imessage

Hi there div12,

From what we can tell, you're unable to send text messages to other devices, not made by Apple, from your iPhone. Thanks for connecting with us in Apple Support Communities. We're glad you're here, and we can help.

To begin, any messages sent to someone not using an Apple device are sent as SMS/MMS text messages. "To send an SMS message, you need cellular network connection." Do you currently have an active plan with your wireless carrier for text messaging? Is your iPhone connected to your cellular network and are you seeing good signal strength? Learn more here:

If you can't send or receive messages on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

If you do have an active text messaging plan and the issue persists, let's go to Settings > Messages, and make sure 'Send as SMS' is turned on. Also, let's be sure your phone number and Apple ID are both selected in Settings > Messages > Send & Receive. Have a look at this link to learn more about the difference between iMessage and SMS text messages:

What is the difference between iMessage and SMS/MMS?

Also, regarding what you're seeing about time-sensitive notifications, it's related to a Focus. Learn more about how that works here:

Use Focus on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

If your Messages settings appear to be correct, follow the remaining suggested steps in the first link above, and let us know how it goes. If you're still unable to send messages to other devices after those steps, please provide a detailed description of exactly what happens when you try. We'll take a closer look from there.

Cheers.