iMessage not sending to non-apple and address in red

I think this is the article razmee209 meant to link to:

Forward SMS/MMS text messages from your iPhone to your Mac or iPad - Apple Support

Disable iMessage on both devices. Restart them both. Then, sign back in on your iPhone. Once it has been activated, sign back in on your Mac. Once the Mac has activated, go back to the iPhone. Go to Settings>Messages>Text Message Forwarding and enable it for your Mac. Make sure that both devices are on the same WiFi network. Test.

IdrisSeabright wrote:

I think this is the article razmee209 meant to link to:

Forward SMS/MMS text messages from your iPhone to your Mac or iPad - Apple Support

Thank you!!!!

Staynavytom wrote:

There have been posts here about this issue but they date from 2015. My Macbook will not send to android devices and the contact number shows up as red on the message. What's the fix? Seems Apple should have a fix to this issue over the last nine years.

A mac and ipad can't send text message to an android, unless you have an iphone and have this set up Make and receive phone calls on Mac or iPad - Apple Support

Staynavytom wrote:

One last comment. When I have problems sending text to a non-apple phone, I can often get the message though if I set my phone to airplane mode. This was a suggestion from the Verison agent.

That's an entirely different issue. And, if your phone is in Airplane mode, it cannot send an SMS message at all unless you have WiFi calling enabled. So, perhaps what they were telling you is that if you have a poor cell signal but access to WiFi, it's worth a shot. I can't think of any other way that would work.

Staynavytom wrote:

I have done this in the past but seems whenever iOS or macOS are updated, my texting goes back to only apple phone numbers. The problem is inconsistent but recurring. And frustrating.

I don't know what to tell you. It's not a problem I've ever had. All I can do is offer suggestions on how to resolve the issue.

Staynavytom wrote:

That was why I thought I'd ask about the cell provider. My wife has the same issues occasionally. Thanks for your suggestions.

Some people seem to find that some settings get changed during updates. There doesn't seem to be a consistent pattern to it. But, it happens.

No, your carrier has nothing to do with this. They are not involved.

My pleasure!