How can I use the iMessage feature and not have my phone think that my gmail address is an iMessage?

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dsd2020 Author

Level 1

8 points

How can I use the iMessage feature and not have my phone think that my gmail address is an iMessage?

I occasionally send messages from my phone to my email (gmail) because it’s easier to forward things that way however, since switching to an iPhone, my gmail address is recognized as iMessage instead of just sending as a normal text. The messages obviously don’t go through because my gmail is not an iMessage account but when I turn of iMessage in messages the messages are able to be sent. How can I use the iMessage feature and not have my phone think that my gmail address is an iMessage? I have removed it from contacts, have even changed my iCloud email so the gmail was not even associated but that does not help. The only solution I have found so far is to turn off iMessage. Any advice or help?

[Edited by Moderator]

iPhone 6, iOS 12

Posted on Feb 8, 2020 5:21 AM

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Answer 1

SravanKrA

Level 10

431,404 points

Feb 8, 2020 5:26 AM in response to dsd2020

If I understand you correctly, you want Phone number is to be used for iMessages instead of your Apple ID (email)

Turn off and restart iMessage and FaceTime (The order is very important)

Go to Settings > Messages and turn off iMessage.
Go to Settings > FaceTime and turn off FaceTime.
Restart your device.
Turn iMessage and FaceTime back on. (Watch the GIF below)

Still not activated after a day?

It might take up to 24 hours to activate iMessage and FaceTime. If the issue continues after 24 hours, follow these steps:
Make sure that your device has the latest version of iOS.
If you're using an iPhone, contact your carrier to make sure that you can receive SMS messages.
Contact Apple Support.

If you get an error when trying to activate iMessage or FaceTime ...

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Answer 2

dsd2020 Author

Level 1

8 points

Feb 8, 2020 5:50 AM in response to SravanKrA

No but thank you. The issue I’m having is the message app recognizing a gmail address as an I message. I go to the app, type in the gmail address and it processes it as if it’s an iMessage vs an actual text message and the messages are not sent.

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Answer 3

dsd2020 Author

Level 1

8 points

Feb 8, 2020 5:53 AM in response to dsd2020

As you can see, gmail address which is not an iMessage only gets sent when the iMessage feature is off and when it is on for whatever reason it is recognized as an iMessage instead of an email address

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How can I use the iMessage feature and not have my phone think that my gmail address is an iMessage?

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