does imessage use data plan?

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Rysz NYC area

If you're paying for an "unlimited" text plan and a "limited" data plan, there is no advantage for you in using iMessage. Use regulat text messages."

Group conversations are only enabled in imessage...

IME, group text with anyone outside of iOS/without iMessage come in as individual texts from each person instead of all in one conversation like in iMessage. That's what I was talking about. Not that dumb group text option which is the crappiest implementation of group text they could have done, IMO.

I know I'm late to this thread but I just went through an imessage issue and much in this thread is wrong. I called apple because I was having imessage issues at work with a weak cell signal and wifi on and imessage on. A majority of my imessage texts were failing and also failing to go out as sms. I am 10 feet from a wireless router and have a great wifi signal. iMessage does not use wifi first. It tries to use cell data first. If it can't, or if you're sending large pictures AND connected to wifi, it will try wifi. But not for normal imessages. It will attempt using cell data first. I confirmed this with apple. That's why my imessage and sms texts were failing. I had just enough of a cell signal to register but not enough to actually use. So imessage was tryiong to use the cell signal and failing.

The only way for imessage to use only wifi is to turn your cell data off. Period. If you think because you have wifi on, you're using free data, you are mistaken. Apple feels cell is more secure so it tries that route. I think it's backwards and shold use wifi if it's on and connected, but that's NOT how imessage works.

just thought I'd pass this on.

You think you're so smart, call apple and talk to them. I spent 45 minutes on the phone with them yesterday about how iMessage works. If iMessage detects a large picture or video and you have wifi on, it will use wifi. If not then you are wrong. Call them and ask them if you don't believe me before you start telling others they are wrong.

Chris CA wrote:

Rysz wrote:

iMessages go over the internet, so they do use up your data plan.

Unless you are on an iPhone sending iMessages to non-iOS users and sending them as SMS. Then they are text messages and not data.

The question at the beginning of the forum was whether or not 'iMessages' use data. The answer is yes, they do.

Texts sent from iPhone users to Android users are not iMessages. Not sure why you keep throwing SMS messages into play in this discussion. SMS is irrelevant to the discussion.

devon.e wrote:

Not sure why you keep throwing SMS messages into play in this discussion. SMS is irrelevant to the discussion.

I don't "keep throwing SMS messages into play", even 2 years after my last post in this thread...

but my point was to clarify the difference between SMS & iMessages as most people don't even know there is a difference.

Many people think the app is iMessages (it's Messsages) and you simply send iMessages to everyone.

Note that this was only 7 months after iMessages were introduced (with iOS 5).

Verizon just did the same thing to us! I have an unlimited data plan on MY phone and a limited data plan on my daughters phone. When we upgraded her phone from the iphone 4 to the 5, the rep tried to basically bully me into changing my plan, saying we use such little data that he'd be doing me a favor and saving me 40 a month. 6 days later my daughter's data is exhausted and we are not even midway through our billing cycle! Really not happy about it. Additionally, I cannot figure out how to disable imessage for her as she doesn't have wifi (starving college kid)!!!

ApplesRotten wrote:

6 days later my daughter's data is exhausted and we are not even midway through our billing cycle!

Very likely her data plan being exhausted after 6 days has little/ nothing to do with iMessages.

Additionally, I cannot figure out how to disable imessage for her

Settings > Messages - iMessage to Off.

Thanks guys. I called Apple and "Chase" told me that it was "very, very weird" that my cell provider was charging data for using iMessage. hahaha! Anyhow, I called Verizon and they advised to turn of iMessage, just like everyone has been saying, but added that to text normally you can delete your message history and start fresh. You'll see green bubbles (old fashioned text) vs the blue bubbles (iMessages transmitting over intranet and using data) and will not be charged data for them. It works, but we are still not sure she's going to be receiving text messages from folks who are using the iMessages. We'll see.

And Chris CA, you are right. Her data got mostly exhausted due to her use while she was home for Christmas and away from her computer. Our extra data charges from iMessage will likely be relatively small ($10 bucks per GB) so fingers crossed it won't be an expensive mistake!

Thanks again everyone!!

You can turn iMessage off in your messaging setup so that you are not using your data!!! Thats what I did because I have unlimited text as well!

Agree. Really like this feature but not when it uses my data plan. Wish there were a way to enable this feature but limit it by turning my celular data off. Will have to keep iMessage off until then.

I have the opposite. With unlimited data and messaging, how is iMessage supposed to be a benefit?

Sly

I take the point that maybe this could have been made clearer, but I think an I message takes 250 bytes of data tops.

I'm sure you'd not even notice the hit to your data plan if you sent 1000.

According to the Apple agent with whom I just spoke, he said you have to have cellular data turned on, but it would not use any of your alloted data to send messages or images. Is he incorrect?

@Meg, are you also an Apple agent?