Messages - iPhone/MAC Pro/MBA/iPad

[gobluejd]

Newbie to iPhone 5 (hardcore Android guy) but have everything else MAC - so I swapped and LOVE IT. - More on that later....

I am VERY confused with messages and it is hard to find answers to this. So I am just going to break it down this way:

Can I use MESSAGES on my MAC PRO/MBA/iPad to send a SMS/MMS to friends without iPhones but with a PHONE #? I.E. dumbphones/Android etc?

I am confused at how this is all supposed to be set up for each (iPhone5/MAC/MBA/iPad).

I have seen the Apples setup page, but it is confusing. I was under impression I could TEXT from my MAC PRODUCTS to anyone with iCloud/Phone # etc).

Any help would be appreciated.

MODERATOR - Please move if you feel I have posted in the wrong forum.

 

[Aniseedvan]

I asked this somewhere else.
You can message other apple-connected people from any device.
They can message you back, again to all devices.

You can't send a text from say the MBA to a mate on an android phone, you have to do this on the iphone only.

Being able to text from the mac's nice big keyboard but utilise my cellphone text allowance would be perfect!

 

[gobluejd]

I asked this somewhere else.
You can message other apple-connected people from any device.
They can message you back, again to all devices.

You can't send a text from say the MBA to a mate on an android phone, you have to do this on the iphone only.

Being able to text from the mac's nice big keyboard but utilise my cellphone text allowance would be perfect!

Thanks! I was going nuts thinking I had something setup wrong.

So maybe you can answer this, what determines what you should put as "Start new conversations from:" for/on each device? Phone#/iCloud or other email?

 

[KandyKane]

Thanks! I was going nuts thinking I had something setup wrong.

So maybe you can answer this, what determines what you should put as "Start new conversations from:" for/on each device? Phone#/iCloud or other email?

I put my phone number, otherwise people who haven't got a message thread going on with me get a message from my email address and get confused

 

[willmtaylor]

Have you tried toggling the send/receive address to your e-mail instead of your phone number? that might resolve your issue.

 

[gobluejd]

I put my phone number, otherwise people who haven't got a message thread going on with me get a message from my email address and get confused

Ok - Perfect thanks. I thought you would only put phone# for the iPhone. So by your statement I am sure it is okay to then use phone# for all devices....correct?

 

[KandyKane]

Ok - Perfect thanks. I thought you would only put phone# for the iPhone. So by your statement I am sure it is okay to then use phone# for all devices....correct?

You can do phone number or email address for any device. I put phone number for all of them, just creates less confusion when you swap devices, the replies all stay in the same thread. If the other person doesn't have all your contact information saved, sometimes it replies as another message thread which gets confusing I think. Not sure if that's the reason it does it, but now it works for me.