Several readers have reported that, after installing the iPhone software/firmware 1.1.3 update, SMS (text) messages are displayed out of order. That is, a conversation intended to appear thusly:

User1: Hi
User2: How are you?
User1: Fine.
instead appears thusly:

User1: Hi
User1: Fine.
User2: How are you?

Apple has now acknowledged this issue in a Knowledge Base article, which says the problem may be “occurring because messages are being sent in quick succession (more common if the messages consist of only a few short words).”

Potential fixes

Set your iPhone to official time If you are in the United States, go to time.gov and check the current, official time, then set your iPhone to that time in “Settings” (as close to the minute change as you can).

Use network time Apple’s suggested fix is as follows: “Make sure iPhone is setup to receive the network time. Choose General > Date & Time and turn Set Automatically to ON. (Note that in some locations, network time may not be available and in some cases, you may not see this option).” However, Apple admits that this solution may not work in all cases.

Restart: Some users have reported that powering off their iPhones (by holding down the sleep/wake button until the slider appears, turning the unit off, then back on) resolves this issue.