How to switch 1 contact from iMessage to Text Message?

Several users have issues with the Messages app. There is an iOS7 update underway to better that.

I received one update already ios7.3 I think it was and still having the texting issue with non-smart phone users.

barbie38 wrote:

I received one update already ios7.3 I think it was and still having the texting issue with non-smart phone users.

iMessage has nothing to do with messaging non-smart phone users.

iMessage only works between iOS devices.

I had the same issue where my sister switched from an iPhone to an Android, but my messages were still defaulting as iMessages when I would send her somethng. I just did the following, and I think it may have fixed the issue: Settings> Messages> Send & Receive> I unchecked all the email addresses and only left my phone number checked.

I'm hoping this permanently fixes my issues, though, and that it's not just a temporary glitch. 😀

While it's sending as an iMessage and it has the sending bar, just hold your finger on the message that it's sending and on the pop-up menu it will say Send as TextMessage, you might have to do that with two messages then it'll keep doing it, maybe after a while you'll have to do it again but it works.

Sorry mate, i have done as you said and people still cant text me. So it is apples problem.

Delete the contact. When you add them again and you are selecting what type of phone number it is (ie: Home, Moblie, iPhone, etc.) make sure you choose Mobile instead of iPhone. Works for me everytime.

THANKS! This helped me. After I followed your instructions, then I put a check next to my email again and it still worked.

It's a bit of a process but we had this situation (See steps below). Husband owned a iPhone 4, switched to Galaxy 4S, wife still has iPhone 4S. Galaxy could not receive messages from iPhones because iPhones still reading as iMessage rather than text.

Steps we did to fix it:

1- Changed username and password for AppleID (done through the support settings).

2- Logged into iCloud, deleted off iPhone from account as a device (the old phone no longer in use).

3- Logged into iTunes, deleted the iPhone off as a device (this seemed to be THE ONE!). Note: It took about 15-20 minutes before the message would send as a text to the Galaxy after deleting the old iPhone device in iTunes.

4- Did turn off the iMessage (we still had the old phone). We also turned off all types of phone and message related services in the settings. However, I do not think you need to do this.

Steps 1-3 were done on the computer online. Not on the device.

5- Reboot all phone devices.

I also did delete the contact, but it doesn't really matter with the contact stuff. I added it new - but it was still showing in my address book as iMessage but when I went to send the message it showed up correctly as a text and was then received.

Good luck. I read on another forum also that you can contact your carrier and they might be able to do something within the network to help you get it resolved.

Wow! Why go through all that hassle? If you still have the old device, simply turn off iMessage on the device. That takes all of 5 seconds and works EVERY TIME!

Thank you Dorktones, this has been an issue for months and it was driving us crazy. I could not send my daughter messages because it kept trying to send an imessage and she's never owned an iphone. A friend of mine has an add a line contract through at&t that she was not using so I bought a cheap phone from walmart and she got it turned on for her. The only thing I could figure was that the number was associated with an iphone at one time. That iphone is long gone, no way to fix this but unchecking my email worked perfectly and I can now send her text messages. yay !!!!

thank you so much !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 😁

dorktones wrote:

I had the same issue where my sister switched from an iPhone to an Android, but my messages were still defaulting as iMessages when I would send her somethng. I just did the following, and I think it may have fixed the issue: Settings> Messages> Send & Receive> I unchecked all the email addresses and only left my phone number checked.

I'm hoping this permanently fixes my issues, though, and that it's not just a temporary glitch. 😀

Simply text the prior iPhone user a couple of times and it will automatically relearn that the new device is not an iphone

DUDE. Obviously these people would have done that if they could. However, the phone people don't tell you to do that before you switch devices, and 99% of people would assume that iMessage would understand after you switch it from "iPhone" to "Mobile" that it's not iMessage anymore. You'd also think that after changing it manually over and over to send as text, it would catch on. None of this is stuff that makes automatic sense. It's not intuitive at all. In fact, our family friend who is a executive at Sprint thinks Apple did it on purpose to keep people from switching.

I understand that you're probably defensive because you're kind of an Apple fanboy. I understand, I like Apple too. But you have to be able to recognize when companies fail and not follow them blindly.

Your solution isn't a solution, it's a hind-sight 20/20 situation. People need solutions for what happens after you've already reset and turned in your phone.

That doesn't work, unfortunately. It hasn't worked once for me and I've dealt with this three or four times with friends or family members.

I also have this issue with a relative of mine (she used to have an iPhone). And she would NOT have known to turn off iMessage. This issue really does need Apple's attention for numerious reasons, many of which have been shared here. What's very discouraging is the Verizon tech didn't advise her to turn off iMessage, and I (who have an iPhone) am dealing with my iphone sending her iMessages to her non iPhone device. You suggest blocking however my iPhone 4s with 7.0.4 says blocking will block all incoming phone, text, etc. I look forward to a solution... Thanks.