Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Can he read his iMessages??

B

breakfast

macrumors member
Original poster
Sep 17, 2009
66
0
Dear all,

Here's the situation. A friend of ours passed his SIM card on to my son. Coz he had moved on to another carrier/plan and his old plan will still be valid and good for a few months. I know that he used to read and send iMessages also from his MacBook. So his number must have been set up this way.

Now we put his SIM into an old iPhone 6 which we got for our son on eBay. Made sure to reset it before anything. Like, we did set it up from scratch, however have not yet set up a new Apple-ID. Actually the phone is running just fine without for the time being (in case you wondered, yes it's actually possible to operate an iPhone and use iMessage and FT without AppleID!)

He likes iMessages and he's been using it quite a lot already.

But now I'm concerned :confused: that our friend can see everything we texted back and forth popping up on his MacBook, because that's how he used to do it when at home … and it's still his number just in a "new"/different phone, so ...

Any thoughts?
 
Are you logged in to a new apple ID? I believe its done from having to login through the Apple ID on the phone
 
As said, no. No new AppleID. As a matter of fact: no AppleID at all at the moment! That's the whole point here… for my question/concern.
 
?!

Has nothing to do with my question. Did you read and understand my question at all?
 
AFAIK iMessage require AppleID, so I am guessing it is SMS that is working. If sent text bubbles are green, the message is sent as SMS. Messages sent with iMessage are blue.

Anyway go to settings->messages (direkt translation from non english phone) and disable iMessage.. if it is enabled..
 
  • Like
Reactions: DeepIn2U
If you're not signed in to an Apple ID I don't think it'll work, from the Apple website:

Set up SMS and MMS messaging
Use this feature with any Mac, iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch that meets the Continuity system requirements. Make sure that your devices are set up as follows:

  • Each device is signed in to iCloud with the same Apple ID.
  • On iPhone, go to Settings > Messages > Send & Receive. Make sure that the Apple ID at the top of the screen is the same Apple ID that you're using for iMessage on your other devices. Add a check to your phone number and email address, so that you can be reached by iMessage at both. Do the same on your iPad or iPod touch.
  • On iPhone, go to Settings > Messages > Text Message Forwarding, then choose which devices to allow to send and receive text messages from this iPhone.
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204681
Significant1 said:
AFAIK iMessage require AppleID, so I am guessing it is SMS that is working. If sent text bubbles are green, the message is sent as SMS. Messages sent with iMessage are blue.

Anyway go to settings->messages (direkt translation from non english phone) and disable iMessage.. if it is enabled..
Click to expand...
iMessage works with just phone numbers as well.
 
iMessage works totally fine w/o AppleID.

That is not the point and not my question.

My question is that since the sim card has been transferred to a different (used but clean/reset and purchased totally independent from the owner of the previous sim card, private purchase!) device and it had before been linked to an AppleID of the previous card owner so that he, the previous owner of the SIM card, could read his messages on the computer, can he still do that? Now that the sim is passed on to our son, who has not yet his own appleID?? That thought is freaking me out. Son using the number in a new device without AppleID, yet on the previous owner's MAcbook that very same number is still linked to his AppleID, with which he used to use and operate his devices.

Can he read our iMessage?? :eek:
[doublepost=1517121296][/doublepost]
Significant1 said:
Sure if you are signed into iMessage with an AppleID and the number is registeret by another AppleID, else it is sent as SMS.
Click to expand...
No. Wrong. iMessage works fine without AppleID. No doubt. But as said, that is not the point here.
 
breakfast said:
iMessage works totally fine w/o AppleID.

That is not the point and not my question.

My question is that since the sim card has been transferred to a different (used but clean/reset) device and it had before been linked to an AppleID of the previous card owner so that he, the previous owner of the SIM card, could read his messages on the computer, can he still do that? Now that the sim is passed on to our son, who has not yet his own appleID?? That thought is freaking me out. Son using the number in a new device without AppleID, yet on the previous owner's MAcbook that very same number is still linked to his AppleID, with which he used to use and operate his devices.

Can he read our iMessage?? :eek:
Click to expand...
As I said I don't believe it works without AppleID. Have you checked the settings->Messages->iMessage setting on the phone? Are text sent green or blue?

If iMessage are not enabled, he cannot see your messages. If iMessage are enabled, with his AppleID, Yes he can se the messages on other devices.
 
AGAIN:
On any iPhone, one can use iMessages w/o an AppleID just totally fine. You don't even have to set one up when you setup the phone for the first time. iMessage and FT work just fine without. I'm doing this right now and have been for days. NO DOUBT.

And no offense you are not understanding my question. He had his sim in his phone and he had an appleID and the phone number linked to it. Like 99% of all users do. And, he read and sent his messages from his MacBook.

Now he simply took the sim out, passed it on to our son, who put it into a new (fresh, clean slate) iPhone of his own. One that we purchased for him on ebay. But he has not set up an Apple ID and he his now texting (iMessages to be very clear again, blue, not green!) and he uses FaceTime too. Again, no AppleID!

The question is, can the previous owner of the sim see and read son's messages, just like he did before as it was (and technically still is) his simcard and his number which used to be (and pry still is!) connected to his AppleID.

Dunno how I can make it any clearer …
 
breakfast said:
AGAIN:
On any iPhone, one can use iMessages w/o an AppleID just totally fine. You don't even have to set one up when you setup the phone for the first time. iMessage and FT work just fine without. I'm doing this right now and have been for days. NO DOUBT.

