Send SMS instead of iMessage - iOS5

Your particular contact will need to have iOS 5 installed in order to receive iMessages. In your case, I would just turn iMessaging OFF, but make sure you have "Send As SMS" & "MMS Messaging" turned ON. Go to Settings, Messages, to apply these changes.

Good Luck :-)

Ok first of all no need to get upset there is a solution for you. When you send a new iMessage you get a delivery notice. So in that case you don't have to worry about a thing. But as you say in certain situations you know that those people cannot receive iMessage you can force that iMessage to go through as SMS.. Once you write it hit send, press and hold on the message itself like you are about to copy it. You will have a pop up box with "copy" and "send as text message". Just hit send as text message and there you go.. Now keep in mind this only works from time to hit send to before it gets delivered as iMessage. But if iMessage works on the other end, then you don't really have a problem to begin with..

Hope that helps

Dang! Took me forever, but I figured it out. If the SEND button is blue (using iMessage) press and hold and it will change to green and send as an SMS. It will stay like this for a little while with that contact, however if it changes back, just press and hold it to change it again. This way you don't need to turn off iMessage and you can still have ongoing iMessage conversations with other contacts. Hope this helps.

EDIT: This apparently only applies to BiteSMS not the regular messenger. Sorry, I use Bite and tried to confirm and it does not work in the OS messenger. Solution -> iOS 5 Jailbreak 🙂

Message was edited by: dakers717

I'm running into the same problem as I spend quite a bit of time abroad and I do not receive the iMessages that friends send me because I want to avoind the very expensive data roaming.

Apple is becoming increasingly user-UNfriendly!

OOps I replied to the wrong person, sorry

THanx so much, I did what u said n it worked!!!!

Here is a workaround to force it to send via SMS instead of iMessage:

* Note: iMessages are displayed in blue

* Note: SMS are displayed in green

* Right after you press the "send" button, immediate press and hold the blue message bubble

* It will pop up a menu to allow you to select "send as Text Mesage" or "Copy" it

* You have to do this fast enough before it sends actually sends it to abort sending via iMessage

Here is the better instruction with screenshots:

http://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/36314/how-do-i-send-someone-a-normal-te xt-if-they-also-use-imessage

imessage is unreliable if recipient has intermittent connection yet SMS is reliable. Don't believe the imessage 'delivered', its rubbish. Also, method of 'forcing' an SMS as said only works whilst imessage is delivering. Why not simply allow this option at any time later?

Another annoying Apple foible.

Going to settings and turning off iMessage might be easier!..

Can Also remove the "+ 1" in front of the number and it'll send as a normal text message.

OK, I have a situation. My wife and I both have iPhones and we both like using iMessages between us and with others. She also has an LG Tablet and she downloaded the "Verizon Messages" app to it. In case you aren't familar, Verizon Messages is a data based app that you can register your phone number to and receive your SMS messages on any device. You use the same number as your phone. So my wife has it set up to send/receive SMS sent to her iPhone number on her tablet, kind of the way iMessage works.

Now, if I go to send her a message from my iPhone, it defaults to iMessage since both of our devices are actual iPhones. My problem is that when she is using her tablet, I can't get the message to her. Is there a way I can select to send just the current message as an SMS so she can get it on her Non-iDevice?