Apple’s iMessage system is a model of convenience when connecting between iPhones. But trying to leave the ecosystem is the very definition of horror. The Internet is filled with tales of frustration from those who have traded in their iPhone for an Android phone only to find their text messages trapped within Apple’s cloud. The issue arises when an iPhone customer trades in his or her phone for, say, a Galaxy S5, but keeps the same phone number that Apple’s messaging system recognizes as an iPhone. A recent server glitch made the problem worse, rendering moot one of Apple’s key methods for trying to remedy the issue. The iMessage problem is now the subject of legal action by a California woman seeking class-action status for a suit against Apple. She charges that Apple’s message-grabbing ways are depriving former customers of the ability to get full value from their wireless service after they give up their iPhone.