All Devices Can I designate a contact as SMS-only?

[jtara]

I have a contact who uses an Android phone, but also has an iPad. He was not seeing texts that I'd sent, because he received them on his iPad, and seldom uses the iPad. He is dealing with a business acquisition, and the seller had some spreadsheet in Numbers, so he used the iPad... And then he noticed my texts.

Is there some way to designate an individual contact as SMS-only? I can't find anything like that from searches.

I can't imagine he doesn't have this problem with others....

Not sure what it is using to determine that he has an iPad that receives iMessages. I guess the phone number and/or email address.

Oh, I think I just answered my own question... I'll bet he has to go to iCloud and opt out of receiving iMessages for one or more phone number or email address, right?

 

[chabig]

All you need to do is send your messages to his phone number, not his AppleID.

 

[jtara]

I don't know how to send the messages by phone number, though. It seems I would have to remove the email address from the address book entry. Maybe a separate address book entry with just email for sending email?

I wound up having him remove his email address from iMessage setup on his iPad. He doesn't use the iPad for messaging.

Strangely, this just started last Friday. The messages were green, went blue on Friday, and back to green once he removed the email address from iPad message setup.

 

[verdi1987]

When you compose a new message, after you add his name, you can click on the contact name and select the number or email address if there are multiple. If you just reply to an existing message, it will just use whatever number or email was last used.

It's probably easier just to create a separate contact, as you proposed.

 

[jtara]

When you compose a new message, after you add his name, you can click on the contact name and select the number or email address if there are multiple. If you just reply to an existing message, it will just use whatever number or email was last used.

OK, got it figured out.

The above didn't work for me. That just selects the name for copy/paste. But perhaps you were trying to describe:

When I type a name or partial name in to search before composing the message, there is a list of address book entries. Each list item has a disclosure arrow to the right. Tap the disclosure arrow and it will reveal all of the phone numbers and email addresses for that person, and you can select one.

Thanks all for the suggestions! I've been using iPhones since the 3G ("iPhone 2"?) and just learned something. I guess I'm a creature of habit...

 

[verdi1987]

This is what I was trying to explain.

 

[jtara]

This is what I was trying to explain.

Wow, that is so...

... unexpected!

Maybe this will give me some tiny insight into the recent irrational changes to text selection. I keep running into situations where I can't select part of a word, and so to correct, I have to erase the word and start over...

 

[verdi1987]

Wow, that is so...

... unexpected!

Maybe this will give me some tiny insight into the recent irrational changes to text selection. I keep running into situations where I can't select part of a word, and so to correct, I have to erase the word and start over...

The changes made to text editing in iOS 13 are extremely frustrating!

 

[Yptcn]

On you phone you can choose cell number as main caller ID if you go to General→FaceTime and check the right box .
Same ih messages .

 

[verdi1987]

On you phone you can choose cell number as main caller ID if you go to General→FaceTime and check the right box .
Same ih messages .

That only affects your outgoing ID for new messages.