If you’re an iPhone user, you’ve probably noticed that some texts appear blue while others are green. This colour difference isn’t just cosmetic – it indicates two different messaging systems. Blue messages use iMessage, Apple’s internet-based messaging service, while green messages are standard SMS/MMS text messages.

iMessage is exclusive to Apple devices (iPhones, iPads, Macs, etc.) and uses your Wi-Fi or cellular data connection to send messages. It allows you to send high-resolution photos, videos, stickers, read receipts, and even special effects in messages. These extra features make iMessage fun and powerful, but iMessage only works when both you and the recipient have an Apple device and an internet connection.

In contrast, SMS (Short Message Service) is the standard texting method that works on any mobile phone – Apple, Android, or basic flip phone – and it sends over the cellular network as a regular text. SMS texts are more basic (just plain text and standard emojis, with MMS for pictures) and don’t show read receipts or fancy effects, but they are universal and don’t require an internet connection.

So why might you want to send an SMS instead of an iMessage? There are a few common situations:

• Your recipient doesn’t have an iPhone. If you’re messaging someone with an Android or another non-Apple phone, your iPhone will automatically use SMS/MMS (green texts) since iMessage isn’t an option. In this case, you don’t need to do anything special – SMS will be used by default.

• Poor internet or Wi-Fi connection. iMessage needs an internet connection. If you have a weak Wi-Fi signal or no data, an iMessage might get stuck sending. By using SMS, which only needs a basic cellular signal, you can get your message through even with spotty internet.

• Recipient is offline, or iMessage is not delivering. If the person you’re messaging has their phone offline or has turned off their data, an iMessage you send will wait until they’re online. In urgent cases, you might prefer to send a text message (SMS) that gets delivered immediately via the cellular network.

• Personal preference or troubleshooting. Some users simply prefer the reliability of SMS or want all messages in one place. Additionally, if iMessage is acting up (not activating or not working), switching to SMS can be a good temporary solution.

In this beginner-friendly guide, we’ll show you step by step how to turn off iMessage on your iPhone (so all your texts go out as SMS), how to force a single message to send as SMS without disabling iMessage completely, and how to tell if a message was sent as iMessage or SMS.

We’ll also provide tips and troubleshooting for when SMS isn’t sending, and extra advice for using SMS (for example, when you’re in poor network conditions). By the end, you’ll know exactly how to control whether your iPhone sends an iMessage (blue bubble) or a regular text message (green bubble) for any conversation.

How to Turn Off iMessage on iPhone (Send Only SMS)

The easiest way to make sure your iPhone sends texts as SMS is to turn off iMessage entirely. This is a one-time settings change – once iMessage is off, your phone will no longer send blue iMessages at all. Instead, every message will be sent as a green SMS/MMS text via your cellular carrier. Here’s how to do it:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone, and scroll down to tap Messages (it has a green icon with a white chat bubble).

2. Turn off the iMessage switch at the top of the Messages settings screen. Tap the toggle next to “iMessage” so that it goes from green (on) to grey (off). This disables iMessage on your device.

3. (Optional) In the same Settings > Messages screen, you may want to ensure “Send as SMS” is enabled as well. This setting, when on, will allow your phone to automatically send a message as SMS if, for some reason, an iMessage can’t be delivered. It’s usually on by default, but it’s good to double-check.

Once iMessage is turned off, any text you send – whether it’s to an iPhone user or Android user – will be sent as a standard SMS/MMS through your cellular network. Your message bubbles in the Messages app will all be green, indicating they are texts.

Keep in mind that SMS messages are handled by your carrier, so you’ll need a cellular signal (and an SMS plan with your carrier) to send texts. The good news is that SMS is supported by all carriers and doesn’t require Wi-Fi. If you have an unlimited texting plan (as most do), you won’t incur charges for SMS, but if your plan charges per text or has limits, be aware of that when switching off iMessage.

You can leave iMessage off permanently if you prefer to always use SMS. But if you want to use iMessage again later (for example, to get those blue bubbles and special features back when you have good internet), just return to Settings > Messages and toggle iMessage on. It may take a moment to reactivate, but then your iPhone will resume sending iMessages to other Apple users.

