How do I unlink my iPhone & iPad?

I have a work iPhone, and a personal iPad. Somehow they’ve become linked so that if I text a collegaue on my workphone, the reply comes via my iPad.

If I’m not at home – where my ipad resides – I never see my colleague’s reply.

How do I stop/undo this feature?

Assume numpty levels of knowledge an ability on my part please.

I did it by turning off imessage on the ipad in the settings menu. It is a stupidly annoying feature apple seemed to turn on in one of the latest updates.

Edit – also a numpty so not sure if the menu is called imessage on the ipad and I don’t have it to hand. It’s definitely in the settings menu and I managed to blunder my way to it so should be relatively easy to find.

With previous iOS versions the “distribution” of iMessages (i.e. the message pops up on all your devices) was a bit hit & miss, it seems to work properly on iOS 9 though (for me at least).

HOWEVER the fact that you aren’t receiving messages on your phone i.e. your primary device makes me think that possibly it isn’t set up to send/recieve iMessages and/or your phone number isn’t linked to your iCloud account. So what I think is happening is you are sending a regular text message to your colleague (who has an iPhone/iPad right?) and they are sending an iMessage back which your phone isn’t picking up but your iPad is. Maybe.

If this is what’s happening the solution is to go to “Messages” in “Settings” on your iPhone and ensure ‘iMessage” is turned on. Then scroll down to “Send & Receive” and make sure your actual phone number (as well as your email address) is listed under “You can be reached by iMessage at”

zilog6128

Thats right – my iphone imessage was switched off.

So if I switch it on again, BOTH devices will recieve texts – right?

But how do I stop my ipad being associated with my work phone? The only commonality I can see is that I use the same email account – my personal one – on both devices. So how does it know?

So if I switch it on again, BOTH devices will recieve texts – right?

Yes

But how do I stop my ipad being associated with my work phone?

It’s not a case of the iPad being linked to the phone directly – it’s because both devices are associated with the same iCloud account. Obviously I don’t know anything about your work IT policy but if you want to separate the two devices then you’ll need to associate the work iPhone with a different (work) iCloud account which they should provide (I would’ve thought) if they expect you to use iCloud features for work purposes. Or just log out of iCloud on the work iPhone if you don’t need those features.

OP I get my messages to both and can reply from either. Seems to work very well. It is a bit confusing text vs iMessage setups though

Turn text message forwarding off in settings/messages. Had the same thing with my Iphone and Mrs Dhd’s Ipad.

It is a bit confusing text vs iMessage setups though

It is (slightly) less confusing when you realise that normal messages appear as blue speech bubbles and iMessages appear green!

Turn text message forwarding off in settings/messages. Had the same thing with my Iphone and Mrs Dhd’s Ipad.

This setting was off by default on my phone. Worth checking though.

zilog – you sure its not the other way around? imessage blue, text = green.

yep you’re right 😳

It’s a pita having them linked…and every time a update comes it seems to link them again
I wouldn’t mind but everyone in my house has a iPad …but on me has a iPhone…..and most my texts are rude and some from hot chicks!!…lol
Then ping…..fooking misses get my texts on her iPad ……who’s stupid idea was this..Apple !!!???

Th only way to stop it is to have a different app account or what ever it’s called ..from what I can see anyway

I wouldn’t mind but everyone in my house has a iPad …but on me has a iPhone…..and most my texts are rude and some from hot chicks!!…lol
Then ping…..fooking misses get my texts on her iPad ……who’s stupid idea was this..Apple !!!???

surely this only happens because everyone has the same apple ID/iCloud account? Just give everyone their own ID, problem solved.

Well that all seems to work – It was the turning off of imessage on my ‘phone which was causing the issues.

I have turned text forwarding off, but I still get a duplicate message on my ipad, even though icloud on my work phone is switched off.

What’s the point of iMessage, out of interest?

I can see how it’d be handy when mobile services aren’t available – a SIMless tablet for example – or if your talk plan doesn’t give you much of an SMS allowance. But for normal phones in typical situations it looks like an added proprietary technology for the sake of it?

Turn it off on the Ipad too

What’s the point of iMessage, out of interest?

Delivery notifications. Works across devices and (like the building I’m working in today) if you have no mobile signal but do have wifi. All encrypted, SMS is in plain text as it goes across the mobile networks. Can send pictures and video without it being crushed down to the size that MMS can cope with.

Is that enough for now?

Not sure why that last line was necessary but yes, that’s helpful, thanks.

I have turned text forwarding off, but I still get a duplicate message on my ipad, even though icloud on my work phone is switched off.

Have you tried going into the “Send & Remove” setting of Messages and removing your email address/iCloud account so only your phone number is listed?

But for normal phones in typical situations it looks like an added proprietary technology for the sake of it?

Obviously it is a proprietary technology, but if all or the majority of your friends/family/work colleagues have iPhones then it’s great! You actually know when a message has got through (rather than just assuming it has only to find out later it hasn’t) plus you can send photos/videos for free rather than use MMS.

Have you tried going into the “Send & Remove” setting of Messages and removing your email address/iCloud account so only your phone number is listed?

Never even knew it existed, but thanks.

FWIW I don’t mind the messages appearing on my iPad, as I can order a cup of Tea from Mrs K downstairs while I’m reading on the bog upstairs.

What I was more concerned about was not recieving texts on my work phone, which is now fixed.