When an iPhone is unable to send an iMessage over the internet, it immediately switches to sending plain-text SMS messages. How to stop that from happening is provided below.
Since the introduction of iMessage in 2011, Apple has made end-to-end encrypted communications available on all of its devices. However, some of the procedures in place that make using iMessage easy raise significant questions regarding the privacy of user data.
iMessage requires an internet connection to function because it is an internet messaging service. The iPhone automatically switches to SMS when internet signals are poor or unavailable by default. This is so that SMS may operate over a phone’s cellular signal rather than an internet signal, which uses an older protocol.
According to Apple, this happens when iMessage isn’t installed on the device of either the sender or the recipient, or when a message fails to send over the internet. SMS isn’t the best method of communication because it isn’t encrypted and can be the target of man-in-the-middle attacks, especially when privacy is crucial.
How to stop iMessage from reverting to SMS?
There is a setting in Settings to guarantee that the Messages app only delivers an iMessage in compatible chats.
- Launch the Settings app.
- Tap “Messages” after scrolling down.
- Find “Send as SMS” by scrolling down.
- Turn off this setting to stop automated SMS sending
Since the iPhone is the only device that can govern SMS conversations, this setting is only available on the iPhone. Users still have the choice to utilize SMS as a backup when an iMessage fails to send even with this setting deactivated; they simply need to long press the unsuccessful message to get the option.
The iPhone will always utilize SMS to communicate with anyone who doesn’t use iMessage, such as Android users. The user’s ability to send or receive SMS messages is unaffected by this toggle; it simply stops iMessage from switching to SMS when a message cannot be sent.
Due to the heated political climate that encourages the violation of citizen privacy, secure texting has become a talking point for many messaging providers. End-to-end encryption ensures that only the user has access to messages.
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