Some questions about iMessage

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Some questions about iMessage

We were recently traveling and I had some questions regarding the iMessage function on our devices.

1. If I am not connected to WiFi and I send a message from an iPhone to another iPhone also not connected to WiFi, i.e. only using cellular data, can that message be sent as an iMessage and not a text message? If so, does the message pass through Apple servers, and how?

2. Under “Settings>Messages” my iPhone has a phone number and an e-mail address listed under “You can receive iMessages to and reply from:”. The e-mail address is also my AppleID. Is it correct that the iMessage function has nothing to do with e-mail but rather that the e-mail address is used as a marker to identify my AppleID?

3. The “You can receive iMessages to and reply from:” on my iPad shows my iPhone number but

my iPad does not have any phone capabilities. It also allows me under “Start a new conversation from:” to choose my iPhone number. Does a message on my iPad, sent presumably through WiFi, somehow get converted to a phone signal or is it all done through WiFi and the message just shows up on the recipient’s device with the phone number as a return address?

iMac, macOS High Sierra (10.13.3)

Posted on Oct 25, 2018 1:07 AM

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Answer 1

raina_b22

Community Specialist

Oct 25, 2018 6:39 PM in response to rlplant

Hello rlplant,

Thanks for asking the Apple Support Communities for help with sending Messages. I am happy to help answer these questions.

For the first question, we can use this help article: About iMessage and SMS/MMS - Apple Support

iMessages are texts, photos, or videos that you send to iOS devices and Macs over Wi-Fi or cellular-data networks. These messages are always encrypted and appear in blue text bubbles. To turn iMessage on or off, go to Settings > Messages.

For the second question, correct. Your Apple ID can be added or removed with your phone number, and is used as an identifier as you mention it. This article talks about this: Add or remove your phone number in Messages or FaceTime - Apple Support

Your third question is similar to the second, in that once the Apple ID is tied to the phone number, messages are sent over Wi-Fi (since the iPad doesn't have cellular capabilities) using the number tied to the Apple ID. I can't explain the behind the scenes of how it works, but yes, it is somehow sent and displays the number and/or Apple ID as you have it set in your settings. The second article does also talk about these settings a bit. Thanks and have a wonderful day.

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Some questions about iMessage

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