I think I fixed my issue. I ended up going nuclear and marking the whole iOS 18 forum as read. The 'iOS 18 Speculation Thread' is staying unread and is working properly now.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Cannot mark as read one of my watched threads [MERGED]
- Thread starter UliBaer
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Hmmmm! I thought mine was fixed, but it keeps coming back. Same thread every time it comes back. :-(
Darn, you're right! I spoke too soon. It was behaving correctly for the rest of the night, but was back to being stuck on unread this morning. However, the link was now taking me to more recent post rather than the very first one compared to yesterday.
I've marked the whole forum as read a few more times. The read/unread state works correctly for a while (it has been an active thread), but then eventually gets stuck on unread for one of the newer posts.
Are you able to test on a second browser.?It could be an extension/plug-in messing with something.
I've tried Safari on my iPhone and iPad too, as well as Edge on my Mac. No difference between them all. I'm unable to mark that particular thread itself as read; but I am able to mark the iOS 18 forum as read, which in turn temporarily marks the thread as read (until someone replies to it).
Just to clarify, I'm referring to the 'Watched threads' page where it stays unread/bold (https://forums.macrumors.com/watched/threads); or even the 'iOS 18' forum's page (https://forums.macrumors.com/forums/ios-18.244/). When I click the link to the thread on either of those two pages, it now always takes me to post #5629, which I believe is the first post since I marked the whole iOS 18 forum as read yesterday.
Note: The unread/read status is working correctly under the bell icon or on my alerts page (https://forums.macrumors.com/account/alerts). It'll stay unread there and the link takes me to the correct post, but still shows unread if I go to the two pages above.
Yep, same on different browsers. E.g. Both Safari and Chrome.
I've noticed a new wrinkle, while 'suffering' from this for however many weeks/months it is(!):
It seems to actually be triggered by refreshing https://forums.macrumors.com/watched/threads . E.g. I may have 2 or no threads listed as unread. If I go back to that page, that's what it shows. But if I then press refresh, the same old thread pops up as unread again. (Also, clicking away from Watched, e.g. on to New Posts, and then back again, does not bring the unwatched thread back; but just clicking on Watched again (without clicking away first) does.)
Not sure if this helps when looking into it? (cc @arn) - Many thanks!
I've noticed a new wrinkle, while 'suffering' from this for however many weeks/months it is(!):
It seems to actually be triggered by refreshing https://forums.macrumors.com/watched/threads . E.g. I may have 2 or no threads listed as unread. If I go back to that page, that's what it shows. But if I then press refresh, the same old thread pops up as unread again. (Also, clicking away from Watched, e.g. on to New Posts, and then back again, does not bring the unwatched thread back; but just clicking on Watched again (without clicking away first) does.)
Not sure if this helps when looking into it? (cc @arn) - Many thanks!
I've recorded a video of this issue, if that helps. Hopefully it's easy to follow along. At the end, I marked the forum read, which "fixes" the issue until someone posts in that thread again. Which then, I suspect the unread link will start taking me to that post all the time (#5849).
Not really. The filter shows only unread, as expected, and my problem thread keeps coming back into that view even when I mark it read (unlike all the other threads, which disappear from that view when you mark them read).
Just to add - this description sounds unlike my issue. Just to be clear, my problem thread returns as unread again (e.g. on refreshing the watched threads page) WITHOUT someone needing to post in the thread again.
Right, that's what I'm showing up until I mark the forum read at the end of the video. Up until then, you can see I refresh the watch list and it's unread again. No one posted in that thread during the recording.
I think we have the same issue. Have you ever marked the 'Mac Pro' forum read (since that's where your problem thread lives)? I know it's not ideal or a true/permanent fix; but if you had, I suspect your problem thread will then stay unread until someone posts in it, and your issue will be back. The link would also start taking you to that new post instead of the one dated Oct 8th (#1598).
Right, thank you for your clear explanation. I've got it at your second attempt! ;-/ So far I have marked the Mac Pro forum as read and the specific thread within it is not coming back as unread, even if I refresh the Watched page. Since (I agree again, now) it sounds as if we are seeing exactly the same problem, I guess it will come back as stickily unread next time someone posts to the thread. I will report back what happens when someone posts there again.
Yep, the link is always taking me to #5849 now, which is the first post since marking the forum read in the previous video.
I also wanted to show something I mentioned earlier - that it doesn't matter if I'm watching the thread or not. This recording shows that the issue persists even when it's not being watched. The link to the thread always takes me to the same old post, stays unread, and unable to mark it read.
