What's new

iPad text messaging

azonie

iPF Novice
I have new iPad wifi version, and see there is a messaging option. Can you text from phone
To iPad (when iPad on wifi). When I tried I ended up sending via email and it went into email account.
 
When I send a message from my iPad to an iPhone it comes from my email address, but appears in the text app.
 
azonie said:
How do you send and receive text messages to and from the iPad.

To use messages on a wifi only iPad, you and the recipient must be registered with Apple's iCloud service - this handles the messaging via Internet. It has nothing to do with the mobile phone network. You can also specify which messaging account to use with iCloud where available i.e. your email address or mobile number.
 
How do you send and receive text messages to and from the iPad.

This is only possible via iMessage, which Apple introduced with iOS 5. If enabled then it allows you to send messages between iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches via Apple's iMessage service rather than SMS or MMS. The advantages are that it uses your data connection rather than SMS or MMS, and thus works on iPads and iPods, messages can be pretty much any length and you can include videos and pictures without resorting to costly MMS messages. The disadvantage is that it only works between Apple devices. There are third-party messaging apps which are cross-platform but they're nowhere near as integrated or seamless as iMessage, since iMessage will just work out whether to send things as iMessages or SMS/MMS.

When you enable iMessage you can specify what 'addresses' you can receive them on. This can be a mobile number or an email address. Obviously phone numbers are only valid on an actual phone so you'll have to register with an email address. If someone else with an iDevice has your email address set correctly against your contact record then they can send you iMessages.
 
There are third-party messaging apps which are cross-platform but they're nowhere near as integrated or seamless as iMessage, since iMessage will just work out whether to send things as iMessages or SMS/MMS.

I need to use a third-party SMS app, as most of the world is not on iMessage. Can you recommend one that allows me to use my existing cell phone number? They all appear to require yet another phone number.
 
desertratr said:
I need to use a third-party SMS app, as most of the world is not on iMessage. Can you recommend one that allows me to use my existing cell phone number? They all appear to require yet another phone number.

The section you quoted eludes to the fact that third party apps still require the user to have the same app, even if say they have an android device. A great example is Viber. They are cross platform, so most smartphone users can get a version that works on their device then make data calls and text, but again, the end user also needs to have Viber.

There is not true text/SMS method that works for iPads in the manner it works on a phone.
 

Most reactions

Latest posts

Back
Top