How to Turn Off iMessage on iPad

iMessage is not a feature exclusive to iPhones. Apple has also replicated his function across other Apple products, such as the iPad, and it can be extremely useful in combination with a phone number.

However, you may discover that the feature is giving you a headache for various reasons, or you simply prefer to use the traditional and beloved text message. This article will explain how to disable iMessage on the iPad as quickly as possible.

Turning Off iMessage on iPad

1. Open the Settings App

To access the Settings app, simply select Settings on the iPad Home Screen. You can also press and hold the Home button and ask Siri to launch Settings.

Another method to access your device’s settings is to swipe down on the home screen. This will display a search box where you can search for “settings” and then tap the first result.

2. Tap Messages

Once you are in the Settings menu, tap the section that says “Messages.” It is usually under “Phone”, and you will recognize it by its green and white logo.

3. Toggle the iMessage Slider OFF

On the next screen, simply turn off the iMessage option. Keep in mind that you can turn this option on at any time. If, at some point, you decide to receive messages again, simply set the iMessage slider to ON.

4. Close Messages When Finished

Press the Home button once to close Messages. You can also double-tap the screen or swipe up from the bottom.

Tips

Deactivating iMessage online

If you have switched devices but did not deactivate iMessage for your old iPad, don’t worry. There is an online workaround to deactivate iMessage for your phone number through Apple’s servers.

1. Go to Apple’s iMessage deregistration page.
2. Enter your phone number to be de-registered and press the Send Code button.
3. Check your device for an incoming text message, then type the received confirmation code into the relevant field on the deactivation page.

You can also call Apple’s 1-800-MY-APPLE number to get the company’s technical support’s help with de-registering your phone from their servers.

Keeping messages on your iPad while deleting them from your iPhone

If you notice that messages you delete on your iPhone are also deleted on your iPad (or the other way around), you may have the iCloud Messages feature enabled. This function essentially stores your messages in iCloud and syncs them across all your devices.

To prevent this from happening anymore, simply:

1. Open Settings
2. Select Apple ID
3. Select iCloud
4. Find Messages
5. Set the slider to OFF

How to stop text messages and iMessages from Going to iPad from iPhone

Another feature that gives Apple users some headaches is Text Message Forwarding. This function causes text messages to be forwarded from your iPad to different devices that share your Apple ID.

To avoid having this happen:

1. Go to Settings
2. Choose Messages
3. Select Text Message Forwarding
4. Find your iPad
5. Turn it off.

This way, you will stop receiving text messages on your iPad.

Final Thoughts

One of the most important features of Apple products is the incredible connectivity you can get across different devices. However, you may find these interconnection features annoying, or you may simply want to disable them. In that case, disabling iMessage is extremely simple and only takes a minute.

If you’d like a walkthrough of the steps covered in this article, check out the following video:

The image featured at the top of this post is ©phoelixDE/Shutterstock.com.