Last edited:
@iStorm - Yes, it behaves exactly like you said. I cleared it as you suggested (i.e. marking the thread's parent forum as read), but now that someone else has posted to the thread, then it is that new post that now keeps stickily coming back as read, in the ways described above (by you and me!).
I'm having the same issue on this thread: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/issue-with-apple-tv.2443789/
Now I'm getting it with this one. It's a thread that I've previously participated in, and ever since a post was added approx. 12 hours ago it's been showing as unread.
Edit (5.5 hours later): It's fixed itself.
Edit 2 (40 minutes later): No it hasn't! It's flicked back to unread again.
Edit (5.5 hours later): It's fixed itself.
Edit 2 (40 minutes later): No it hasn't! It's flicked back to unread again.
Last edited:
I'm experiencing this issue with another thread now:
FWIW, this thread was dormant for over a month, and someone just replied to it. It will no longer stay read, and the link takes me to the very first post.
This is the second thread I'm having issues with. These two threads (and the "2" badge) are forever stuck for me.
FWIW, this thread was dormant for over a month, and someone just replied to it. It will no longer stay read, and the link takes me to the very first post.
This is the second thread I'm having issues with. These two threads (and the "2" badge) are forever stuck for me.
I now have three threads that are stuck unread. It's another one that was inactive for over a month, and someone just replied to it. This is starting to appear to be the common theme here. It seems that threads that have been inactive for ~30+ days at one point don't keep track of the read/unread status properly anymore. Perhaps a new bug with the forum software?
CC: @arn
CC: @arn
It looks like you might be onto something here: the thread I'm having trouble with also falls into this category.
I've had several threads stuck at "unread" even after reading them or using the per-thread "Mark Read" button. This has been happening for several weeks.
I see the problem whether the thread is watched or not. A stuck-as-unread thread is always stuck, no matter if it's on my Watch list or not. If it's on my Watched list, it always shows up as having new content, so stuck Watched threads are even more annoying than stuck unwatched ones.
I was reluctant to try the "nuclear option" given here:
which is to use Mark Read on an entire forum.
I've now done it in 3 separate forums where I had stuck-as-unread threads, and it has solved the problem for me (no new stuck ones for a week). Note I used ONLY the forum level "Mark Read" button, not the all-encompassing "Mark forums read" super-nuclear option in the forum's top action bar.
Two forums where I had persistent stuck threads were:
The two threads in Community were the Recipe thread and Oldest person dies thread.
forums.macrumors.com
The Recipe thread was stuck on the first post, and the Oldest thread was stuck on post #319. Both are now working fine, as are the stuck threads in other forums.
One thing I noticed in all this is that going into a stuck thread would go to the same stuck place, but the "Jump to new" button wouldn't appear, nor would any of the previously read posts have "New" marker.. It's as if the list-of-threads part of the forum software was stuck, but once inside a thread, that part of the forum software was completely aware of what posts had been read.
I see the problem whether the thread is watched or not. A stuck-as-unread thread is always stuck, no matter if it's on my Watch list or not. If it's on my Watched list, it always shows up as having new content, so stuck Watched threads are even more annoying than stuck unwatched ones.
I was reluctant to try the "nuclear option" given here:
which is to use Mark Read on an entire forum.
I've now done it in 3 separate forums where I had stuck-as-unread threads, and it has solved the problem for me (no new stuck ones for a week). Note I used ONLY the forum level "Mark Read" button, not the all-encompassing "Mark forums read" super-nuclear option in the forum's top action bar.
Two forums where I had persistent stuck threads were:
The two threads in Community were the Recipe thread and Oldest person dies thread.
The (un)official MacRumors Recipe thread
Post your favorite recipes for desserts, entrees, snacks, appetizers, anything! If you have any questions, do not ask them here. Instead PM me. This thread is for recipes only. Not questions. Thanks. Requirements: 1. You must post a list of ingredients and a list of the directions. 2. You...
forums.macrumors.com
The Recipe thread was stuck on the first post, and the Oldest thread was stuck on post #319. Both are now working fine, as are the stuck threads in other forums.
One thing I noticed in all this is that going into a stuck thread would go to the same stuck place, but the "Jump to new" button wouldn't appear, nor would any of the previously read posts have "New" marker.. It's as if the list-of-threads part of the forum software was stuck, but once inside a thread, that part of the forum software was completely aware of what posts had been read.
This has started happening to me too...thought I was going crazy. In my case, it's the Apple Updates Magic Mouse, Magic Keyboard, and Magic Trackpad With USB-C Ports thread. Like the others above, it is an older thread that was "revived" after some inactivity.
Interestingly, I've also been following the iOS 18 Speculation Thread that iStorm has been having trouble with, and that one is working fine for me.
