Prevent iMessage From Sending as SMS Text Messages

This guide shows you how to stop your iPhone from automatically sending iMessages as regular SMS text messages when the recipient is offline or when your own connection is unreliable. You’ll learn the key settings to adjust, what to do when a message still sends as SMS, and how to troubleshoot common issues. No special tools are needed—just your iPhone’s Settings app.

What You’ll Need

• An iPhone with iOS 10 or later (the steps are the same for recent versions).
• Your Apple ID signed in to iMessage (Settings > Messages > Send & Receive).
• An active cellular or Wi-Fi connection for iMessage to work.

Step-by-Step

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone. It’s the gray gear icon on your home screen.
2. Scroll down and tap “Messages”. This opens the main messaging settings.
3. Look for the “Send as SMS” toggle. It’s usually near the top, under the iMessage section. If the toggle is green, tap it to turn it off. When it’s off, your iPhone will not automatically fall back to SMS when iMessage is unavailable.
4. Optional: Disable iMessage entirely if you never want to send SMS from the Messages app. Go back to the top of the Messages settings and toggle off “iMessage”. This forces all messages to go as SMS/MMS. However, this also means you lose iMessage features like read receipts and end-to-end encryption.
5. Check your “Send & Receive” settings. Tap “Send & Receive” (right below the iMessage toggle). Ensure your phone number and Apple ID email are checked. If your Apple ID is not active, iMessage may not work, and your phone might fall back to SMS even with “Send as SMS” off.
6. Restart the Messages app after changing settings. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen (or double-click the Home button on older models) to open the app switcher, then swipe the Messages app card away. Reopen Messages to apply the changes.

Common Mistakes

• Turning off the wrong toggle: Some users toggle off “iMessage” thinking it stops SMS, but that actually forces all messages to SMS. The correct toggle is “Send as SMS”.
• Forgetting to check your Apple ID: If your Apple ID is not signed in or is having issues, iMessage may not activate, and your phone will send SMS even if “Send as SMS” is off.
• Assuming the setting applies to all contacts: The “Send as SMS” toggle is global. It does not allow per-contact exceptions. If you need to force iMessage for a specific contact, you cannot do that with a built-in setting—you would need to ensure that contact has iMessage enabled and is online.
• Not checking network status: Even with “Send as SMS” off, if you have no internet connection (no Wi-Fi or cellular data), iMessage cannot send. Your message will fail, not fall back to SMS. Some users think the setting is broken when they see a red exclamation mark, but that’s actually the expected behavior.

Tips

• Use “Notify me” for SMS: If you turn off “Send as SMS”, you might want to enable “Notify me” (if available in your region) to get a notification when a message could not be sent as iMessage. This way you know to manually send as SMS if needed.
• Check the message bubble color: Blue bubbles indicate iMessage, green bubbles indicate SMS. After turning off “Send as SMS”, you should never see green bubbles for messages you send, unless you manually choose to send as SMS (by tapping and holding the send button and selecting “Send as Text Message”).
• Keep your iPhone updated: Apple frequently fixes iMessage bugs in iOS updates. Go to Settings > General > Software Update to ensure you have the latest version.
• Use Wi-Fi calling as a backup: If you often lose cellular data but have Wi-Fi, enable Wi-Fi calling (Settings > Phone > Wi-Fi Calling). This helps iMessage stay connected over Wi-Fi even when your cellular signal is weak.

Troubleshooting

If you still see messages sending as SMS after following the steps, try these fixes in order:

1. Toggle iMessage off and on: Go to Settings > Messages, turn off iMessage, wait 10 seconds, then turn it back on. This forces your iPhone to re-register with Apple’s servers.
2. Restart your iPhone: Press and hold the power button (and volume button on newer models) to power off, then turn it back on.
3. Check your network connection: Open Safari and load a webpage. If it fails, you have no internet. Connect to a reliable Wi-Fi network or enable cellular data.
4. Reset network settings: Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network Settings. This clears Wi-Fi passwords and cellular settings, but it often fixes iMessage activation issues. You’ll need to re-enter Wi-Fi passwords afterward.
5. Sign out and back into Apple ID: Go to Settings > Messages > Send & Receive, tap your Apple ID at the bottom, and choose “Sign Out”. Then sign back in with your Apple ID and password.
6. Contact your carrier: In rare cases, your carrier may be blocking iMessage activation. Contact them and ask if there are any SMS/MMS restrictions that might interfere.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did my message still send as SMS even after I turned off “Send as SMS”?

This can happen if iMessage is not activated on your device or the recipient’s device. Check that your Apple ID is signed in and that you have an internet connection. Also, if the recipient has an Android phone or an iPhone without iMessage enabled, the message will always send as SMS—the setting only affects fallback when iMessage is possible but temporarily unavailable.

Can I force a specific contact to always use iMessage?

No, iOS does not offer per-contact settings for iMessage vs SMS. The “Send as SMS” toggle is global. If you want to ensure a message goes as iMessage, you can manually send as iMessage by tapping and holding the send button and choosing “Send as iMessage” (if available), but this only works if iMessage is active.

What does the green bubble mean?

A green bubble indicates an SMS or MMS message, sent over the cellular network. Blue bubbles are iMessages, sent over the internet. If you see green, your message is not using iMessage.

Will turning off “Send as SMS” affect my ability to send messages to Android users?

No. The setting only prevents automatic fallback to SMS when iMessage is unavailable. If you send a message to an Android user, iMessage is not possible, so the message will still send as SMS. The setting does not block SMS entirely; it only stops the automatic fallback for iMessage contacts.

What happens if I have no internet and “Send as SMS” is off?

The message will fail to send and you’ll see a red exclamation mark. You can tap the exclamation mark and choose “Send as Text Message” to manually send it as SMS. This is intentional—the setting prevents automatic fallback, but you can still override manually.

Does this setting affect MMS (photos/videos)?

No, “Send as SMS” only affects text messages. Multimedia messages (photos, videos, audio) are sent as MMS when iMessage is unavailable, regardless of this setting. To disable MMS fallback, you would need to turn off MMS Messaging in Settings > Messages, but that would also prevent sending media to non-iMessage users.

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