The phone number "is not registered with iMessage"

Hi Parrish Jones, my problem was identical to yours. My iPhone showed up in Messages on my MacBook Pro. I could text anyone from my phone that I wanted to. The problem was on my MacBook Pro. Many people I tried to text via the MacBook Pro would be highlighted in red and I would get that number not registered message. When I read that the solution was to go to the phone and change a setting on the phone, I thought, that won't help my MacBook Pro problem, but it did. It solved the MacBook Pro problem.

If you follow the instructions that Glenn provided, I think that it might solve your problem. I know the instructions sound counterintuitive as your problem isn't on the phone, but you should try it. It worked for me. I hope you get the same results.

In iPhone settings, open iMessage. Select Text Message Forwarding. You must be on the same wi-fi network. Your computer or other device should show in the list. Just click on the device you want to enable.

Also enable SMS on the iPhone.

That worked -- yes do go to your computer and turn on iMessage then Preferences and log into your Apple ID. Here's how to perform these 2 steps to get your iMessage able to send & receive from non-iPhone numbers/accounts.

From iMessage>Preference> Log into your Apple ID. This will likely take you to a browser window. From there log in with your Apple ID. Then once you're logged on at My Apple ID>go to Phone Numbers then select from Daytime, Evening or Mobile. Key in your Mobile number (include the 1 then area code).

Now Step 2 -- You also need to go to your iphone itself. Go to Settings>Messages ("Messages" is likely best located if you scroll down on your phone below Mail, Contacts, Calendars; below Notes, below Reminders, below Phone).

When you see Messages then> iMessage and make sure it's on by sliding the tab so that you see green, indicating that iMessage is ALSO turned ON on your iPhone.

Hey, Apple, where are you?

Apple has not addressed this issue! I can find no help for solving this problem, but I see I am not alone!

I try to send my husband a text, and can only send to his desktop or to his Air. I can't use his phone number for his iPhone. When I try to, the name turns red. This is terrifically frustrating, and I've spent hours on several days searching all over the place for reasons why this might be happening and how to fix it. We've got all his devices set to work together, but still, I get the "not registered with Messages" info regarding his iPhone number.

Prior to this, all of my MMS texts were turning green when I tried to send to anyone on all my devices. Those messages were appearing as email, not as text messages, or I got a note saying that my message couldn't be sent. What about all the interoperability and hand-off and happy-harmony we were supposed to get with Yosemite? I have only had frustration, wasted days of my work time and angst! Here is the message I get:

I had the same problem from non Apple phones. I would get text messages from a non Apple phone but get the "number not registered" message when trying to reply from my Mac. I had forwarding turned on for Messages on my iPhone and had logged out and back in to iCloud on both devices. The contact appeared in red as others have written. Interesting enough, when I went to another contact that I knew didn't have an iPhone they were not in red. I sent them a text no problem and then returned to the original contact to find that it was no longer red and was then able to text that person.

Apple doesn’t routinely monitor the discussions. These are mostly user to user discussions.

Send Apple feedback. They won't answer, but at least will know there is a problem. If enough people send feedback, it may get the problem solved sooner.

Feedback

Or you can use your Apple ID to register with this site and go the Apple BugReporter. Supposedly you will get an answer if you submit feedback.

Feedback via Apple Developer

I have the same problem. after a clean reinstallation Os X Nothing has changed.

Here's what I figured out after spending way too many hours trying to solve this problem: I went to my husband's iPhone, the one that was returning the error messages about not being registered with iMessages, and I flipped his options to include SMS. It worked. All we wanted to do was send MMS, but apparently he was not "registered" with iMessages until we also added SMS. We think his preference was changed with the most recent IOS update, but who's to prove that one? So many of my settings change whenever I download any OS or IOS update at this point! Grrrrrrrr

I updated my iMac to OS X 10.10.2. And then stopped working iMessage. Everything seems to be activated, but the messages are not delivered, or the signature of the recipient - subscriber is not registered in IMessage.

I must say that also stopped working FaceTime, HandOff and Continuty.

I tried all the possible solutions to the problem. Reinstall OS X. Restore the initial settings IMessage, keychain, ICloud and so on. Nothing helped. I gave up. A day later, I decided to check out. I Opened iMessage - it worked perfectly by itself. Therefore, the problem is not on my Mac, the problem on servers iMessage and ICloud and so on.

And so my advice - try disabling all services iMessage and Facetime on Mac for 24 hours and then re-activate them on the Mac.

Good luck!)))))

I had this problem. Turning off Text Message Forwarding and turning it back on for the device that was having a problem fixed it.

So i've looked through all the response. I'm a little confused when the i-fi is referred to. People were saying that you have to be on the same network and that's not something I can do but maybe I am having a different issue

I use my MacBook Air to send iMessages to iphone users. I've been able to send the just fine except to one person. Initially I was able to send messages to her and make FaceTime calls but as of the past month I can't do either. She's been moving from house to house so it could be a wifi issue. When I send her a message a red "Not delivered" message shows up. When i click the "!" it says "Message can't be sent, the following number is not registered to iMessage". Other people have been able to text her tho. When I FaceTime her phone, it goes straight to failing and says FaceTime cannot connect.

She's able to get calls and message from other and I am able to call and message others, just not her.

Any clue what the problem is?

Hi all -

Sometimes for some reason, Yosemite switches over to sending imessages from your icloud email address.

When that happens, some of your chats with people also switch over to send only from icloud rather than from the phone number.

Steps to fix:

1. In the failing chat, I clicked on the user's name to toggle a dropdown.

2. I selected to delete the person from the chat

3. I went up and created a NEW chat >> no issues.

It should be noted that I also reset message forwarding before I even tried this. That didn't fix it. But maybe that in combo with this did.

This worked for me as it has for others in the list... and many thanks, Glenn, for posting it.

I want to add, just in case it's not working for someone (yet)... once you've taken the steps that Glen mentions, be sure to make sure (a) that you ARE on the same WIFI network (I had to switch mine) and (b) try logging out of Messages on your Mac and then logging back in.

I did that and when it reopened, the red contact had turned to SMS green and I was able to send (the person I wanted to write to just buzzed in with a reply, in fact, as I was typing this sentence. So... gotta go!) Glen, thanks again.

P.S. Can we no longer mark as a solution? I didn't see it... but I would, if I could.

This post cleared it all up for me! Thank you tranquildavid

Still no change for me. I have tried logging in and out multiple times, but nothing changes. I still can only reply to sms texts, I can never send a new message. I've also noticed that contacts are not synchronizing between contacts, and I'm not sure hand off or continuity even exist, because I have seen little evidence of them actually working. This problem is only on my mac for some reason. I have no trouble with my iPad.

Responding to Glenn's advice.

Just found y'all from asking the same question that got all this discussion going. I frequently text with my son-in-law. Until yesterday, I had no problems getting a text to or from him. Then his name suddenly started going "red" every time I started typing it & the "send" button would gray out, thus preventing me from sending the text. I followed Glenn's advice & bingo! All works fine again. Thank you, sir!