iMessage

Everything you need to know about Apple's unlimited text, picture, video, location, and contact sharing messaging service for iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and Mac

iMessage works in parallel with SMS and MMS on the iPhone, and brings the same type of messaging functionality to the iPod touch, iPad, and Mac. It only works between people running iOS 4 and later, and OS X Mountain Lion and later, so you can't use iMessage to contact people on other phones or on Windows computers, but you can use it to send and receive texts and photos, and share map locations and contacts, with anyone using the latest Apple gear. And since there's no charge for iMessage beyond data (cellular or Wi-Fi), you can send unlimited iMessages pretty much for free. Take that, carriers!

iMessage: The ultimate guide

More coverage

Is iMessage down for you?

By Allyson Kazmucha, Monday, Sep 17, 2012 a 2:55 pm

A lot of us here at iMore along with friends and family members are having some issues with iMessage. Basically, we can't send or receive any! Are you guys experiencing the same problems we are?

If you seem to be having issues sending iMessages, you can turn it off from Settings for now so you can still send regular text messages. It's what we recommend doing until the service is back to working properly.

How to copy, forward, and delete iMessages

By Allyson Kazmucha, Tuesday, Sep 11, 2012 a 4:56 pm

Replying to an iMessage (or SMS or MMS) is only one of several things you can do with the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and Mac Messages app. You can also copy it, forward it, or delete it altogether. Copying an iMessage is a great way to move important information to other apps, like Mail or Notes or for searching in Safari. Forwarding is a super fast way to share one person's iMessage with another. And deleting, if you've received something personal in a text -- or sext, we don't judge! -- is the perfect way to maintain your privacy.

How to send photos using iMessage

By Allyson Kazmucha, Saturday, Sep 8, 2012 a 6:32 pm

If you've got an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad running iOS 5 or higher you've got iMessage, Apple's free MMS-like service that works with any other iOS device, and Mac running OS X Mountain Lion, to let you easily send photos without paying your carrier for a special messaging plan (data rates will still apply if you aren't on Wi-Fi). iMessage is built right into the same Messages app and Share Sheet that sends SMS and MMS to your non-iPhone using friends, so you don't have to do anything extra to use it. Just pick your photos and send them!

How to add additional email addresses to iMessage

By Allyson Kazmucha, Friday, Sep 7, 2012 a 1:39 am

iMessage is great way to send and receive text and multimedia images with any iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad running iOS 5 or higher, as well as any Mac running OS X Mountain Lion. Along with receiving iMessages at your phone number on the iPhone, you can receive iMessages at your Apple ID email address on iOS and OS X as well. But what if you've got more than one email address and you want to be able to use all of them with iMessages?

How to send a contact card using iMessage

By Allyson Kazmucha, Wednesday, Sep 5, 2012 a 1:19 am

If you need to quickly send contact information from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, it's easy to do with iMessage or even good, old-fashioned SMS. As long as you have the information listed in your iOS Contacts app, you're always only a few taps away from sharing a vCard file (vcf) containing phone numbers, email, street addresses, and much more.

How to send a video using iMessage

By Allyson Kazmucha, Monday, Aug 27, 2012 a 8:29 pm

If you've got an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad running iOS 5 or higher, or a Mac running OS X Mountain Lion, you've got iMessage, Apple's free MMS-like service. iMessage works with other iOS devices and Macs to let you easily send videos without paying your carrier for a special messaging plan (data rates will still apply if you aren't on Wi-Fi). iMessage is built right into the same Messages app and Share Sheet that sends SMS and MMS to your non-iPhone using friends, so you don't have to do anything extra to use it. Just pick your video and send!

How to send a voice memo using iMessage

By Allyson Kazmucha, Monday, Aug 20, 2012 a 3:07 pm

The iPhone and iPod touch have a built-in Voice Memo app that can be handy for recording lengthy thoughts or instructions. After finishing your Voice Memo you can easily share it with someone else as an iMessage or SMS. Once they receive it they'll be able to play it directly through the Messages app.

Apple responds to SMS vulnerability concerns, suggests using iMessage

By chrisoldroyd, Sunday, Aug 19, 2012 a 3:53 am

Apple has responded to questions raised by pod2g earlier this week over an SMS vulnerability he discovered in the latest iOS 6 beta 4. The SMS vulnerability could allow someone to abuse the protocol for SMS in order to spoof or send fake text messages. The exploit has been an issue since the incarnation of iOS and is still present in iOS 6 beta 4.

How to send map locations using iMessage

By Allyson Kazmucha, Thursday, Aug 2, 2012 a 2:48 pm

iMessage isn't just for texting, you can easily and instantly share your location with friends, family, and colleagues as well. Whether you're lost or need someone to give you directions, or you're waiting and want to help someone find you, iMessage is as simple as hitting the share button and sending.

Poll: How many of your friends and family use iMessage?

By Georgia, Wednesday, Aug 1, 2012 a 12:39 am

Apple shocked a lot of us back in 2010 when they announced iMessage, probably none more than the carriers who for years changed an absolutely obscene amount of money to send short text messages to and fro. When Apple made iMessage free (except for the data change, if you were on cellular) that carrier gouging was put to an end -- presuming everyone you texted used iOS. But is that the case? Do enough of your friends, family, colleagues, and contacts use iMessage to really put the kibosh on SMS?

For me it's still a very mixed bag. Some of my friends use iPhones, so iMessage is easy. Many of my family and the people I work with still don't even use smartphones, let alone iPhones, so iMessage is a non-starter. Also, with the just-released OS X Mountain Lion, Apple has brought iMessage back to the Mac, and you can quickly send and receive texts, pictures, locations, and contacts right on your computer. It's really fast, but it's also messy. Right now my iPhone, iPad, and MacBook Air are all in a constant race to see which can beep and buzz first and most often.

iOS 6 promises to make some things better, letting us combine our phone numbers and Apple IDs, so at least we won't have to wonder which message is going to which device any more.

But that still leaves us stuck on the old SMS system for all our Windows, Android, BlackBerry, and other non-iOS or OS X using friends and family, with no real future in sight. (Because the odds of Apple creating iMessage clients for those platforms are about the same as the odds of them putting a keyboard and kickstand on the next iPhone...)

So given all that, when you're typing away on Messages all day, are most of the ones you send and receive good old iMessage blue, or cold hard carrier cash green? Do most of the people you text with have iMessage, or do most of them not? Hit the poll up top and then give me the details in the comments below!