iMessage and SMS

Its hard to believe that moving from one phone to another would be complicated in today's day and age. More and more people are finding that moving from iPhone to Android is getting to be a problem. The reason? iMessage. When the move to Android the iMessage server seems to have them still registered. So when a friend or family member who has an iPhone messages them, the iPhone registers it as an iMessage because the server tells it to.

Keep in mind this does not happen all the time.

So how do you fix this?

There are several options but it starts and stays with the person who is leaving the iPhone.

If you are trading in your iPhone BEFORE you trade it in do the following:

Go to Settings

Go to Messages:

Go to Send & Receive:

Deselect anything that has your cell phone number in it:

Once you have done that and you receive an email stating that your number has been removed from iMessage turn iMessage off on the phone. This email comes pretty quickly.

If you still have the original iPhone do the above steps first.

If that doesn't work and resolve the issue the next step is to go to https://supportprofile.apple.com/homePage 

Find your device: 

Select the device by clicking the circle in the right hand corner:

Select Unregister and then select Unregister again: 

Follow the confirmation prompts: 

This process can take anywhere from 24-48 hours for the server to update. If you are still having issues contact Apple however please keep in mind it can take 90 days for the server to update. 

iMessage on Multiple Devices

Do you have multiple devices that you would like to have messages sent and received to in addition to your iPhone? For the most part you can set it up so that you an receive any iMessage from anyone as long as they send it to the Apple ID.

First go into Settings on both devices to ensure that in iMessage you are signed into the same account, once you confirmed that both are signed into the same Apple ID your phone will receive a message stating that iCloud has been signed in on another device. You want to make sure that your cell number is also checked.

Now messages will show up both devices:

 

Troubleshoot iMessage

Having trouble with iMessage? First check the Apple Services Page to make sure that there isn't an outage. 

Keep in mind that if all other data services work (email, website, picture message) then it is not a network issue related to your cellular carrier it is an imessage/phone issue! 

This is from the Apple Website: http://support.apple.com/kb/ts2755

Symptoms

Learn how to troubleshoot issues with the Messages application on iOS devices.

Resolution

If you can't send or receive messages

§  Restart your device.

§  Update to the latest iOS Software.

§  If you are trying to send a message to multiple recipients and you type in each contact manually instead of using the contacts list, make sure you tap return instead of space to separate each one.

The following table shows the requirements and capabilities of Messages on iOS.

	Device Required	iOS Required	Connectivity Required	Recipient Types Allowed	Content Types Allowed
SMS	iPhone	1.0 and later	Cellular	Phone number	Text only
MMS	iPhone 3G and later	3.1 and later	Cellular data	Phone number	Text, audio1, photos, and video
iMessage	iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch	5.0 and later	Cellular data or Wi-Fi	Phone number or email address	Text, audio1, photos, and video

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If you still can't send or receive SMS or MMS messages

If you still can't send or receive MMS messages

If you still can't send or receive iMessages

Additional Information

§  Note: When using a China Telecom or au (KDDI) iPhone, you can activate iMessage only while on your home network. While traveling internationally, you will be unable to activate iMessage.

§  Learn how to troubleshoot iMessage activation.

§  Find information about linking your phone number to an Apple ID for use with FaceTime and iMessage.

§  If SMS or MMS messages you send are not displayed correctly on other devices, see this article.

§  If you receive a message that your mailbox is almost full in the Messages application, ensure that you are using the latest version of iOS. If you continue to receive the prompt, delete some messages. You can delete a conversation by swiping left or right over a conversation and tapping Delete. For other ways to delete a conversation, see the User's Guide.

§  If you plan on transferring your SIM card or phone number from an iPhone to a device that does not support iMessage, turn off iMessage in Settings > Messages first. If you do not, other iOS devices may continue to try to send a message using iMessage first, instead only using SMS or MMS.

Notes:

1.    Audio content, while viewable in the Messages application, cannot be saved outside the application.

2.    If your iPhone meets the system requirements, your wireless account may still need to be provisioned to send and receive MMS messages. Many carriers will automatically provision your wireless account for MMS when you first send an MMS message. Other carriers will provision customers' wireless accounts for MMS automatically in large groups at different times. If necessary, check with your carrier to confirm that you are provisioned to send or receive MMS messages.

Important: Mention of third-party websites and products is for informational purposes only and constitutes neither an endorsement nor a recommendation. Apple assumes no responsibility with regard to the selection, performance or use of information or products found at third-party websites. Apple provides this only as a convenience to our users. Apple has not tested the information found on these sites and makes no representations regarding its accuracy or reliability. There are risks inherent in the use of any information or products found on the Internet, and Apple assumes no responsibility in this regard. Please understand that a third-party site is independent from Apple and that Apple has no control over the content on that website. Please contact the vendor for additional information.

iMessage

iMessage

iMessage is the method of sending messages to any iOS Device (iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad) and even Mac computers. Be advised that any device that is signed in under the same AppleID can and does receive any iMessage that is sent.

Confirm that iMessage is turned on:

• Go to Settings

• Go to Messages

• Select On next to iMessage

Determining an iMessage vs Text message

Any messages that are green are regular text messages. Any Message that is blue is a iMessage.

Settings for iMessage:

• Go to Settings

• Go to Messages

• Scroll down to Send & Receive (tap send & receive)

• This will show you all the ways people can iMessage you.