Where iMessage lacks logic

[DeMatthew]

Hi guys.

I stumbled upon this problem:

My dad has an iPhone 3GS and an iPad.

- The iPhone has during his working shift no internet access (he doesn't want to pay for a data plan)
- His iPad is at home with WiFi access

If I wish to contact him by texting him, it will send out an iMessage. But because it will be received on his iPad, I will not be able to resend it as a text message (SMS), which means he will not receive it at work, or when he's out with friends or with my mum,... whenever he's not at home connected to WiFi.

This same situation is when somebody's on a holiday in another country and doesn't wish to roam, while his iPad is at home or at the hotel connected to the WiFi.

Any ideas?

 

[garethjs]

Stop sending it to him via his apple ID.

Send it to his mobile # and it won't transfer to the iPad.

 

[DeMatthew]

Stop sending it to him via his apple ID.

Send it to his mobile # and it won't transfer to the iPad.

And how exactly do I do that? If I type in his number, it will become his contact and send out as an iMessage. Or is there a feature I might have missed?

 

[Acronym]

And how exactly do I do that? If I type in his number, it will become his contact and send out as an iMessage. Or is there a feature I might have missed?

it will send as an iMessage, that is one of the way's a person can be reached at is their phone number.

 

[DeMatthew]

it will send as an iMessage, that is one of the way's a person can be reached at is their phone number.

Okay, but I don't want that. I want it to be a text message because when it's an iMessage, his iPad will intercept it and his iPhone won't receive it. Or am I missing the point here?

 

[Acronym]

Okay, but I don't want that. I want it to be a text message because when it's an iMessage, his iPad will intercept it and his iPhone won't receive it. Or am I missing the point here?

if you text his phone number I believe he will receive it, but being as I do not own iPad/iPod I cannot test this feature myself.

 

[Puonti]

When you start typing your dad's name into the recipient field and his available contact information comes up (judging by what you've said, at the very least one phone number and one e-mail address), which ones have a blue chat bubble icon next to them?

 

[boss.king]

I had this very problem earlier OP, I couldn't reach my mom because her iPad was intercepting the iMessages. It's dumb that it just assumes you want to use iMessages rather than just offering a choice. The only workaround I found is to switch off data (and wifi) before you send it, which is crap since they don't even give you any damn toggles, you have to delve around in setting for that.

 

[Fliesen]

your iPad doesn't intercept messages sent to the phone number.

even if the phone number's also registered as an iMessage contact.
the iPad ONLY receives iMessages sent to the appleID

 

[boss.king]

your iPad doesn't intercept messages sent to the phone number.

even if the phone number's also registered as an iMessage contact.
the iPad ONLY receives iMessages sent to the appleID

Then I don't know why the iPad kept intercepting them. I just kept texting in the threaded message that I've always used (to a phone number). Possibly a bug?

 

[miniConvert]

You can switch off iMessage in Settings > Messages if you really don't want it to get used.

But yeah, as others have said, providing you're messaging the mobile number, not the Apple ID, it won't get intercepted by the iPad. It'll try and deliver as an iMessage to the mobile number, but if it can't it'll revert to a regular SMS. This has happened a few times for me when iMessaging people that move out of reach of data.

You might even want to split the contact in two if things are getting really confusing; have one that only contains the mobile number.

It might be worth checking the iPad to ensure that in Settings > Messages it's only associated with the Apple ID and not the phone number (though the latter would be impossible I'd have thought).

 

[sn]

Settings > Messages > Turn iMessage Off

I've done this because I have unlimited texts so would rather use them than my limited data.


e: oh, beaten to it!

 

[boss.king]

You can switch off iMessage in Settings > Messages if you really don't want it to get used.

But yeah, as others have said, providing you're messaging the mobile number, not the Apple ID, it won't get intercepted by the iPad. It'll try and deliver as an iMessage to the mobile number, but if it can't it'll revert to a regular SMS. This has happened a few times for me when iMessaging people that move out of reach of data.

You might even want to split the contact in two if things are getting really confusing; have one that only contains the mobile number.

It might be worth checking the iPad to ensure that in Settings > Messages it's only associated with the Apple ID and not the phone number (though the latter would be impossible I'd have thought).

I'll try get her to check that next time I talk to her (we live in different countries), and post back if I find out what was happening.