You can make a difference in the Apple Support Community!

When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

Can't send SMS anymore on iOS 10

Hi everyone,


So I updated my iPhone 6S Plus and my iPad Pro 12,9" to iOS 10 and since, I can't send SMS from my iPad. I receive them correctly but just can't send them right. iMessages however just seem to work well.


Any suggestions? Thanks.


I tried to switch off and on iMessages and Facetime on the iPad but nothing changes ...

iPad Pro, iOS 10

Posted on Sep 14, 2016 12:52 PM

Reply
21 replies

Feb 4, 2017 4:32 PM in response to 16bitSuperhero

I Had this issue. My new iPad Pro was not sending SMS. Called my carrier and they tried to tell me the iPads couldn't send SMS lol. Then they tried to say it was a Pro thing after I stated I had always been able to. Anyway, found it on google. On my iPHONE, had to go to settings, then messages, then text message forwarding, and switch it on to forward to my iPad.

Oct 11, 2017 11:17 AM in response to teezer

This worked for me, with a slight twist: I had to enable SMS forwarding for my iPad on my iPhone, which makes no sense whatsoever; I have a separate MEID for the iPad, a separate SIM card and a separate data line (and number) from the carrier.


Yes, it uses the same iCloud ID and Apple iTunes account, but why should I have to have my iPhone effectively grant it permissions to send an SMS message? This is very poor user experience, Apple.

Oct 11, 2017 11:32 AM in response to jdubchak

An iPad is not capable of connecting to any cellular service providers voice network. SMS and MMS texts require a cellular telephone voice connection. Since an iPad cannot make that connection at all, it can only send or receive SMS/MMS texts by being paired with an iPhone. It is the iPhone that actually does the sending and receiving, not the iPad.


The telephone number with an iPad cellular account is for carrier billing purposes only. No iPad can actually connect as a cellular telephone to a cellular voice network.

Oct 11, 2017 11:41 AM in response to jdubchak

No reason to apologize. SMS/MMS texting are very old technologies nowadays. The genesis of SMS predates the Internet by a decade or so. A lot of people are now so used to internet message services like iMessage, WhatsApp, Google Hangouts, that they don’t realize that the ancient method (by tech standards) of SMS texting is a cellular telephone voice service, not a data service.

Sep 24, 2016 2:04 AM in response to 16bitSuperhero

Yes I have also this problem. Now in IOS 10 I have to switch off iMessage in the settings, if I want to force sending an SMS. The problem is, that iMessage often does not arrive in time. I live on the border of Switzerland, France, Germany and have to send explicitly an SMS knowing that the communication partner is in this very moment in France or Germany (the same living on the border of Switzerland and Italy or Switzerland and France etc.). Before IOS 10 the choice for sending by iMessage or SMS was on the sending button.


Please Apple reenable this option that was very useful!!

Oct 9, 2016 11:38 AM in response to Michael Black

@Michael, All of my continuity setting are as described in the article you shared, yet whenever I try to send an SMS from my Mac or iPad, It get a "Not Delivered" error. What's strange is that the message does actually go through my iPhone. Secondly, any SMS received is not visible in my iPad or Mac. There does seem to be a bug here. I hope Apple addresses this soon.

Nov 12, 2016 11:57 AM in response to MRCano

I have this exact same issue. Everything seemed to be working and the only thing that changed as far as I know was my iPhone 7 was set to update overnight but failed as I'd forgotten to plug it into its charger during the update. Now I get a failed sent message to non-iPhone users on my Mac and iPad yet it's working on my iPhone. Extremely frustrating as it's timed perfectly to a very long upcoming business trip. To no avail, I've tried everything found throughout various forums filled with similar issues being experienced by other users.

Can't send SMS anymore on iOS 10

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.