Using Facetime and iMessage with Multiple Phone Numbers

Question

Using Facetime and iMessage with Multiple Phone Numbers

I frequently travel internationally. When out of the country, I get a local SIM, and thus, a local phone number. The problem is, anyone attempting to send messages to my domestic phone number gets a bounced message until I return home. I'm looking for a solution to this problem. What I'd logically like to do is to forward all my iMessage and Facetime messages addressed to my domestic phone number to whatever international phone number I happen to have for the week or two I am out of the country, without forwarding actually telephone calls to the international number.

How can I accomplish this?

If when changing from a domestic to international SIM, if I use a different AppleID to register the number, can I add the domestic AppleID to iMessage and Facetime and have it forward SMS messages to the domestic phone number to my phone -- effectively giving my phone 2 numbers for text and Facetime usage?

What if I have a second iPhone (say a minimal SE) that I swap my domestic SIM into -- so I have two iPhones, one with an international SIM and one with a domestic SIM -- can I associate the two phones with the same AppleID (like I have the same AppleID on an iPhone and iPAD) and have it work? That is, an SMS sent to my domestic SIM iPhone also routes to my international SIM iPhone? Do I have to have my domestic iPhone with me, or can I leave it at home and have it still work?

Any suggestion for other ways to solve this problem?

THANKS!

HU

iPhone 6, iOS 9.3.3

Posted on Jul 26, 2016 12:14 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

celliott147

Level 6

11,931 points

Jul 26, 2016 1:55 PM in response to Remarks by Hacker Uno

Wow... If you want to be condescending when someone tries to help, please don't ask for help here... We aren't paid to do this. We don't work for Apple. We're just users like yourself. I'm not going to offer the solution I was going to suggest as I expect you will just be offended by it as well.

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Answer 2

LACAllen

Level 8

43,416 points

Jul 26, 2016 12:40 PM in response to Remarks by Hacker Uno

You should always be available to the Apple ID that is associated with an actual phone number at any given time.

SMS is out of scope for this, as that is a carrier function managed by your carrier-at-that-time and tied to your SIM.

As you place a new SIM in your phone, FaceTime and Messages should re-register your Apple ID to/with that new phone number shortly thereafter. I don't believe there are any forwarding features tied to either FaceTime or Messages, as they are themselves a forwarding feature.

To Apple's server... "go find my friend with the Apple ID of friend@icloud.com." Apple's server thinks and says, "OK, he is using the phone number 888-555-1212 right now, so I will send your request there"

Ring, Ring... you get a FaceTime request.

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Answer 3

Jul 26, 2016 1:30 PM in response to LACAllen

Hi,

All you did is repeat well documented functionality of Facetime and iMessage.

My question concerned using two phone numbers with the same Apple ID and how to accomplish that. No where did you address that question. I find no documentation that explains how to have two active phone numbers in use simultaneously for iMessages and Facetime, and that is my question... not the basics of Apple ID and Facetime.

I rate your response as unhelpful.

HU

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Answer 4

LACAllen

Level 8

43,416 points

Jul 26, 2016 1:52 PM in response to Remarks by Hacker Uno

Got a buddy? Sign in to his/her phone using your existing Apple ID, creating a new registration for the same Apple ID with a different phone number. This replicates your suggestion without the international travel angle. Both devices should show the same Apple ID under "reachable at"

Test.

Better?

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Answer 5

celliott147

Level 6

11,931 points

Jul 26, 2016 1:56 PM in response to LACAllen

I thought this was quite informative and helpful...

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Answer 6

Jul 26, 2016 2:29 PM in response to Remarks by Hacker Uno

The only way to get two phone numbers assigned to the same AppleID is to have two separate iphones in use at the same time with the same AppleID. You cannot achieve what you wish using a single iPhone and multiple SIMs.

As LACAllen already explained, swapping SIMs inherently swaps the number assigned to the AppleID for that device. Apple's servers know the device by its hardware ID and will only activate a single phone number on a single device and AppleID at a time. Anytime you swap the SIM on any single device, you change the number assigned to that account. Anytime you change the AppleID on the device, you change the iMessage and FaceTime accounts in use with that device.

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Answer 7

Aug 1, 2016 12:10 AM in response to Remarks by Hacker Uno

Nghiemtrongphuong84@John Appleseed

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Answer 8

Aug 21, 2016 10:04 AM in response to Remarks by Hacker Uno

SUg11, 2016 6:24 pm

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Answer 9

acedj1

Level 1

8 points

Dec 30, 2016 4:02 AM in response to Remarks by Hacker Uno

I understand your question and am having the same issue myself.

I believe this is a recent ioS update, as I travel internationally a lot, and always use local sim cards, and I'm in the UK right now and for the first time I've not been able to retain my US phone number in my appleid

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