How to Force a Single Message to Send as SMS (Without Disabling iMessage)

What if you usually like using iMessage, but you have a particular message that you want to send as an SMS? For instance, maybe your internet connection is currently weak, and an iMessage is struggling to go through, so you’d rather send a plain text right now. You don’t have to turn off iMessage completely in this case. The Messages app provides a way to manually resend a message as SMS on a per-message basis.

There are two ways to force an SMS for a specific message:

• Option 1: Use the “Send as Text Message” trick immediately after sending.

• Option 2: Use the “Send as Text Message” option if an iMessage fails to deliver.

We’ll go over both options below.

Option 1: Manually Send an iMessage as SMS Right Away

Screenshot of an iPhone message being long-pressed, showing the “Send as Text Message” option for a blue iMessage.

1. Open the Messages app and go to your conversation (or start a new message) with the person you want to text. Begin typing your message as usual.

2. Send the message by tapping the blue send arrow. You will see the message appear in a blue bubble, indicating your phone is attempting to send it via iMessage.

3. Quickly press and hold on the message bubble you just sent (the blue bubble). You need to do this before the message is delivered via iMessage. After a moment, a menu will pop up with additional options.

4. In the pop-up menu, tap “Send as Text Message.” This tells your iPhone to resend that message using SMS instead of iMessage. The chat bubble will change from blue to green, showing that it’s now being sent as an SMS text.

This trick effectively converts the message to SMS. It’s useful if you realise an iMessage is taking too long or you suspect it won’t send due to no internet. Keep in mind a couple of things: the “Send as Text Message” option will only appear if the message hasn’t been delivered via iMessage yet. If the message already went through as an iMessage (blue bubble says “Delivered” underneath), you won’t get the option to send it as text.

In that case, there’s no need to resend it since the person will receive the iMessage once they’re online. Also, if the person you’re messaging only uses an email address for iMessage (not their phone number), the long-press menu might show “Send to Email Address” instead, which isn’t the same as SMS. To send that contact an SMS, you’d need to start a new conversation using their phone number or turn off iMessage entirely.

After you use “Send as Text Message” for a chat, you might notice that new messages in that conversation continue to send as green texts going forward. Your iPhone basically “learns” to default to SMS for that contact after you force one SMS. The typing field may even say “Text Message” instead of “iMessage,” indicating SMS mode. Later, if you want to go back to using iMessage with that person, you can simply close the Messages app and reopen it, or restart your phone, and it should reset to iMessage (blue) for that contact.

Alternatively, deleting the green-text message you sent and then reopening Messages can also switch the conversation back to iMessage. But if you’re fine with texting them via SMS for a while, you don’t need to do anything – just know you can re-enable iMessage anytime as needed.

Option 2: Send as Text Message After an iMessage “Not Delivered” Error

Sometimes you might not anticipate the need to send a text, and you send a message as an iMessage first. If the iMessage fails to send (you’ll see a red exclamation mark “!” next to it and a “Not Delivered” message), you have a second chance to send it as SMS without retyping. In this scenario:

1. Check your network connection – ensure you have a cellular signal or Wi-Fi. A failed iMessage often means you temporarily lost internet connectivity.

2. Tap the red exclamation mark (!) icon next to the failed message. Your iPhone will ask if you want to Try Again or Send as Text Message.

3. Choose “Send as Text Message.” The failed iMessage (blue bubble) will be resent as an SMS (green bubble). This uses your SMS/MMS plan through your carrier, so messaging rates may apply (though most plans have free texting).

After you select Send as Text Message, your message turns green and sends via the cellular network. This is the official way Apple expects you to resend a failed iMessage as SMS. It’s essentially doing the same thing as Option 1 above, but after an error. In day-to-day use, you can use whichever method fits the situation: proactively long-press to send as SMS if you foresee an issue, or tap the exclamation mark if an iMessage already failed.

How to Tell if a Message Was Sent as SMS or iMessage

It’s easy to figure out whether your text was sent as an iMessage or an SMS by looking at the colour of the message bubble in the Messages app:

In the iPhone Messages app, blue chat bubbles (left) mean iMessage, and green chat bubbles (right) mean SMS/MMS.

