iMessage while without data

Again, the person with the most points provides the least helpful information. Whatever iMessage does or doesn't require, the downfall of iMessage is when you try to communicate with someone who doesn't currently have Internet access. There is no way for the sender's phone to know that the receiver doesn't have an active connection.

I communicate with a family member who doesn't have cellular network data, and so we use both WhatsApp and Messages (with iMessage switched off). That way, if I send him a message on WhatsApp and it only shows a single tick, I know he is out. I then switch to Messages and send him a standard SMS.

Unfortunately, this appears to do nothing. I just sent a message to someone with iMessage switched on, but doesn't have access to cellular data or the Internet throughout the day. It has stayed blue, even though he doesn't have an Internet connection. Unless he switches off iMessage at his end, that message will stay blue and he won't receive it until he gets home at the end of the day.

Unless I tap and hold, and send as Text Message. But there is no indication that he hasn't received that message. At least with WhatsApp I know that with a single tick, the message hasn't been delivered yet.

iMessage does not require a data or internet connection with a ceillular network.

iMessage requires internet access, which included when connected to the internet via an available wi-fi network or when connected to the internet via the cellular network. An iPod Touch can exchange iMessages which doesn't have a data or internet connection with a cellular network and the same for an iPad with wi-fi only.

iMessage is seperate from SMS/MMS. The app is named Messages with iMessage being incorporated.

Once again, data or internet access via a cellular network is not required for iMessage with an iPhone. An internet connection is required which can include an available wi-fi network only. Cellular Data can be turned off with an iPhone and if the iPhone has an internet connection via an available wi-fi network, the iPhone can exchange iMessages with fellow iOS users running iOS 5 or later - iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad.

The sender of an iMessage must have send as SMS enabled on their iPhone if iMessage is not available when sending an iMessage to an iPhone user.

If this doesn't occur when the recipient is roaming internationally, that probably has something to do with it. Having data roaming or cellular data off does not.

What Apple can do is to have a setting that automatically turns off iMessage and sends the info to it's servers when the user is roaming so that all messages including, data messages (iMessages) are converted to SMS and received that way instead.

Go to settings>messages and turn on send as SMS and it will send a normal text when iMessage is unavailable

Hi Palapi,

I have understood your problem, and am experiencing the same issue. When I don't have data access (i.e. in a foreign country, with data roaming turned off and no WiFi available), I can send an SMS from iMessage.

However, when I have data access, but the person to whom I'm sending (who has an iMessage-registered iPhone) does not (i.e. out of the country), the message does not get sent as an SMS as it should, but instead is sent as an iMessage and stored until the other party has data access again.

I have set the "Send as Text (SMS)" to on, but it does not work. This is irritating. I have to resort to turning iMessage off on my phone whenever I want to send a text under these circumstances! Which means turning it back on, and having to reactivate it every time! AND it requires knowing when the recipient is out of data contact...

To the Great State of Texas - iMessage does not require a data plan to send iMessages, but it requires data access (even though it doesn't use the data volume, it needs the platform) - i.e. a viable Edge or 3G or 4G or WiFi connection. If Data Roaming is turned off, the data access is also turned off. Hence, no iMessage...

Hope we get this sorted out!

Michael

Hi Pajapi

I think I am experiencing exactly the same problem.

I have an iPhone on a(voice and SMS only plan. I am often in places where there is wifi so having no cellular data is not really a problem.

So I am on the road, out of my wifi zone and so use Messages to send my friend a message. This goes out as an SMS. So far, so good.

My iPhone equipped friend replies but this is sent as an iMessage. And I don't get the reply since I am not connected to the Internet.

Is there some combination of settings that needs to happen? Or should I just turn off iMessage on my no-cellular-data iPhone?

I am having the same problem as Pajapi and RobHemmerich.

My partner is travelling in the US (we are from Canada) and has data roaming turned off. I sent him an message and he did not get it. Since i didnt' get a response, I thought it might be an iMessage issue.

As the sender... *I* had to turn off iMessage on MY iPhone to send him a message. If I was't a bit tech savvy I would have never known to try that to make sure he got my messages.

While he's on the road, anyone one of his friends with an iPhone that has tries to send him an iMessage, will not get the message too him. This is a BIG issue especially with the proliferation of iOS devices in our circle of friends.

The "fix" we adopted is for the user who only has periodic access to data to turn off iMessage. It's important for that user to do this WHILE connected to data (wifi or 3G, doesn't matter). That way Apple's servers get the message that that appleID is no longer using iMessage.

It's good to read that others are experiencing this obvious bug, too...

My situation: two persons in my family have an iPhone, and both have a cell phone plan that does NOT allow any data. Still, they use iMessage a lot since they both are frequently in places where there's WiFi. So far, OK. But, just as all the others in this discussion have described, apparently iMessage is not clever enough to recognize when someone (either the sender or the receiver) has no data access anymore. In my situation, this means that if one or both persons go out of WiFi reach, the messaging buttons stay blue, but---of course---the messages are not delivered. Even worse, the messaging stays blocked sometimes for up to 15 minutes, saying "Delivering message..." until it finally finds out that there is no way to deliver the message.

When iMessage was introduced, I would have thought that a sort of "heart beat" would have been implemented, so that the central servers can really determine who is "on line" and who isn't. If I want to send a message, I expect the button to be blue only when both me and the receiver of the message are within data access. The way it's working now, it's very unreliable (and often annoying)...

If there's no "heart beat" signal with which the central servers can always stay up to date, at least the iPhone should find out quickly and reliably if a connection between the sender and the receiver is there or not. (It must not lock your messaging for minutes while trying to transmit the message, and of course it must not tell you "message delivered!" when in fact the message was stored somewhere.)

@Apple: any improvements planned?

I'm using iPhone 4S with 6.1.2 and started using iMessage recently. However, working to send messages to my wife's iPad 2 fails. My phone detects that she is an iMessage user (blue). But the messages fail when we are both ONLY on WLAN. If I enable my iPhone's Data mode, then the message sends successfully. Her iPad is wifi only, no SIM card, etc.

I thought this is supposed to send with any internet access and doesn't require using the Data plan ...

What's up?

Sounds similar to issues I have using iMessage from my workplace's wifi. There the issue is that the firewall is blocking ports used by iMessage. You might want to try your test from another wireless network. If it works elsewhere then your issue is with your local network settings.