Text message routing

Question

JeffJ1984 Author

Level 1

14 points

Text message routing

New update, new problem. Updated to iOS 13.6.1 and now replies to my text messages sent from my phone go to my iPad even when it is miles away.

iPhone 7, iOS 13

Posted on Aug 27, 2020 7:44 AM

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Answer 1

Aug 27, 2020 7:54 AM in response to JeffJ1984

Err... as described, your iPad is operating as expected.

If Text Message Forwarding is enabled on your iPhone - and forwarding to your iPad is explicitly enabled for your iPad - any incoming SMS/MMS messages directed to your Cellular phone (and any replies from iPhone) will appear on your iPad. This is just one feature of Apple Continuity.

Continuity

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT204681

SMS/MMS Messaging

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

If you don’t want SMS/MMS messages to be forwarded from iPhone to iPad, simply disable Text Message Forwarding:

On your iPhone:

Settings > Messages > Text Message Forwarding - set to OFF - and/or explicitly disable your iPad from the list of devices.

I hope this information and guidance solves any mystery with regard to Message Forwarding between your devices.

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Answer 2

JeffJ1984 Author

Level 1

14 points

Aug 27, 2020 3:38 PM in response to LotusPilot

Unless it is just a coincidence, something in the last update screwed with iMessage. Messages from people using it were going to my iPad, all others are coming to my phone. I don’t like to run iMessage on the iPhone because it gives me a lot of delivery failures but I have to run iMessage on the iPad if I want to message through it (no cellular connection). My guess is Apple chose to default all iMessage traffic to any device with it turned on whether it’s being used or not.

I have turned of iMessage on the iPad and activated it on my iPhone but that is not a fix. It is a work around that will only last until I get frustrated with iMessage again.

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