Interestingly, I've also been following the iOS 18 Speculation Thread that iStorm has been having trouble with, and that one is working fine for me.
Regarding the revival of an older thread, I tried it on several older threads in a mods-only forum, and could not produce the problem. All the posts-read tracking worked fine, for threads created by others or by me. To me, that means that old-thread revival may play a part, but it's not in all cases, and AFAICT isn't predictable.
And just when I thought it was working, I ran into the problem with:
That thread had no additions since 11 Jan 2025, which is less than 30 days. However, it was created more than 30 days ago.
Multiple uses of the per-thread "Mark Read" had no effect. It still showed up as bold in the list of threads, and always went to the post made today. I hit it with the forum-level "Mark Read" and it's solved for now, but I suspect it will crop up somewhere else.
That thread had no additions since 11 Jan 2025, which is less than 30 days. However, it was created more than 30 days ago.
Multiple uses of the per-thread "Mark Read" had no effect. It still showed up as bold in the list of threads, and always went to the post made today. I hit it with the forum-level "Mark Read" and it's solved for now, but I suspect it will crop up somewhere else.
I'm up to four stuck threads now. I follow a lot of threads and always have for years. This issue didn't crop up until recently. I feel like there has to be a forum software update that broke something. Has anyone acknowledged or looking into this issue? It seems like it's only getting worse. More users are noticing/reporting the issue, and more threads are getting stuck (at least for me).
I didn't even notice the "Mark forums read" button you mentioned. I just clicked it to see how that works out. I wasn't exactly keen on trying it, but figured I'd be back to normal in a month or so since the forum software appears to auto-magically show posts older than 30 days as read anyway.
However, I did notice something else related to this. Whenever I click the bold link to an old thread that has been revived, it would take me to post #1. So the forum knows there's a new post I didn't see yet, but doesn't know which post to take me to? I thought that was odd, but can't recall if it has always behaved that way.
Are you saying the "Mark read" button fixed it for you? That method ended up being a temporary fix for me. It'd work fine until someone replied to a problematic thread again. I see no one has replied to the "oldest person in the world" thread since last week, so it might be too soon to call it for that one.I was reluctant to try the "nuclear option" given here:
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...e-of-my-watched-threads.2440063/post-33604122
which is to use Mark Read on an entire forum.
I've now done it in 3 separate forums where I had stuck-as-unread threads, and it has solved the problem for me (no new stuck ones for a week). Note I used ONLY the forum level "Mark Read" button, not the all-encompassing "Mark forums read" super-nuclear option in the forum's top action bar.
Two forums where I had persistent stuck threads were:
The two threads in Community were the Recipe thread and Oldest person dies thread.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/oldest-person-in-the-world-dies.45326/The (un)official MacRumors Recipe thread
Post your favorite recipes for desserts, entrees, snacks, appetizers, anything! If you have any questions, do not ask them here. Instead PM me. This thread is for recipes only. Not questions. Thanks. Requirements: 1. You must post a list of ingredients and a list of the directions. 2. You...
The Recipe thread was stuck on the first post, and the Oldest thread was stuck on post #319. Both are now working fine, as are the stuck threads in other forums.
I didn't even notice the "Mark forums read" button you mentioned. I just clicked it to see how that works out. I wasn't exactly keen on trying it, but figured I'd be back to normal in a month or so since the forum software appears to auto-magically show posts older than 30 days as read anyway.
I agree. I brought up that observation, but have later noticed some other revived threads weren't affected, so it seems to be only part of the issue or just a coincidence.
However, I did notice something else related to this. Whenever I click the bold link to an old thread that has been revived, it would take me to post #1. So the forum knows there's a new post I didn't see yet, but doesn't know which post to take me to? I thought that was odd, but can't recall if it has always behaved that way.
There is, however, a 30+ day gap between the first and second posts. Just one thing I noticed all these threads seem to have in common (a 30+ day gap somewhere); but again, may just one part of the issue or an odd coincidence.And just when I thought it was working, I ran into the problem with:
That thread had no additions since 11 Jan 2025, which is less than 30 days. However, it was created more than 30 days ago.
Multiple uses of the per-thread "Mark Read" had no effect. It still showed up as bold in the list of threads, and always went to the post made today. I hit it with the forum-level "Mark Read" and it's solved for now, but I suspect it will crop up somewhere else.
Last edited:
I checked the mods-only threads I used for testing, and see that one has two gaps of 30 days or more, and the other doesn't. Neither exhibit the "stuck unread" problem, but I'll check again around mid-Feb, which will be 30 days from the last test.