How can I choose between using iMessage or SMS when I want to send a message?

I have the reverse problem. I want to send an iMessage but seem only to be able to send an SMS. Am I missing something? I have iMessage turned on in my settings, but when I try to send a message I don't get the blue iMessage, nor does the word "iMessage" appear in the message box. I know that the person I'm messaging has an iPhone. Where am I going wrong?

To use SMS, for who it's to, you type the number. For imessage you tybe in the other person's apple id

Make sure the other person has iMessage turned on ... Settings > Messages > iMessage > On

Surely that can't be right. How am I to know the other person's Apple id? I thought that was a kind of password. It's different knowing their e-mail address.

Joy R wrote:

Surely that can't be right. How am I to know the other person's Apple id? I thought that was a kind of password. It's different knowing their e-mail address.

No, it's not the Apple ID. It's the email address. Sending message to and iPhone, then use the phone number. Sending messages to another type of device (e.g., iPad, iMac, iPod Touch), use the email address.

I have tried to send iMessages to people who I know have iPhones and have iMessage activated, but my own messages only go out as SMSs. This doesn't matter locally, but my daughter lives abroad and iMessages would be free. It's really bugging me.

I dont find that true, when I choose new message and then choose persons phone number and not e-mail it automatically turns blue and it goes via imessage if that person is reachablle. It even sends it that way if the person isnt reachable but then there is no 'delivered' sign and (this is the bug) it just sits there, undelivered. In that case you must tap that message bubble and choose send as sms. It should be done automatically but it isnt, so this is the way. You just have to watch for delivered sign... Or your message might not be where you want it to be.

Joy R wrote:

I have tried to send iMessages to people who I know have iPhones and have iMessage activated, but my own messages only go out as SMSs. This doesn't matter locally, but my daughter lives abroad and iMessages would be free. It's really bugging me.

I note that the "fine print" on the iMessages service description also says:

Messages may be sent as SMS when iMessage is unavailable; carrier messaging fees apply.

Joy, have you tried simply logging out of iMessages and logging back in again (e.g., turning iMessage off then on again)? This might help to clear things up, so you should give it a try.

The email is the apple id

Turning iMessage off and then on again was one of the first things I tried! It didn't work. I did try again, but no joy.

Have you taken a look at your information on the Apple ID site? It may be worth a look to make sure everything is set correctly.

https://appleid.apple.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/MyAppleId.woa/

I have iOS 8.1.2 and have no idea if this will work for earlier versions or not.

To do that you must first know that iMessage (as well as FaceTime) is connected to your AppleID which is an email address and normal text is connected to your cell phone number. Beauty of Apple is that both the texts that transferred via internet (iMessage) and via your cell operator will be displayed in the same page instead of having a tool for sending normal text (of course as long as both the email/apple ID and cell number is stored in your contact list for the same contact) and another one for text over internet such as Skype or Whats app etc.

If you want to send a normal text to someone that you have sent an iMessage earlier and received reply you should not send the message again in the same chain reply page. Leave those message and go to contacts and search the name of the contact that you want to send message to. In the list of numbers and emails of your contact you will see the cell number of your contact with 2 symbols of phone and text. If you touch text symbol a blank message page will open you can send a normal text.

Now if you want to send iMessage and lets say you have not sent before or you don't find earlier conversation or don't want to follow the earlier communication then go to the contacts list of numbers again and touch the text sign but this time the one that is in front of your contacts email address. This will open a blank iMessage text page that you can use to send iMessage.

I hope this will sort out the problem.

Thanks amtme - that works on my phone, but not on my wife's.

On my wife's phone the Contacts entry for me originally only had my mobile phone number, not my email address. We've put the email adress in the Contacts now, but still if you click on the Text bubble next to my phone number you only get to be able to send an imessage.

Does anyone know how I can associate the mobile phone number in the Contacts list with the phone number or how to disassoicate the email address from the phone number?

Can you do it the other way around though?