"iMessage needs to be enabled to send this message?

I just installed IOS 8 on my iPhone 4S. I do not use iMessage, it has been disabled for months without issues. Now, however, I cannot send texts to some people. I'm prompted that "iMessage needs to be enabled to send this message." I will not enable iMessage to solve this. What is another proper solution for this?

@leesehome, I just upgraded to IOS on iPhone 4S as well. I also usually do not use iMessage and was getting this error. To fix my issue, I enabled iMessage, sent a message, then disabled iMessage and the error no longer appears. I don't know if simply toggling iMessage on and off would fix this issue, but I would give that a try.

Same problem - upgraded to iOS8 and now forced to use iMessage. I get an error that imessage must be enabled to sent text message; disabling that 'feature' blocks any SMS texting. Tried toggling and shut-down, still stuck with imessage.

I get this message also and I am so aggravated with my iPhone eight. I can’t wait till two years are up and I can go back to Samsung. My screen freezes now I’m getting this ridiculous iMessage which I don’t need or want. My Internet is so slow on this phone same services iPhone 6. The iPhone 8 the screen freezes and the screen touch half the time doesn’t work.What is going on with Apple?

my 5c just prompted me last night to install ios 8 and I also cannot send texts as regular messages. This REALLY upsets me as our family shares a data plan and Verizon informed me several months ago that iMessage uses data. We have unlimited texting which is what I WANT to use. Why would apple FORCE you to use data instead of giving you the OPTION?

I have a similar problem as the OP, I wished to disable iMessage just to avoid the complications of having two messaging systems. Also, I never use data and always keep it off in order to save battery. Third, I noticed that when using iMessage, sometimes others' messages to me reach me late, i.e. they would send it at 3 pm and I would receive it at 6 pm when I turned on my wi-fi (remember, I have data off always). For these reasons I chose to completely disable imessage.

However, for one of my contacts, I noticed that the "send" button was still blue, rather than green (as you know, green is for ordinary SMS while blue is for iMessage). When I try to send this person a text, I naturally get the "imessage needs to be enabled to send this message". I tried the solutions in this thread, but none of them worked.

However, I managed to find a workaround. First, I turned on iMessage, then I turned on "send as SMS if imessage not available" in the settings. Then, I disconnected my wifi and data so that imessage would not be available, then I tried to send an iMessage to the person in question (the one with the button stuck on blue). This time I did NOT get the error message, but the iMessage tried to send anyways, getting stuck when the bar was around 85% complete. Then, I pressed on the speech bubble being sent, and manually chose "send as text message"). Voila! the button suddenly turned green, and now I can send regular texts to that person again!

This worked only if I leave cell data to off, which isn't what I want. I only want to disable iMessage for all text messages. If I turn cell data back on, I'm back to square one.

I can't send pictures to android even when Iv done all the checks with SMS, mms, iMessage and all of it and it still doesn't work!! And when I tryed to send a text and a pic to another iPad, it had a send error so I clicked send again but when it still didn't work, it sayed send to email for some reason because i already was.. then when I clicked it, the texted appeared in green when they were both iPads and emails!!!!!!!!! Can Apple please just make an update so the settings are easy!!! Send with wifi/data or with sim For iPhones and just wifi for new iPads! And all the texts are the same for Apple or android!!!!!........!!!!!!

Is imessage enabled on your phone?

Read this:

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS4268

Managed to solve this on my phone. One or both of the following did it: 1) Reset Network Settings (General | Reset | Reset Network Settings). This was a recommendation for IOS 8 texting issues. It deletes all wifi passwords, so beware. 2) Toggle iMesage on, then turn phone off and back on, then sent a message, and toggle iMessage off again. After all of this, all of my texts seem to go through.

I turned Facetime off and toggled iMessage on/off and it now works for me ok 😎

This worked! Thank you!