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Kahdrick Author

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unable to iMessage instead of texting to one number

My wife recently had her phone stolen, and ever since she got her new one, I am unable to initiate conversations with her via iMessage. Any time I try to do so, my phone will only send a text message to her. She can iMessage me, and I can reply to that with iMessages, but I cannot start a chat with her that isn't text-only on my end.

When I type in her name, the phone number shows up as green (for text only) even though she has an iPhone 5s. She can (and does) send me iMessages on her own just fine, so I'm not sure what's going on.

I've already reset my network settings, logged out and back in of iMessage and (in case it's related as one website thought it was) Facetime.

Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

iPhone 5s, iOS 8.0.2

Posted on Jan 9, 2015 11:36 AM

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13 replies

Level 9

70,245 points

Jan 9, 2015 11:54 AM in response to Kahdrick

Did you try to delete her contact info from your contacts, let her send you an iMessage, add this number to your contacts and see if replying and sending a new iMessage works after that?

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Kahdrick Author

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Jan 9, 2015 12:05 PM in response to Ingo2711

I did, with no success. Her phone number only lets me text. Of note: When she sent me the iMessage, it showed as from her email address, rather than from her phone number. She had to call me for me to get the number in without me manually entering it myself.

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Level 9

70,245 points

Jan 9, 2015 12:10 PM in response to Kahdrick

Check her settings in Settings/Messages/Receive at/ and make sure that her phone number is selected, and not her mail address.

Are you using the same AppleID on both devices?

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Kahdrick Author

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Jan 9, 2015 12:12 PM in response to Ingo2711

I'll do that. And no, I use my appleID and she uses hers. Why would two phones for two different people ever use the same appleID?

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Level 9

70,245 points

Jan 9, 2015 12:44 PM in response to Kahdrick

Kahdrick wrote:

... Why would two phones for two different people ever use the same appleID?

For example if the kids have your hand down devices, or to use your apps on more than one iDevice 😉

What happens if you deselect the option to send as text if iMessage is not available on your phone?

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Kahdrick Author

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Jan 9, 2015 12:46 PM in response to Ingo2711

Huh, weird. Anyway, if I deselect "send as text" then I can't message her phone at all.

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Level 9

70,245 points

Jan 9, 2015 1:09 PM in response to Kahdrick

Can you send iMessages to other people with that same setting?

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Kahdrick Author

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Jan 9, 2015 1:24 PM in response to Ingo2711

Yep. The only phone I have this problem with is my wife's new phone.

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Level 10

230,347 points

Jan 9, 2015 1:29 PM in response to Kahdrick

Have you done anything to check her settings? Since the problem seems to be between the two of you, I would check both devices.

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Level 9

70,245 points

Jan 9, 2015 1:31 PM in response to Kahdrick

Can she send normal text messages?

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Kahdrick Author

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Jan 9, 2015 1:42 PM in response to Ingo2711

Yes, we reset her iMessage as well to no avail. I'll do further testing tonight, but thank you for the ideas!

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Kahdrick Author

Level 1

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Jan 13, 2015 12:18 PM in response to Kahdrick

Fixed it!

We had to reset both her network settings AND mine, at the same time.

Super bizarre, but everything works correctly now.

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Level 9

70,245 points

Jan 13, 2015 10:42 PM in response to Kahdrick

Good news 🙂

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unable to iMessage instead of texting to one number

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