• Blue bubble = iMessage: If your sent message appears in a blue bubble, that means it went through Apple’s iMessage system. iMessages will also show a “Delivered” notification below the bubble once it’s delivered to the recipient’s device, and if the recipient has read receipts on, it might later change to “Read.” These indicators only apply to iMessage conversations.

• Green bubble = SMS/MMS: If the message bubble is green, your iPhone sent it as a standard text message using your cellular network. SMS (or MMS if it included a picture/video) won’t show a “Delivered” or “Read” note in the iPhone Messages app. The green colour is your main confirmation. As Apple’s documentation explains, texts sent via SMS/MMS appear in green bubbles on your device.

Remember, the Messages app will automatically choose iMessage or SMS based on the contact and network conditions. By default, when you message another iPhone user, you’ll get a blue bubble (iMessage) as long as you both have iMessage enabled and internet access. If you’re messaging an Android/non-iPhone, it will always be green (SMS/MMS). And if iMessage is turned off on your phone, everything will be green.

Quick tip: Before you even send a message, the text box will hint at what type of message will be sent. When composing a message, if you see the grey placeholder saying “iMessage” in the typing field, the phone is set to use iMessage for that contact. If it says “Text Message” instead, that conversation is set to send via SMS. This can change depending on settings or previous messages. It’s another visual cue to know what to expect (blue or green) when you hit send.

Tips and Troubleshooting for Sending SMS on iPhone

Most of the time, you won’t have to think about whether a message sends as iMessage or SMS – it just works. But if you specifically want SMS and it’s not working as expected, or if texts aren’t going through, try these tips:

• Make sure “Send as SMS” is enabled: This setting on your iPhone allows your message to fall back to SMS if iMessage isn’t available. Go to Settings > Messages and ensure Send as SMS (or “Send as Text Message”) is toggled on. If this is off, your phone will only try iMessage and never send texts, which could be a problem if iMessage fails or if you’re messaging someone without iMessage.

• Check your cellular connection and plan: SMS requires a cell signal (it uses your phone’s connection to the cellular network, not Wi-Fi). If you have no bars or aeroplane mode on, SMS can’t send. Also, verify that your mobile plan includes texting. Most do, but some very limited or data-only plans might not support SMS. If you consistently can’t send any SMS, contacting your carrier is a good idea.

• Verify the recipient’s contact info: If your texts to a certain person are not sending as SMS, ensure you’re using the correct phone number in the Messages app. If you accidentally started a thread to their email (which would try to use iMessage) or an old number, that could cause issues. Start a new message to their proper mobile number to force an SMS.

• Consider the iMessage status of the recipient: When you send a message to an iPhone user, your phone prefers iMessage. If you know the person isn’t using their iPhone or iMessage (for example, they switched to Android or their iMessage is turned off), your iPhone might still attempt an iMessage unless you’ve turned yours off too. In cases where someone switched from iPhone to Android, they should deregister their number from iMessage so that their iPhone stops trying to send them iMessages. If they haven’t, you might temporarily turn off your own iMessage to text them, as described earlier.

• Use the manual “Send as Text Message” for stuck messages: If an iMessage is hanging (the send bar is taking a long time) and you want it out quickly, you can use the long-press trick to send it as SMS (see the section above). This often resolves the immediate issue of an important message not going through on iMessage.

• Restart messaging if needed: Sometimes your iPhone might continue to send SMS to a contact (green bubbles) even after their connection is back, or vice versa. If things seem stuck in one mode, you can try closing the Messages app and reopening it, or even rebooting the phone. This can reset the iMessage/SMS detection for that contact. You can then try sending again.

• Contact your carrier for SMS issues: If you can’t send any SMS messages (green texts) at all, even with iMessage off, the issue might lie with your carrier or SIM card. For example, if you see error messages when sending texts, your carrier might not be properly provisioning SMS on your line. In that case, reach out to your carrier’s support or reset your iPhone’s network settings. Apple also advises contacting your carrier if SMS messages aren’t working on your iPhone.

By following these tips, you can resolve most problems related to sending SMS texts. The key is to ensure your settings are correct (iMessage on or off as you desire, Send as SMS enabled) and that you have a valid cellular connection.

