Phone Number Is Not Registered With iMessage, Here's the Fix

Several users have complained that they are unable to send text messages using iMessage on their iPhone, iPad or Mac. When they attempt to send an iMessage, they see a popup error that says:

Your message could not be sent. 1 288 000 0000 [phone number] is not registered with iMessage.

If you are experiencing this problem, this article explains how you can troubleshoot it.

Why do you see this message?

You may see this message on your iPhone, iPad or Mac. You see this message because the recipient cannot accept iMessages because the recipient does not have an iPhone or does not have iMessage enabled.

To give more background, iMessage is Apple’s messaging service. And iMessage can only be sent to another iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac. For example, you cannot send an iMessage to an Android phone. You can, however, send a regular text message. This does not mean that you cannot send messages from your Mac or iPad. Here is how:

Phone number is not registered with iMessage: Fix

To fix this problem, you will need to set up text message forwarding. Doing so will enable you to send and receive SMS and MMS messages from your Mac, iPod touch or iPad. This will let you use your iPhone to send and receive any type of message (SMS, MMS, iMessage, or RCS messages) on your other Apple devices. This means that you can send and receive messages to and from non-Apple devices. Here is how you can do this:

Before you do the following steps, make sure that you are using the same Apple account on all of your devices. Here’s how to check what Apple Accounts are being used:

On your iPhone or iPad: Go to Settings > Apps > Messages and make sure that iMessage is turned on. Tap Send & Receive, then make sure that the Apple Account shown at the bottom of this screen is the same as on your iPhone. If it isn’t, tap it to sign out, then sign in with the correct Apple Account.
On your Mac: Open the Messages app. From the menu bar, choose Messages > Settings (or Preferences). Click iMessage and make sure that the Apple Account shown in this window is the same as on your iPhone. If it isn’t, click Sign Out, then sign in with the correct Apple Account.

iPhone

On your iPhone:

Go to Settings > Apps > Messages.
Choose Text Message Forwarding.
Tap to turn on each device that you want to allow to send and receive messages from this iPhone.
Note: If you select a device that isn’t using two-factor authentication for your Apple Account, a verification code will be shown on each of your other devices: enter that code on your iPhone. If you are using two-factor authentication, you are all set.

Troubleshoot

Still having issues?

In some cases, you may not see the “Text Message Forwarding” option in Settings. If you are having this problem also:

On your iPhone, go to Settings > Apps > Messages and turn off iMessage. Wait one minute. Then turn it on. Wait until it activates.
Make sure that your Apple Account and your phone number is selected in Settings > Apps > Messages > Send & Receive.
Ensure that you sign in with the same Apple Account on your other devices (e.g., your Mac).
Make sure that your iPhone, iPad and Mac are running the latest version of the iOS, iPadOS or macOS software:
- To update your Mac: click Apple menu > System Settings, click General in the sidebar, then click Software Update. If there is an update available, click Upgrade Now.
- To update your iPhone or iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update. if there is an update available, tap Update Now, then follow the onscreen instructions to complete the process.
Make sure that iMessage is turned on on your iPhone or iPad. You can check this by going to Settings > Apps > Messages.
Reboot all your devices.