And no offense you are not understanding my question. He had his sim in his phone and he had an appleID and the phone number linked to it. Like 99% of all users do. And, he read and sent his messages from his MacBook.

Now he simply took the sim out, passed it on to our son, who put it into a new (fresh, clean slate) iPhone of his own. One that we purchased for him on ebay. But he has not set up an Apple ID and he his now texting (iMessages to be very clear again, blue, not green!) and he uses FaceTime too. Again, no AppleID!

The question is, can the previous owner of the sim see and read son's messages, just like he did before as it was (and technically still is) his simcard and his number which used to be (and pry still is!) connected to his AppleID.

Dunno how I can make it any clearer …
Click to expand...

A phone number can't be linked to two apple ids at the same time. You may not have an apple ID logged in on the phone, but the de facto situation the other responders are getting at is that the phone number is an Apple ID. They are understanding your question, I believe you're misunderstanding their answers.

I'm fairly certain that when the friend put a new sim card into his own phone, iOS deactivates the old phone number that was on that device and activates imessage from the new phone number only - that is, one device can only contribute one phone number for the purposes of imessage. it can't hold historical numbers and the number of the sim card within. if this hadn't happened, your son wouldn't be able to use imessage on his phone right now.

To make it clearer: If your son can use imessage without having an apple id logged in, that means that the number isn't registered to any other apple id (ie the old one).
 
  • Like
Reactions: cdcastillo
Significant1 said:
Ok. You CANNOT use iMessage without AppleID. If you are in fact using iMessage, it must be signed in to some account.

Why not just check the setting and settle it once and for all?
Click to expand...
It is just not true. And yes, I checked the settings. iMessage is switched on and working like a charm. The phone is not logged into any account. I suggest you check it out for yourself, if you don't believe it. Kindly read thru my posts again. Also others have confirmed it on here in previous posts.

Here comes more for you, but even then I don't think you'll admit...
You can use iMessage even with iCloud completely disabled, or even if you’ve never setup an iCloud account at all. If you’re on an iPhone, you don’t even need to sign in with an Apple ID if you only want to send and receive iMessages using your cellular phone number; an Apple account is only required to associate email addresses with iMessage. FaceTime works in the exact same manner in terms of phone numbers and Apple IDs.
Click to expand...
Source = http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/using-imessage-without-icloud

And some more to be found here, https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/can-i-activate-imessage-without-apple-id.1481926/#post-18894793, and many more on google.
[doublepost=1517151325][/doublepost]
nicho said:
A phone number can't be linked to two apple ids at the same time. You may not have an apple ID logged in on the phone, but the de facto situation the other responders are getting at is that the phone number is an Apple ID. They are understanding your question, I believe you're misunderstanding their answers.

I'm fairly certain that when the friend put a new sim card into his own phone, iOS deactivates the old phone number that was on that device and activates imessage from the new phone number only - that is, one device can only contribute one phone number for the purposes of imessage. it can't hold historical numbers and the number of the sim card within. if this hadn't happened, your son wouldn't be able to use imessage on his phone right now.

To make it clearer: If your son can use imessage without having an apple id logged in, that means that the number isn't registered to any other apple id (ie the old one).
Click to expand...
Thank you for your reply. Especially the last paragraph, as well as what you elaborated in the one before. I still disagree with your first paragraph, though.

Let's have one more closer look:
nicho said:
...
I'm fairly certain that when the friend put a new sim card into his own phone, iOS deactivates the old phone number that was on that device and activates imessage from the new phone number only...
...
Click to expand...
Here's how it went down:
  • Family friend shut down is iPhone, took the simcard out, left his phone turned off.
  • Son, quite eager, took the sim, put it in his own clean iPhone, did not set up an AppleID, started sending iMessages. Some of those iMesssages were uncalled for, to say the least. Rude and offensive, about the person who just gave him the sim as nice gesture. Ok, it is what it is, and we have to fix that some other place.
  • All the while the iPhone of familiy friend stayed powered off, at least for the next 48 hrs. He did not put in his new sim at this point. Not before two days down the road. This is a fact. He didn't even have it then.
  • During that time the BS happened.
  • His MacBook though, has been connected to the internet the whole time. Messages app and AppleID associated with "old" number, and all... I guess you get my drift.

    Go figure...
 
Last edited:
breakfast said:
Let's have one more closer look:
Click to expand...

The closer look isn't at the first paragraph, I'm rather confused.

Anyhow, the words de facto are important in what I was saying. A phone number is not an apple ID but for all intents and purposes, it might as well be. The same email address can't be used with more than one apple ID, the same phone number can't be used with more than one apple ID. A phone number can stand alone, but performs the same function as an apple ID and I'm fairly certain this is how it works in Apple's back end systems.

[edit: I jumped the gun and you were still adding info...]

That is a tricky one and I don't have time to test it unfortunately.
 
Yes, I kept editing and adding info, sorry. And yes, it is not about the first paragraph (on which I beg to differ), but about the second - sorry for the confusion.

This is the full story.
 
breakfast said:
Yes, I kept editing and adding info, sorry. And yes, it is not about the first paragraph (on which I beg to differ), but about the second - sorry for the confusion.

This is the full story.
Click to expand...

I think the final paragraph still holds true, but what I said was mostly based on the assumption that your friend had already got his new sim card instead of deciding to go off grid for two days. Its a while since I did any sim swapping so I don't fully remember how it went with imessage etc... He won't be able to see them now, though, if he's put a new sim card in. But there's a chance he may have seen them in that interim period. I can't be sure without testing something similar.
 
  • Like
Reactions: breakfast
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back