IMessage On IPhone And IPad: How To Enable, Set Up And Use

2023 Author: Gordon Kinson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-26 08:36

Starting with the 5th version of the iOS mobile operating system, Apple offers users the possibility of free (due to Internet traffic) messaging through the built-in iMessage messenger. However, until now, not all owners of iDevices know about its existence - by default, the service is disabled and requires activation. How to enable, set up and use iMessage on iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, we will tell in this article.

So, to work with a native messenger, you need to configure it, while a number of options may differ depending on the version of the system, so we will consider only the main ones.

What is iMessage?

iMessage is a free proprietary Apple messenger that works only on the company's devices (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Mac, Apple Watch). The service allows you to exchange messages between users of Apple devices without the need to install third-party applications. iMessage works in the Messages app along with the familiar SMS and MMS.

The service requires an Internet connection.

How to enable, set up and use iMessage on iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch

IMessage activation

If you set up iMessage on iPhone, then first of all, insert a working SIM card into your smartphone.

Go to the Settings -> Messages menu item and move the iMessage checkbox to the active position.

A warning will appear that "Some cellular network operators may charge for SMS messages used to activate iMessage" - click "OK".

Do not be alarmed, the iMessage service is completely free (works over the Internet), but Apple warns that when the service is activated, sometimes it is required to send an ordinary SMS, for which the mobile operator can write off funds from the account (in the amount of the cost of one SMS).

Click on the appeared link-button Your Apple ID for iMessage.

Enter your Apple ID and password and wait for the service to activate.

Setting up iMessage

Show contact photos - the function enables the display of iOS contact avatars in the Messages application.

BY THEME: Contact photo when calling in full iPhone screen - how to do it?

Forwarding - the function activates the ability to send SMS and iMessage from other devices associated with the same Apple ID. In other words, thanks to this function, you can send regular SMS even from a Macbook, the main thing is that you log into iMessage on it using a single Apple ID.

RELATED TO: How to Make (Cellular) Calls from an iMac, Macbook Pro, Air, or Mac mini?

Moving the "Read Report" checkbox to an active position means that the interlocutors will see whether you have read the message or not;

The "Send as SMS" function allows the system to send a message as a regular SMS or MMS when there is no Internet access (there is no way to send iMessage).

Sending / receiving (detailed description at the end of the article) - the settings section for managing e-mail addresses and phone numbers for correspondence in iMessage

Show subject - allows you to enable the display of the message subject.

Counting characters - the function works when the option "Show topic" is activated and only when sending ordinary SMS.

Blocked - this section of iMesaage settings is designed to create a black list of users.

BY THEME: How to block calls on iPhone from numbers No subscriber ID or Unknown.

The Filter by sender switch allows you to disable notifications from users who are not in your contact list. In addition, such messages will be displayed in a separate tab.

Using the Leave messages option, you can set how long messages are stored on the device - 30 days, 1 year, or indefinitely.

In addition, it is possible to configure the automatic deletion of audio and video messages. By default, the parameter is set to 2 minutes. After this time, the audio or video message will be deleted from the conversation history. Naturally, there is also a Never option.

Raise to Listen - This option allows you to listen to and respond to audio messages from iMessages by simply holding iPhone to your ear.

Low quality mode compresses images before sending, thereby saving mobile traffic.

ON THE TOPIC: How to reduce the consumption of mobile traffic on the iPhone. 13 tips.

Setting up sending and receiving iMessages

You should pay special attention to the Sending / receiving item.

In the Your address for iMessages section, you need to select the email addresses that will be associated with iMessage. In other words, you can send messages to the selected email addresses. In order not to get confused, we recommend choosing one of the most used E-mail addresses.

In the Start a new conversation with section, you specify the phone number or email address from which all outgoing messages will be sent. Ideally, of course, choose a phone number.

Why are iPhone messages blue and green? (detail)

After activating and configuring the iMessage settings, the use of the service (sending and receiving free messages) becomes possible through the standard iOS application Messages - just launch it on iPhone and iPad, select the desired contact and make sure that the input field is marked with “iMessage”, and the Submit button is blue. The text of the sent iMessage will also be highlighted in blue.

If the contact is displayed in green, it means that the subscriber has not activated the iMessage service or is not a user of Apple products. An ordinary paid SMS message will be sent to such a contact, provided that the Send as SMS item has been activated in the Messages application settings. The text of a regular SMS message will be highlighted in green.

Other useful iMessage features

• How to send handwritten iMessages on iPhone.
• How to draw and send Digital Touch animations in iMessage (heart rate, hearts, fireballs, etc.).
• Group Chat in iMessage on iPhone: How to Create and Manage.
• How to remove a single photo or video from an iMessage conversation on iPhone or iPad.
• How and why to disable iMessage when switching to Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry.

See also:

• Find Friends, or how to view the location of friends on iPhone and iPad.
• How to answer an iPhone call (Viber, WhatsApp, Skype) without touching your smartphone.
• Why you need to use Night Shift on iPhone - a scientific explanation.