What is the best way to check if a UIAlertController is already presenting?

It is not the UIAlertController that is “already presenting”, it is MessagesMasterVC. A view controller can only present one other view controller at a time. Hence the error message.

In other words, if you have told a view controller to presentViewController:..., you cannot do that again until the presented view controller has been dismissed.

You can ask the MessagesMasterVC whether it is already presenting a view controller by examining its presentedViewController. If not nil, do not tell it to presentViewController:... – it is already presenting a view controller.