Moving to an Android phone, or just want your texts to go out as regular carrier messages? One switch does it: on current versions of iOS, open Settings > Apps > Messages and turn off iMessage. If you are leaving iPhone for good, there is a second step many people skip: turning off FaceTime and deregistering your phone number, so texts from iPhone users stop disappearing into iMessage and reach your new phone.
Turn off iMessage in Settings
These steps work on any iPhone running a current version of iOS. You do not need Wi-Fi or a computer, and nothing in your existing conversations is deleted.
- Open the Settings app.
- Scroll down and tap Apps, then tap Messages. On older iOS versions, Messages is listed directly in Settings instead of under Apps.
- Turn off the iMessage switch at the top of the screen.
That is all you need if you are keeping the iPhone and only want carrier texting: with iMessage off, new texts go through your carrier. On the same Messages screen, also check that Send as Text Message is on. Apple’s article on sending text messages when iMessage is not available says this switch lets Messages send a text when iMessage is not available, and it is needed for group MMS messages. If you do not see it, your carrier may not support the feature.
What changes when iMessage is off
Apple’s Messages setup guide describes two kinds of messages. iMessages travel over Wi-Fi or cellular data and appear in blue bubbles. SMS, MMS and RCS messages go through your carrier and appear in green bubbles. Turning iMessage off moves every new conversation to the green kind.
| Feature | iMessage on | iMessage off |
|---|---|---|
| Bubble color with other Apple users | Blue | Green |
| How messages travel | Wi-Fi or cellular data | Your carrier, as RCS or SMS/MMS |
| iMessage effects and other iMessage-only features | Available | Not available |
| Texting with no cellular signal | Possible over Wi-Fi | Needs carrier service |
| Cost | Uses data | Counts against your plan’s texting allowance |
RCS is the newer carrier messaging standard. Whether a conversation uses RCS or falls back to SMS/MMS depends on your carrier and the other person’s phone, so features such as read receipts or typing indicators in green-bubble chats can vary. Most plans include unlimited texting, but check yours if you are on a prepaid or international plan.
Once your chats go out as green-bubble texts, you can also show the character count in iPhone Messages to see how close each text is to the 160-character limit.
Leaving iPhone? Deregister your number
If you switch to Android without deregistering, iPhone users who text you may keep sending iMessages to your number, and those messages never reach the new phone. Apple’s page on deregistering iMessage covers two routes: from the iPhone itself, or online if you no longer have it.
Deregister from the iPhone (before you switch)
- Put the SIM card for your phone number back in the iPhone if you already moved it, or make sure the eSIM for that number is still active.
- Make sure the iPhone is connected to your cellular data network.
- Go to Settings > Apps > Messages and turn off iMessage.
- Go to Settings > Apps > FaceTime and turn off FaceTime. FaceTime also registers your number with Apple, so leaving it on can keep your number tied to Apple services.
Deregister online (if you no longer have the iPhone)
If the iPhone was sold, lost or wiped, use Apple’s Deregister iMessage page from any browser, with the number active in your new phone:
- Scroll to the section for people who no longer have their iPhone.
- Choose your country and enter your phone number.
- Enter the code shown in the image and select Send Code.
- When the text arrives on your new phone, enter the 6-digit confirmation code to confirm deregistration.
The page needs cookies enabled in your browser. According to Apple, texts to your number start arriving on the new phone right away, though some Apple devices can take a few hours to stop sending iMessages to it.
iPads and Macs keep their own setting
Turning iMessage off on the iPhone does not switch it off on your other devices. iMessages sent to your Apple Account email address can still reach an iPad or Mac signed in with the same account, and texts to your phone number show up only on the phone as RCS or SMS/MMS.
- iPad: the iMessage switch is in the Messages section of the iPad’s Settings app, in the same way as on iPhone.
- Mac: in the Messages app, choose Messages > Settings, click iMessage, then click Sign Out. To keep iMessage on the Mac but stop it using your phone number, deselect the number under You can be reached for messages at.
- Text Message Forwarding: if you keep using the iPhone and want green-bubble texts on your iPad or Mac too, Apple lists this under Settings > Apps > Messages > Text Message Forwarding. It relies on iMessage (Apple says the iPad must have iMessage turned on), so do not count on it once iMessage is off on the iPhone.
Messages in iCloud, which syncs your message history between devices, is a separate setting under your name > iCloud. Turning iMessage off does not delete history already stored there. If you are giving a device away, signing out of your Apple Account on it removes iMessage from that device along with everything else tied to the account.
If texts still do not arrive
- Give it time. Apple says some devices can take a few hours to notice the change. Ask someone with an iPhone to send you a text the next day and check the bubble color on their side: it should be green.
- Check FaceTime. If you only turned off iMessage, go back and turn off FaceTime too, or use the online form.
- Restart the new phone after deregistering, and confirm normal texts from a non-Apple phone arrive, which rules out a carrier problem.
- Other devices still show blue bubbles. Check the iPad or Mac settings above, or remove your phone number from Send & Receive on those devices.
- You only wanted fewer alerts. Turning off iMessage is a big change if the real problem is noise. You can shut off text message notifications instead and keep iMessage working.
iMessage questions
Do the people I text get notified?
Apple does not describe any notice going to your contacts. iPhone users simply see your new messages arrive in green bubbles, and their own messages to you go out green once their phone recognizes the change.
Does it matter for group chats?
Yes. New messages in a group thread with Apple users go out through your carrier (as RCS or MMS) instead of iMessage, so the group turns green for you and iMessage-only features in that thread stop.
What happens to my Apple Account if I deregister?
Deregistering removes your phone number from iMessage and FaceTime. Apple’s deregistration page describes no change to your Apple Account, so your iCloud data and purchases stay with the account and you can still sign in on other devices.
How do I undo it?
Turn the iMessage switch back on in the same place. Activation can take a little while. If it gets stuck, the steps for turning iMessage back on cover the activation wait and the usual fixes.
Next step: if you are switching phones, deregister before you hand in or wipe the iPhone, then send yourself a test text from a friend’s iPhone. If you want to check how much space old conversations are using before you move, see how to view iMessage and text message storage.
Kermit Matthews runs Live2Tech from just outside Philadelphia. He is an IT specialist with over 20 years of experience, from a university help desk to small-business IT, IT management and his own consulting practice, and has written tech guides full time since 2020. Steps are checked against the current software on a real device or the maker’s official documentation. More about Kermit.