Additional Tips for Using SMS Instead of iMessage

Choosing between SMS and iMessage doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing. Here are some additional tips to help you use SMS when you need it:

• Use SMS in poor network conditions: If you’re in a situation with very weak data or Wi-Fi (say, travelling in a rural area or during a network outage), consider using SMS for important messages. Text messages can often be sent even with a very minimal cellular signal, whereas iMessage might not connect at all. In these cases, turning off iMessage temporarily (or using the manual send-as-text for specific messages) can ensure your message gets through when you need it.

• Temporarily disable iMessage when needed: You don’t have to leave iMessage off forever. If you know you’ll be somewhere without internet, you can turn off iMessage in Settings for the day so that all your messages go out as SMS. This way, you won’t have to manually resend anything – your phone will default to SMS. When you’re back to a place with good Wi-Fi or data, you can switch iMessage back on. This flexibility is handy for events like camping trips or international travel, where data is limited.

• SMS for urgent messages: Because SMS doesn’t depend on the recipient being online, it can be more immediate in some cases. For example, if it’s critical to reach someone now (maybe to pick you up or in an emergency) and you’re unsure if they have internet access, a regular text (SMS) is a safer bet. It will be delivered directly to their phone via the cellular network. iMessages will eventually deliver, too, but only when the person has an internet connection again.

• Remember iMessage benefits when available: While SMS is great for the reasons above, don’t forget that iMessage has its own advantages when conditions are right. iMessage texts are free over Wi-Fi/data (no SMS fees), they’re encrypted for security, and they allow larger media and group chats more seamlessly. So use SMS when you need reliability and universality, and use iMessage when you want richer features or when texting fellow Apple users under good network conditions. You can always mix and match based on what you need in the moment.

By understanding both systems, you can get the best of both worlds – the reach and dependability of SMS, and the features and polish of iMessage. The key takeaway is that you’re in control. You can decide how you want to send your message, and your iPhone provides options (via settings or on-the-fly) to switch to SMS whenever it makes sense.

Conclusion

Both iMessage and SMS have their place on the iPhone. iMessage (blue texts) offers a richer messaging experience when you have a good internet connection and are communicating with other Apple users. SMS (green texts) is the universal fallback that works anywhere, anytime – you don’t need Wi-Fi or data, and you can reach any mobile phone with it. Knowing how to switch to SMS gives you an advantage in situations where iMessage isn’t ideal.

To recap, if you prefer to always send SMS instead of iMessage, you can turn off iMessage in your iPhone’s settings, and your messages will all be sent via your carrier’s text service. If you only need to send an occasional SMS, you can use the “Send as Text Message” option per message, either by long-pressing an iMessage that’s in progress or by tapping to resend if an iMessage fails. You can easily recognise what kind of message was sent by the colour (green for SMS, blue for iMessage) in your chat bubbles. And if something isn’t sending as SMS when it should, checking your settings (like Send as SMS enabled) and your network/cellular plan will solve most issues.

In the end, the benefits of using SMS include guaranteed delivery even without internet, the ability to reach people who aren’t on iMessage, and reliable sending with even a weak cell signal. These benefits make SMS useful in many scenarios, from emergency texts to friends in areas with poor reception. On the other hand, when you have solid internet access and both parties are on iPhones, iMessage’s features can be enjoyable. The good news is you don’t have to choose one forever – you can switch iMessage on or off as needed, giving you the flexibility to use SMS or iMessage whenever each is most convenient.

By following the steps and tips in this guide, you now know how to send SMS instead of iMessage on your iPhone and when it makes sense to do so. Whether it’s turning off iMessage entirely or just forcing a single text message, you’re equipped to manage your iPhone’s messaging to suit any situation. Happy texting!

Sources

1. Apple Support – Difference between iMessage and SMS/MMS (support.apple.comsupport.apple.comsupport.apple.com)

2. Apple Support – Deregister and Turn Off iMessage (support.apple.comsupport.apple.com)

3. Apple Support – If you can’t send or receive messages on iPhone (support.apple.comsupport.apple.comsupport.apple.com)

4. iDownloadBlog – How to send an SMS instead of an iMessage

5. iDownloadBlog – Benefits of sending SMS vs iMessage (idownloadblog.comidownloadblog.com)