iMessage vs Text Message - iPhones

Post by **Mick F** » 19 Dec 2016, 8:25am

Bear with me here, I'm getting a little confused.

If my iPhone5 has iMessages enabled, and I have a WiFi connection and/or Mobile Data switched on, I can send a "text" to another iMessage enabled iPhone.

This goes through the Apple server free of tariff.

The iMessage text turns up on my computer, and I can also send and receive texts via iMessage on my computer.

Now, my question ..............

If Mrs Mick F sends me a "text", because she is iMessage enabled and she has Mobile Data switched on, her message goes via iMessage by default. This seems normal for an iPhone.

If I'm away from home, and I don't have any WiFi and I don't have my Mobile Data switched on, she cannot send me a text.
Well, she can send, but I can't receive and I wouldn't know if there was anything to receive.

How do you send a TEXT from an iPhone without switching off WiFi and Mobile Data?
The way I see it, texting via the cell phone system is foolproof, and iMessage isn't.

Am I correct?

Post by **Mick F** » 19 Dec 2016, 9:05am

Thinking a little more about this, I wonder if iMessages are a luxury thing, and the "normal" setting is for iMessage to be disabled?

wahoofish · Post by **wahoofish** » 19 Dec 2016, 9:09am

If there is no internet connection, it should send automatically as a text

kwackers · Post by **kwackers** » 19 Dec 2016, 9:29am

All I know is the number of folk who claim to have 'texted' me but it turns out sent an iMessage instead of SMS is - well, quite a lot.
I'm not sure how they're supposed to be handled but from where I'm standing they're a monumental fail. At the very least it should be aware the recipient doesn't have iMessage and reverts to SMS.

(Most people I know turn it off)

Post by **Mick F** » 19 Dec 2016, 9:33am

The trouble is, if the sender has internet connection and the message by default is sent by iMessage, the message doesn't get received at all on the iPhone.

At this very moment, she's sent me a test message. Off it went from her iPhone on the other side of the living room, but won't get received on mine over here.
If she sent me a TEXT via Vodafone, it would have arrived fine.

At this very moment, I'm incommunicado. :lol:

Yes, Kwackers, best to turn off iMessage.

Paulatic · Post by **Paulatic** » 19 Dec 2016, 9:59am

Mick F wrote:The trouble is, if the sender has internet connection and the message by default is sent by iMessage, the message doesn't get received at all on the iPhone.

At this very moment, she's sent me a test message. Off it went from her iPhone on the other side of the living room, but won't get received on mine over here.
If she sent me a TEXT via Vodafone, it would have arrived fine.

At this very moment, I'm incommunicado.

Yes, Kwackers, best to turn off iMessage.

It's simple for the sender just watch the blue time bar after pressing send. If it doesn't go to the end or say delivered just touch the message again and you see the option send by text.
The problem we have is I send a msg to OH who is out without data and it gets delivered to her iPad sitting at home. I then have to turn off my wifi on phone or put her iPad in aeroplane mode to send as text.

[XAP]Bob · Post by **[XAP]Bob** » 19 Dec 2016, 10:06am

It's a long standing 'issue'

If you have said in your iMessage settings that you want people to be able to contact you by iMessage on your phone number then they will default to iMessage.

You can turn that off, and they should always text you. They, of course, have the option of iMessaging your iCloud ID directly (and that will iMessage).

Now think about what happens when you swap from an iPhone to anything else. If you don't change that setting in your iMessage settings (through iCloud.com if needed) then iDevice people will continue to send you iMessages, despite you having no way to receive them...

Psamathe · Post by **Psamathe** » 19 Dec 2016, 10:22am

Also a question of "routing". Using iMessage the message goes 1st to NSA then back to GCHQ after a delay. However, use SMS and it goes to GCHQ first (and is then later forwarded on to NSA).

But UK government is placing new legal obligations on tech companies so that you can't go through NSA first but to ensure GCHQ is always your "snooper of preference".

Ian

[XAP]Bob · Post by **[XAP]Bob** » 19 Dec 2016, 12:48pm

Lol. iMessage is actually pretty good in terms of security.

Yes, Apple hold the public keys for everyone, but the messages are then encrypted end to end (hence no history available when you switch devices).

al_yrpal · Post by **al_yrpal** » 19 Dec 2016, 12:49pm

I thought Apple products were supposed to be…

Simples… ! :lol:

Al

[XAP]Bob · Post by **[XAP]Bob** » 19 Dec 2016, 1:14pm

They are, but you're meant to have data on. That's why all the original iPhone plans came with unlimited data...

Heltor Chasca · Post by **Heltor Chasca** » 19 Dec 2016, 1:52pm

'Hold' the blue iMessage. (Or long tap) A tab will come up with a 'Send as text message'. It will go again, but this time you'll get a text. And the blue iMessage will now be green.

When the phone is back near wifi or mobile enabled, it will also get the same message as an iMessage.

I'm well practiced with my daughter. She has wifi at school and at the Co-op where the bus drops her off.

Post by **Mick F** » 19 Dec 2016, 5:08pm

Hi guys.
Sorted it.

The issue is that we in this household have three Macs and an iPad, plus two iPhones.
In my happiness at finding iMessage, I connected them ALL to iMessage.
As it turns out, it was a big big big mistake. :shock:

We were round at our daughter's place this morning, and she too has an iPhone and a Mac ......... both on iMessage.

I was sat in her living room and asked her to send me a text.
My phone had no Wifi switched on and no Data switched on.
Her text was sent, and it was recorded as delivered. It never arrived on my phone of course. She couldn't change it to TEXT because as far as her device was concerned, it was sent and delivered.

When we got home, the text was there on all three Macs and the iPad. :lol:

Since getting home, I've turned off all iMessage apps from all computers and the iPad, and texted Daughter as a test message and asked her to reply. Reply arrived within seconds, and she said it was sent as a TEXT and not by iMessage even though she sent it via iMessage app.

I am no longer incommunicado, and neither is Mrs Mick F.

What a stupid stupid stupid STUPID system!
Up until recently, I've had a Samsung Galaxy as my phone. Had I enabled iMessage on our Apple devices, I would never have received texts from anyone using iMessage on my Galaxy ..................... because they would have arrived on the Macs.

We live and learn.

Paulatic · Post by **Paulatic** » 19 Dec 2016, 6:28pm

Mick says,

Up until recently, I've had a Samsung Galaxy as my phone. Had I enabled iMessage on our Apple devices, I would never have received texts from anyone using iMessage on my Galaxy ..................... because they would have arrived on the Macs.

No they wouldn't
Because your phone number was in a Samsung your number could never be linked to an IMessage.
I like iMessage it saves me no end of money and appeals to a Yorkshireman who likes to run a phone for less than £20 a year. As stated earlier they work so much better if using data all the time but I just remember to put my iPad in airplane before I leave home.

Heltor Chasca · Post by **Heltor Chasca** » 19 Dec 2016, 6:50pm

I've never found the system stupid. A banned word according to my 7 year old, household moderator. Coms with 14 year old has rarely had a blip. It's brilliant. I live in the hypnotic ecosystem that Apple has created. In fact I am slowly starting to resemble an Apple myself. In the summer, codling moths lad eggs into my forehead.

And besides, you can put your iPhone through the machine on a wool wash for an hour and still manage to converse with a chatty daughter. What's not to like [emoji6]

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