Tim Murray2
Level 1 (106 points)
Mac OS X

Q: Sometimes can't send from Mac Messages; iPhone okay

Items are MacBook Pro with 10.11.5 and iPhone 4S with 9.3.2. Actually I've had a number of weird problems, but here was one today.

  1. Chatted from MBP using Messages with someone with an iPhone 6. In office on company wired LAN. iPhone and Mac side by side. Shut down Mac.
  2. In my car I received a message on my iPhone. Read but did not reply.
  3. At home with Mac and iPhone on home Wi-Fi, replied to text. Not delivered; # is not registered with iMessage.
  4. Replied through iPhone. Worked okay.
  5. She replied to my #4 message.
  6. Showed on both devices and I replied through the Mac. Worked okay.
  7. Turned off Mac's Wi-Fi and plugged in. Still failed.

 

What sticks out is that the reply that failed was to a message that showed up on my Mac when I got home but at the time I received it, the Mac was shut down.

 

Most of the time I can send to/receive from iPhone and Android users just fine from either of my devices, but maybe once a day, a send from me -- sometimes a new message, sometimes a reply, sometimes iPhone, sometimes Android -- fails from the Mac.

 

Any ideas?

MacBook Pro, OS X El Capitan (10.11.5), 8 GB

Posted on Jul 12, 2016 4:07 PM

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Tim Murray2

Q: Sometimes can't send from Mac Messages; iPhone okay

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  • by AppleJen77,

    AppleJen77 AppleJen77 Jul 13, 2016 8:57 AM in response to Tim Murray2
    Community Specialists
    Jul 13, 2016 8:57 AM in response to Tim Murray2

    Hello there, Tim Murray2!

     

    Thanks for reaching out to the Apple Support Communities. It sounds like you might be having issues sending messages from your Mac. I know how important it is to be able to send and receive messages on all my devices. You might want to start by signing out of your Apple ID on the Mac and then check out the options in this article here about how to Use Continuity to connect your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Mac and set up the option for SMS on the phone.

     

    SMS

    With Continuity, send text messages from your Mac, iPad, or iPod touch

    With Continuity, all the SMS and MMS text messages that you send and receive on your iPhone can also appear on your Mac, iPad, and iPod touch. You can also reply to your contacts from whichever device is closest to you, including your iPad or Mac.

    You can start a conversation in the Messages app or click a phone number in Safari, Contacts, or Calendar.

    Set up SMS and MMS with Continuity

    1. You need iOS 8 or later on your iOS devices and OS X Yosemite or later on your Mac.
    2. Sign in to iMessage with the same Apple ID on your iPhone, your other iOS devices, and your Mac.
    3. On your iPhone, go to Settings > Messages > Send & Receive. Add a check to both your phone number and email address. Then go to Settings > Messages > Text Message Forwarding and enable the device or devices that you want to forward messages to.
    4. Look for a code on the Mac, iPad, or iPod touch that you enabled. Then enter this verification code on your iPhone.

     

    Cheers and happy texting!