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Is it possible to text on an iPad to contacts who do not have an iPhone or other apple product? If so, how? Do we need an iPad with wifi and cellular? I have received conflicting information on all this.
iPad
Do you have an iPhone - or just an iPad?
An iPad, whether a Cellular model or not, is not capable of directly accessing Cellular Voice or SMS/MMS Messaging features. An iPad with either WiFi or Cellular connectivity alone can only access IP-data services.
However, If paired with an iPhone, the capabilities of iPad significantly broaden to include access to Cellular Voice and Messaging services of the associated iPhone - relayed to the iPad over WiFi using Apple’s continuity features.
More information about Continuity and the relevant Cellular services can be found here:
Continuity
https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT204681
SMS/MMS Messaging
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208386
WiFi Calling
https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT203032
If you have an iPhone - and both iPad and iPhone are signed-in to iCloud with the same AppleID, to send SMS/MMS messages from your iPad you must explicitly enable Text Message Forwarding for your iPad on your iPhone...
On your iPhone:
Settings > Messages > Text Message Forwarding - set to ON - and explicitly enable your iPad from the list of devices.
Also ensure that Messages in iCloud is enabled on both your iPhone and iPad:
Settings > [Your Name / AppleID] > Messages - set to ON
Do you have an iPhone - or just an iPad?
An iPad, whether a Cellular model or not, is not capable of directly accessing Cellular Voice or SMS/MMS Messaging features. An iPad with either WiFi or Cellular connectivity alone can only access IP-data services.
However, If paired with an iPhone, the capabilities of iPad significantly broaden to include access to Cellular Voice and Messaging services of the associated iPhone - relayed to the iPad over WiFi using Apple’s continuity features.
More information about Continuity and the relevant Cellular services can be found here:
Continuity
https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT204681
SMS/MMS Messaging
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208386
WiFi Calling
https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT203032
If you have an iPhone - and both iPad and iPhone are signed-in to iCloud with the same AppleID, to send SMS/MMS messages from your iPad you must explicitly enable Text Message Forwarding for your iPad on your iPhone...
On your iPhone:
Settings > Messages > Text Message Forwarding - set to ON - and explicitly enable your iPad from the list of devices.
Also ensure that Messages in iCloud is enabled on both your iPhone and iPad:
Settings > [Your Name / AppleID] > Messages - set to ON
I was told that the iPad with WiFi and Cellular allows for a carrier SIM card that would allow for texting on the iPad. When I read the iPad Users Guide https://support.apple.com/guide/ipad/set-up-messages-ipad70482978/14.0/ipados/14.0, it states:
Set up Messages on iPad: In the Messages app , you can send text messages as SMS/MMS messages through your cellular service, or with iMessage over Wi-Fi or cellular service to people who use iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or a Mac. Texts you send and receive using iMessage don’t count against your SMS/MMS allowances in your cellular messaging plan, but cellular data rates may apply.
So is this incorrect?
The Messages App can send/receive messages to/from other Apple devices using the proprietary Apple iMessage service; these messages appear in blue bubbles. When sending SMS messages, via a coupled iPhone over the Cellular Messaging, sent messages appear in green bubbles.
iPad will always use the appropriate service type - and where both methods are simultaneously available, will always select the most appropriate for the prevailing conditions. As such, the it is always possible to visually determine the route/service used.
LotusPilot is absolutely correct and the article you quote is misleading.
An iPad cannot send or receive SMS or MMS messages without an iPhone. This is true whether you have a cellular iPad or not. The iPad cannot access cellular voice, which is required for SMS or MMS messaging.
The article you quote refers to "through your cellular service", but does not mean cellular data (which you do have on a cellular iPad). So the article is misleading.
As sberman has confirmed, the iPad User Guide doesn’t actually state that iPad can independently use Cellular Data Service to directly send/receive SMS text messages.
Whilst the User Guide might benefit from less ambiguous wording, the linked Support pages make clear the conditions by which an iPad can use Apple Continuity services to access SMS/MMS via iPhone.
Thank you Lotus Pilot and sberman. I have received conflicting messages from Apple, Verizon, T-Mobile about these capabilities. Since we are trying to set this up for a visually impaired individual to enable her to text, this answer is critical to us, so I appreciate your explanations!
Is it correct that the Messages app can send text messages to anyone who owns an iPhone or iPad even if you don't own an iPhone? And that the iPad uses your Apple ID to route the message based on the email address associated with your Apple ID account?
iPad_text_questions wrote:
Is it correct that the Messages app can send text messages to anyone who owns an iPhone or iPad even if you don't own an iPhone?
Yes.
And that the iPad uses your Apple ID to route the message based on the email address associated with your Apple ID account?
Yes. Just make sure it's set up that way at Settings > Messages > Send & Receive.
Oh, and I do not have an iPhone.
help understanding texting options on iPad
