iPhone iMessage when abroad

[jpn]

One of the issues with that is that it's not that simple to select whether you want to send an SMS vs. and iMessage. By making it "smart" Apple also never really provided a simple way for a user to control that part should someone want to do that for whatever reason.

hi

you are so correct about this. i have often wished that apple would give us a way to indicate before hitting the Send button, whether or not we want the message to be sent as an iMessage, or, as an SMS. instead, as it is now, we need to wait sometimes up to 2 minutes for the indication that the message was not able to sent as an SMS and then selecting the 2nd time it is to be sent as an SMS.

i think a simple way for apple to handle this is for the User to use the "phone type" in Contacts: you can designate a phone number (even now) as Home, Mobile, Work, Fax, and as iPhone. If the number is designated as iPhone then the User preference would be clear that the message should be sent as an iMessage. If the user simply designates the phone as a mobile then the preference should be understood that the user wants it to be sent as an SMS.

 

[manu chao]

Correct me if I'm wrong.. but I thought sending an SMS while roaming potentially leads to a more expensive bill than data roaming.

Within Europe at least, receiving SMS while abroad doesn't cost the receiver anything (as is the case when receiving them in ones home country). Only receiving calls (+ making calls, sending SMS and using data) abroad costs money. That applies at least among European carriers. What happens when one of the carriers is North American, I don't know.

 

[Paco II]

Special plans aside, I believe all the major US carriers charge for incoming sms while roaming internationally.

Within Europe at least, receiving SMS while abroad doesn't cost the receiver anything (as is the case when receiving them in ones home country). Only receiving calls (+ making calls, sending SMS and using data) abroad costs money. That applies at least among European carriers. What happens when one of the carriers is North American, I don't know.

 

[BBDDVV]

Maybe this helps?
The only times I've had messages not delivered to my phone (while abroad and not using data roaming) was when the sender was using not my phone number but any of my registered email addresses. In that case the 'Send a SMS' option is not applicable as SMS doesn't work with anything else than a phone number.

2 considerations:
1. on your own phone, check Settings -> General -> Messages -> Send & Receive -> Start a new conversation from.
When this is set to a registered email address rather than your phone number, anyone replying in a message thread you initiated, will not use the fall back of 'send as SMS'.
2. in case the message thread was started by the other party, except for the very first time they sent you a message, it isn't immediately visibly if they're sending an iMessage to a phone number or a registered email address... (unless they go into the Details of the message thread, then tap the information button behind my name and then look at what number/email address is colored blue)

I hope this helps...

 

[mizxco]

Correct me if I'm wrong.. but I thought sending an SMS while roaming potentially leads to a more expensive bill than data roaming.

Within Europe at least, receiving SMS while abroad doesn't cost the receiver anything

Correct me if I'm wrong.. but I did say sending SMS there..

 

[manu chao]

Correct me if I'm wrong.. but I did say sending SMS there..

You are right, I thought of the OP which was asking about receiving SMS while abroad.

 

[mizxco]

You are right, I thought of the OP which was asking about receiving SMS while abroad.

Correct me if I'm wrong.. but OP inquired about receiving iMessage while abroad.

 

[manu chao]

Correct me if I'm wrong.. but OP inquired about receiving iMessage while abroad.

Yes, but he or she also inquired about how to receive an SMS instead of an iMessage.

 

[mizxco]

Yes, but he or she also inquired about how to receive an SMS instead of an iMessage.

Correct me if I'm wrong.. but mjohansen seems to be a guy?

 

[manu chao]

Correct me if I'm wrong.. but mjohansen seems to be a guy?

I have no idea, 'johansen' sounds like a last name, ie, not giving us any indication. But the odds are certainly higher for the OP being a guy given the general demographics on these discussion boards.