Skip to the main content
Settingly

Phone, Messages, and FaceTime

iMessage and Send as SMS

Most people call this blue bubbles, green bubbles and what happens when one fails.

iMessage sends over the internet between Apple devices and shows blue, while SMS uses the carrier and shows green, with Send as SMS deciding what happens when iMessage cannot get through.

Available

This setting is present on your iPhone.

  • We have this path on file but have not yet confirmed it against an official source.

Where to find it - iOS 18 and later

  1. Settings
  2. Apps
  3. Messages

What it does

iMessage is encrypted end to end and carries higher quality media. Send as SMS falls back to a text message when iMessage fails, which may cost money depending on your plan.

RCS, where the carrier supports it, improves messaging with non Apple phones and still appears green.

What changes

When it is on

Messages to other Apple devices go over the internet and are encrypted.

When it is off

Everything is sent as SMS or MMS through your carrier.

Should you turn it on?

Good reasons to turn it on

  • End to end encryption between Apple devices.
  • Higher quality photos and video.
  • Works over Wi-Fi with no cellular signal.

Good reasons to turn it off

  • Turning iMessage off before leaving iPhone prevents messages disappearing into it.
  • SMS is more reliable in poor data coverage.

Battery

No real change

Privacy

Helps

Performance

No real change

Cellular data

Depends how you use it

Storage

No real change

Out of the box: iMessage on, Send as SMS on.

Worth reading first

Where this setting used to live

Apple moves settings between releases. This is every location we have on file.

  1. iOS 18 and later

    Settings > Apps > Messages

  2. iOS 13 to iOS 17

    Settings > Messages

Questions people actually ask

Why are my messages green?
The recipient is not using iMessage, or your message fell back to SMS. Green is normal for non Apple phones.
Why am I not receiving texts after switching to Android?
iMessage is still holding your number. Turn it off on the iPhone, or deregister the number with Apple.

If it is not working

  • If you are moving to a non Apple phone, turn iMessage off before you swap the SIM.
  • A message that will not send often needs Send as SMS turned on.
  • Check that your number is ticked under Send and Receive.

Related settings