texting problems

[fadama]

my kids have new iphone SE’s. They are on the $15 mo plan. Phone calls work well but texting is an issue

Once phones are out of the wifi at our house  i can’t text them with my iphone.  i’ve heard there can be blue text bubble/green bubble issues.  

They can send a text to me (green bubble) if they turn off cellular data but i still can’t text them (i am not on public mobile).

i should note they have used up the small amount of data that comes with the $15 plan for this month

i have tried playing with settings but no luck.  Looking at other posts on the community forum haven’t solved this problem 

Help!

[esjliv]

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@dust2dust wrote:

But they shouldn't have to when they can use standard SMS and not needing an internet connection.

Adding - @CountyDownIeUk 

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Agreed @dust2dust .

Mobile phones never needed data or wifi (back in the day) for any texting back and forth. Then again, I remember also paying for texts after so many used within a period. But now, most inmarket plans are free texting here, there, everywhere!

[CountyDownIeUk]

You could disable iMessage on their phones. And you would have unlimited, no hassle texting with them. 

[DDM69]

To avoid confusion I would turn iMessage off entirely. All messages will go out as regular text messages without using any data. 

[dust2dust]

But they shouldn't have to when they can use standard SMS and not needing an internet connection.

Adding - @CountyDownIeUk 

[CountyDownIeUk]

Kids will learn to save data. 

And have radar to find free wifi. 

[Alexandf]

@fadama 

https://support.apple.com/en-kw/HT204065

go to imessage turn off and on,

How To FIX iPhone Sending Green Messages

[dust2dust]

Both ends. But I defer to the Apple guy. If it were me I would not want to be relying on needing the internet just to send the simple messages that are already included in the plan.

[fadama]

Yes, i was hoping to give them a bit more independence, so they can text me where they are going after school etc. but it sounds like we might need to eventually change plans - it’s definitely not great

[CountyDownIeUk]

Also keep in mind. 

Imessaging is texting amongst other Apple users over wifi or data, to/from a “registered” phone number or an email address. 

Texting is over the mobile network (no data or wifi used) amongst phone numbers only. 

[fadama]

So do i just send all my imessages to my kids as a text message? At least until my their data is recharged next month. Sounds like  they’ll need to manage their data better 🙂

[computergeek541]

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@fadama wrote:

Is there a work around for this? so many people have iphones i can’t imagine this is unfixable?

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Many people do enjoy the added features of  iMessage and Google's "chat", but you have to make sure that your kids always have a working internet connection. That just isn't possible when the $15 includes so little of that.  You could check if there is a way for unregister your kids' phone numbers from the iMessage service. That way, all messages will always be delivered by SMS text message (instead of by iMessage).

[CountyDownIeUk]

@computergeek541 

Is correct. But the process is horrid and not easy to understand. 

@dust2dust 

Not really. The only green bubbling I do is with the odd android user. 

I leave my data off all the time. Only turn on to check mail or iMessages.  

I’m retired and can live with it. But for the younger folks that only text and never use the phone part of an iPhone, it is a PITA. 

@fadama 

Make sure any refreshes are set to work on Wifi only. 

And switch off apps that don’t need to be used with data. 

[dust2dust]

So many people pay for mountains of data. The only way I know to use the imessage app as plain old SMS all around is to turn imessage off. Then it's just a standard SMS texter.

[fadama]

Is there a work around for this? so many people have iphones i can’t imagine this is unfixable?

[dust2dust]

It's the Apple trap of their instant messaging app called imessage.

It's crazy to me.

@CountyDownIeUk- anything to add?

[computergeek541]

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@fadama wrote:

my kids have new iphone SE’s. They are on the $15 mo plan. Phone calls work well but texting is an issue

Once phones are out of the wifi at our house  i can’t text them with my iphone.  i’ve heard there can be blue text bubble/green bubble issues.  

They can send a text to me (green bubble) if they turn off cellular data but i still can’t text them (i am not on public mobile).

i should note they have used up the small amount of data that comes with the $15 plan for this month

i have tried playing with settings but no luck.  Looking at other posts on the community forum haven’t solved this problem 

Help!

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Emable the SMS option (on the kids' phones and your phone). When iMessage service is unavailable, the message will be sent by regular text message. Text messaging doesn't even use Wi-Fi, so your kids aren't actually using text messaging but are actually using an instant messaging app. 

Adding:

Also, your kids won't receive your messages without needing data because your iMessage app will default to the iMessage protocol. Disable that feature so that your kids don't need data to receive your message.