Contact in iMessage is red on iPad. Assist please

Hi. You may find the answer here In iMessage, why does a contact name come up red?. You don't have an Apple ID for the contact, so you can only send SMS. And that requires that you enable connectivity on your iPhone, because iPad cannot send SMS.

Following 'upgrade' of the iOS, we 'lost' the ability to send messages from iPad to non-Apple devices. To 'resolve':

If you can't send or receive messages on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support

also, this link speaks specifically for "handoff", SMS and others :

Use Continuity to connect your Mac, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Apple Watch - Apple Support

Here is what is happening. KEY:::: The iPad SMS traffic is sent to the iPhone which actually sends the message via your "carrier" such as ATT, Verizon, etc..

On an iPad which does not have cellular connection, you MUST have both devices (iPad and iPhone logged into iCloud with the SAME iCloud account...Next, have the iPad and iPhone on the same 'internet/wireless' network. Next, use the steps in the links above to 'connect' the iPad and iPhone using the 'Forwarding' function.

Our iPad application, "iMessage" can now "send/receive" SMS to non-Apple devices.

REMEMBER::: If you are away from home with the iPad and iPhone, to keep this 'forwarding' function working, you MUST enable the 'Access Point' on the iPhone and connect the iPad to the Access Point on the iPhone... the iPad can then send/receive non-iMessage texts... If you at a business which provides wireless access, log both devices on to that network and the iMessaging will work with the messaging to Apple and Non-Apple devices.