ACstock
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: Changed phone number now I can't send or receive from Mac.

I recently changed my phone number but kept my phone and my apple id. Since the switch I can no longer send messages from my Mac or iPad via my phone number, just from my apple id. It worked with my previous phone number but not since the switch, what can I do to fix it?

Posted on Jul 6, 2015 11:28 AM

Close
ACstock

Q: Changed phone number now I can't send or receive from Mac.

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

  • by Allen A,Helpful

    Allen A Allen A Jul 8, 2015 8:23 AM in response to ACstock
    Community Specialists
    Jul 8, 2015 8:23 AM in response to ACstock

    Hi ACstock,

     

     

    The article linked below details how to go about linking your new phone number to your Apple ID for use on your Mac and your iPad.

     

    iOS and OS X: Link your phone number and Apple ID for use with FaceTime and iMessage
    https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201349

     

     

    Regards,

    Allen

  • by ACstock,

    ACstock ACstock Jul 8, 2015 11:14 AM in response to Allen A
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 8, 2015 11:14 AM in response to Allen A

    Thank you very much, while not being the answer I needed it led me down the path to figuring it out.

     

    If anyone else is having the same problem, what I figured out is that when you switch numbers it doesn't sign into iMessage with your apple id automatically even tho you send iMessages from your phone number. Once I signed it on my phone through Messages (which I assumed I was because I could send iMessages from my phone via phone number) everything else opened up as an option on my Mac and iPad.

  • by Ralph Johns (UK),

    Ralph Johns (UK) Ralph Johns (UK) Jul 11, 2015 12:54 PM in response to ACstock
    Level 9 (73,348 points)
    Applications
    Jul 11, 2015 12:54 PM in response to ACstock

    Hi,

     

    As an iPhone, enabling the Messages app causes the Number to verify with the iMessages server.

    Once that is done it can send iMessages from the Number (and Receive them back).

     

    Your Mac will have listed the Mac's Apple ID used in iMessages and the iPhone Number that was linked.

    That would be because the apple ID had been added to the iPhone and you had accepted the Pop ups on the Mac to confirm this link

    IF you removed the first iPhone from being registered with iMessages then it will show only the Apple ID. https://selfsolve.apple.com/deregister-imessage

     

    At this point the Mac does not know about the new Number for the new iPhone and the iPhone knows nothing about the Apple ID.

    It is as Allen linked you to and you described, you have to link them like the original iPhone and the Mac were.

     

    You may find the Mac version of Messages and the iMessages account still lists the old iPhone number in Receive At (and the Start From drop down).

    This is because the com.apple.ids.service.com.apple.madrid.plist item never has old details removed.

    Close the app and delete this .plist (It is in ~/Library/Preferences) and the number will be removed (it also removes the Apple ID and you need to reset and accept the pop ups about the iPhone again)

    If you have Xcode (free) you can edit this file and just remove the old iPhone number.

     

     

    3Sigcopy2.png

    8:54 p.m.      Saturday; July 11, 2015

     

    ​  iMac 2.5Ghz i5 2011 (Mavericks 10.9)
     G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
     MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
     Mac OS X (10.6.8),
     Couple of iPhones and an iPad