How to change iMessage to text message on iPhone

iMessage, RCS and SMS in one minute

• iMessage (blue): sent over Wi-Fi or data to other Apple devices, and encrypted.
• RCS (green): modern texting with Android phones, with typing indicators and full quality photos.
• SMS and MMS (green): basic texts over the cell network. They work with any phone and need no data.

Your iPhone always tries iMessage first when the other person uses an Apple device. People usually want a text instead when the other person has no data, is abroad, or their iMessages keep failing.

How to change a text message to iMessage

Want the opposite? If your messages to another iPhone are going green and you want blue iMessages, there is no button that converts a message after it is sent. iMessage works on both phones. It must be turned on for you and for the person you are texting, and both of you need an internet connection. Here is how to fix your side:

Messages to Android phones always go as SMS or RCS, never iMessage. If iMessage will not turn on, see iMessage waiting for activation, or fixing iMessage when it stops working.

Why some messages go as iMessage and others as text

You do not normally choose. Your iPhone decides each time, based on what both phones can do at that moment:

• The other person is not reachable on iMessage. Their iPhone may be off, out of data, or they have turned iMessage off. With Send as Text Message on, your iPhone waits a while and then resends as a text.
• You have no data. Without Wi-Fi or cellular data, iMessage cannot go out, so a green text is the only option.
• They switched to Android. If they did not turn off iMessage before leaving, your iPhone may keep trying iMessage and fail. Sending as text works around it until they deregister.
• It is a group chat. A group only stays blue if everyone uses iMessage. One Android phone, or one iPhone with iMessage off, turns the whole group green.

Our guide to blue and green message bubbles explains the colors in more detail.

How to tell which kind of message you are sending

Look at the empty text box at the bottom of the chat before you type. It shows iMessage when the message will go blue, and Text Message (often with SMS or RCS after it) when it will go green. After sending, blue bubbles are iMessage and green bubbles are texts. A red exclamation mark with Not Delivered means it failed, and that is when Send as Text Message is most useful.

Choose SMS or RCS for Android contacts

Since iOS 18, messages with Android phones go as RCS when your carrier supports it. RCS is still green, but adds typing dots, read receipts and better photo quality. If RCS messages are failing with one Android contact, you can switch back to plain SMS:

What you give up when a message goes as text

Switching to a text is the right call when iMessage fails, but it is worth knowing what changes. SMS is the oldest and simplest kind of message:

• SMS is not end-to-end encrypted. Your carrier can see the content. Keep sensitive details for iMessage or a secure app.
• You cannot edit or unsend a text. Those features only work with iMessage.
• Photos and videos sent by MMS are compressed and can look blurry.
• Message effects, stickers and Tapback reactions show as plain text or not at all on the other phone.
• On some prepaid and international plans, texts count against your allowance, while iMessage over Wi-Fi is free.

Send texts without a signal using Wi-Fi Calling

SMS normally needs cell signal. With Wi-Fi Calling turned on, major US carriers can also send and receive texts over Wi-Fi, which helps in basements and buildings with poor reception. Turn it on in Settings › Apps › Phone › Wi-Fi Calling. Not every carrier or plan supports texting over Wi-Fi. See what Wi-Fi Calling is for details.

Make sure iMessage uses your phone number

Some people want a text because the other person sees their messages coming from an email address instead of their number. That is an iMessage setting, not a reason to switch it off. Go to Settings › Apps › Messages › Send & Receive and under Start New Conversations From, choose your phone number. New chats then show your number, and replies reach you on every device.

Get your texts on iPad and Mac too

Green texts normally only arrive on your iPhone. To see them on your iPad or Mac as well, turn on Settings › Apps › Messages › Text Message Forwarding and switch on each device you want. Your iPhone must stay on and connected for forwarding to work.

When a text will not send either

If you switch a message to text and it still fails, the problem is usually your cell connection rather than iMessage. Texts need at least one bar of signal, and picture messages also need mobile data.

• Check the signal bars and toggle Airplane Mode on and off.
• Turn on MMS Messaging in Settings › Apps › Messages for photos and group texts.
• Install any carrier settings update in Settings › General › About.
• Make sure the number is not blocked in Settings › Apps › Phone › Blocked Contacts.

Leaving iPhone? Switch to texts for good

If you are moving to an Android phone, turning iMessage off is not optional. If you skip it, iPhone users who text you may keep sending blue iMessages to an account you no longer use, and you will never see them.

Our full guide to switching from iPhone to Android covers moving your contacts, photos and chats as well.

Should you turn iMessage off?

For most people, no. iMessage is free over Wi-Fi, encrypted, and sends full quality photos and videos. Keep it on and use Send as Text Message as the backup. Turning iMessage off makes sense if you are leaving iPhone, if you travel without data, or if a family member on a basic plan keeps missing your messages.