "2022-03-20T02:44:58Z")
SMSs within the iMessage system come through as blue, ones from outside (eg Android) as green. Not sure about grey? The point is to see where the messages might be coming from. Basically do they look any different from genuine SMSs she sends, to the recipient? Does she see them as being sent from her when viewed on the the iPad? ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-texting-hack/961368/5 "2022-03-20T05:11:10Z")
You need to tell us what chat app she uses. Those canned responses sound like a chatbot or Eliza or something. Maybe she installed an app or extension that automatically responds like Eliza, but I don’t really know about them. I don’t think you can do that with iMessage, anyway. Maybe Facebook Messenger or something else. Are you sure you all have her correct contact info? Maybe you’ve all been texting someone else and they are just fucking with you. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-texting-hack/961368/6 "2022-03-20T06:35:32Z")
For the recipient SMS and iMessages look the same (grey), they only look different to the sender. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-texting-hack/961368/7 "2022-03-20T11:43:34Z")
> [@Askance](#): > > Basically do they look any different from genuine SMSs she sends, to the recipient? Identical. > [@zbuzz](#): > > You need to tell us what chat app she uses. The regular text message app for iOS. > [@zbuzz](#): > > Are you sure you all have her correct contact info? Oh yeah - this text group has been intact for years. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-texting-hack/961368/8 "2022-03-20T14:07:41Z")
> [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > For the recipient SMS and iMessages look the same (grey), they only look different to the sender. Not true. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-texting-hack/961368/9 "2022-03-20T14:09:51Z")
OP - You need to do an experiment. Send her a text message when she is looking at the phone. 1. Does she receive it? 2. Does the bogus response happen immediately? 3. Does she see the response on her phone? ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-texting-hack/961368/10 "2022-03-20T14:45:19Z")
We’ve done that. She sees our text come in. The RoboMIL doesn’t respond until several minutes later. She sees the entire exchange. She does not get a notification when her text goes out. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-texting-hack/961368/11 "2022-03-20T14:46:47Z")
OK, try it with her phone off (completely powered down). ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-texting-hack/961368/12 "2022-03-20T16:30:50Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > She sees the entire exchange Does the Robo response appear on the right or on the left on her phone? ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-texting-hack/961368/13 "2022-03-20T18:58:05Z")
Well it’s true on my iPhone. All incoming messages are grey but my outgoing messages are blue or green depending on whether it is being sent as an iMessage or SMS. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-texting-hack/961368/14 "2022-03-20T19:07:30Z")
You’re right - the conversation is via iCloud if the sender is in Blue. ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-texting-hack/961368/15 "2022-03-21T08:50:33Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > We’ve done that. She sees our text come in. The RoboMIL doesn’t respond until several minutes later. Do you ever get two responses, like your real MIL and the RoboMIL both reply to the same text that you’ve sent? Or if the realMIL responds first, is there no reply from the RoboMIL? Also, do you see the blinking “…” that indicates the person is typing their response when the roboMIL replies? ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-texting-hack/961368/16 "2022-03-21T10:39:28Z")
Yes - the Robo will say something weird, someone will point out that it’s RoboMIL, and real MIL will respond “I didn’t send that!” ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-texting-hack/961368/17 "2022-03-21T14:17:20Z")
How many people are in this text group? Does this happen if the MIL is the only person you are texting? Also, you didn’t answer my question - when the MIL sees the Robo response, which side of the message pane is it on (i.e. - does it appear that it is sent from her iPhone)? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-texting-hack/961368/18 "2022-03-21T15:22:34Z")
n/m. I see the post directly above mine asks the questions I was thinking of. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-texting-hack/961368/19 "2022-03-21T16:19:29Z")
Has anyone actually looked at MIL’s phone other than her? I don’t know anything about your MIL - but my husband’s 81 year old MIL frequently tells me she didn’t send me a text. And it invariably turns out that she did in fact, send me that text. She just no longer remembers sending it by the time I asked or she thought she sent it to my brother. And all but one of your examples are plausible as a message she would send ( she wouldn’t have sent “I’m afraid I don’t know how to respond to that”) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-texting-hack/961368/20 "2022-03-21T20:37:21Z")
I dunno. If those examples are verbatim, they sound unmistakably chat botty to me. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-texting-hack/961368.md?page=2)