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Hi, I recently upgraded to a new mini ipad. However, I cannot send nor receive texts from non-apple devices such as android phone. Please help me. Thanks. Rosa

Hi, I recently upgraded to a new mini ipad. However, I cannot send nor receive texts from non-apple devices such as android phone. Please help me. Thanks. Rosa

iPad mini Wi-Fi

Posted on May 31, 2020 9:21 AM

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Question marked as Apple recommended

Unless you also have an iPhone, your iPad cannot send or receive SMS or MMS messages to phone numbers - as these are Cellular Carrier features. Without an iPhone, your iPad is limited to sending/receiving messages via the Apple-proprietary Messages App.


Native iMessages are directed to Apple recipients by their registered email addresses - and not by their Cellular phone numbers.


To use SMS/MMS messaging from the iPad Messages App, your iPhone must be logged-in to iCloud with the same AppleID - and message forwarding to your iPad must be enabled on the iPhone.

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT208386


I hope this is helpful in clarifying your iPads Messaging features.

Posted on May 31, 2020 10:16 AM

4 replies

May 31, 2020 9:47 AM in response to rhamchu

In order for an iPad to send or receive SMS/MMS texts, it must be paired with an iPhone. By itself, no iPad (doesn’t matter whether it is WiFi only or WiFi+cellular) cannot send or receive SMS nor MMS texts, as those require a cellular telephone connected to a cellular service provider’s telephone voice network.


Your iPad by itself is limited to internet only messaging services - Apple’s iMessage, Skype, Google Hangouts, WhatsApp Web, etc.

Question marked as Apple recommended

May 31, 2020 10:16 AM in response to rhamchu

Unless you also have an iPhone, your iPad cannot send or receive SMS or MMS messages to phone numbers - as these are Cellular Carrier features. Without an iPhone, your iPad is limited to sending/receiving messages via the Apple-proprietary Messages App.


Native iMessages are directed to Apple recipients by their registered email addresses - and not by their Cellular phone numbers.


To use SMS/MMS messaging from the iPad Messages App, your iPhone must be logged-in to iCloud with the same AppleID - and message forwarding to your iPad must be enabled on the iPhone.

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT208386


I hope this is helpful in clarifying your iPads Messaging features.

May 31, 2020 9:34 PM in response to rhamchu

If you knew all of the above and had it working on your old iPad, and just want to make the new one work the same way, try this:

On your iPhone, launch Settings, go to the Messages page, then tap on Text Message Forwarding, and make sure the slider next to the name of your new iPad mini is enabled (green background, circle slid right).

Hi, I recently upgraded to a new mini ipad. However, I cannot send nor receive texts from non-apple devices such as android phone. Please help me. Thanks. Rosa

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