Apple devices are pretty addictive and it is hard to find people who go for non-Apple devices after being an avid iPhone user for few years. However, there are different circumstances under which you would find several Apple users having to use non-Apple smartphones as well. The reason could be anything ranging from cost-cutting (Apple being a high-maintenance phone) to second phone usage for business purpose.
Till date, one of the major dilemma faced by many people who have switched from iPhone to a non-Apple mobile phone is that they failed to receive messages or SMS sent from Apple devices. The reason has been known to all: it is the registration with iMessage service on your previous Apple device that creates this ruckus. When one disposes an old iPhone before switching over to an Android mobile or Windows phone, there is no mandatory step to de-register from iMessage. In fact, there was a class action lawsuit scenario in May 2014, when a new Android phone user sued Apple for not delivering text messages to her phone as she was previously an iPhone user registered with iMessage service. This iMessage related bug soon became a major cause for concern at Apple.
Finally, Apple has come up with a solution for this by launching the iMessage Deregister tool on its website to help people deactivate their phone number from iMessage service so as to receive messages on their new non-Apple device. In this article, we shall understand how to turn off iMessage service after you switch to a non-Apple device i.e. tips to disable iMessage service using the web tool to de-register phone number from iMessage for previous iPhone.
What is iMessage and why does one register Apple phone number with iMessage?
Any Apple iPhone user would know about the features of iMessage which include sending text messages, documents, videos, pictures, group messages, etc. In fact, it was a great substitution for the standard SMS messaging system. iPhone users could avail this iMessage service through the Messaging app itself by registering their phone numbers with Apple. Once this is done, Apple iPhone users could enjoy the seamless transition from Messaging app to iMessage services on their smartphone.
How to Turn off iMessage After Switching from iPhone to a Non-Apple Phone?
If for some reason you have stopped using your iPhone and switched to an Android or Windows phone, you can now avoid the problem of not receiving text messages from an existing iPhone user. To ensure this, you can remove your registered phone number from iMessage on official Apple website itself at iMessage Deregister tool link.
iMessage Deactivation Process if you Still Have Your Old iPhone
In case you still have your old iPhone which you no longer use, please insert your registered phone number Sim card in to it and turn it ON. Now, go to the iPhone Settings section and under “Messages”, you will get the option to turn off iMessages. It is a simple process that will enable you to receive text messages or SMS from iPhone users on your new non-Apple phone.
iMessage Deregistation Process if You Don’t have Your Old iPhone
If you have sold your old iPhone and have switched to a new Android or Windows phone, then, you can visit the de-registration link shared above. It involves two steps for getting your mobile number delisted from iMessage. At first, you need to enter your mobile number in the input box provided for the same in below screen:
Once you have entered the phone number, you can click on “Send Code” option to get a 6-digit deregistration confirmation code. Please note that this text message is free and you won’t be charged anything for it. You can then enter this code in the input box provided for the same as seen in the above screen. Now, click on “Submit” button and you would have successfully deregistered your phone number from iMessage. In case you do not receive the code in the first attempt, you are also provided with the option to “resend the code”.
Thus, we have discussed two simple processes of getting your phone number removed from iMessage service depending on whether you still have our old iPhone smartphone or not. Apple has listed the necessary steps on a separate iMessage Deregister page on its own website as discussed above. For further iMessage deregistration queries, you can contact Apple support at: iMessage deactivation FAQs
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