Tutorial: Remove Apple devices from your account (fixes iMessage issues!)

[Kaido]

If you ever need to unregister a device from your Apple account, just log into your Support Profile:

https://supportprofile.apple.com/

I'm posting this partially so that I remember this trick, haha. iPhones have the nasty tendency to continue to get text messages via iMessage even after the user has switched to an Android or other device (so the switcher never gets your texts!). The trick is to unregister the iPhone in the Apple Support Profile so that iMessage is no longer set to receive SMS messages. I've run into this a LOT and keep forgetting where this link is (it's not readily available when searching for this issue on Google). Technically you can also turn off iMessage in the phone's Setting app, but if you've already sold it, then you won't have access to that method at all. This is also a good time to prune out any old Apple devices that you don't own anymore.

 

[Eug]

Thanks for the reminder. I just deleted a bunch of old hardware from my account. Mind you they're all old ones. It was interesting looking back at all my old hardware, including my first "recent" Mac, the iBook G3 from 2001.

BTW, my wife's refurb iPhone 5 isn't there. I will have to check again but I think it's still registered to the previous owner. However, iMessage works fine with it. It's been factory reset more than once since purchase. (By the store, and by me after I got it to confirm that it's factory unlocked.)

Do you not factory reset your phones before you sell them? Shouldn't this solve the iMessage issue?

Mind you, it's almost moot for us at the time being, since neither of use iMessage in the first place. We do use FaceTime, but it hasn't been a problem.

 

[Kaido]

It does not appear to solve the problem via a factory reset since Apple is still intercepting iMessages through their iCloud system. So normally, a cell phone to cell phone text would go over SMS, but when an iOS user texts another iOS user, it's sent through iMessage by default (unless you disable it in Settings). So even though your iPhone is gone, Apple still thinks you have iMessage setup (say on an iPad) and continues to default to sending text messages via iMessage until you deactivate the device in your Support Profile online.

I believe that if you disable iMessage on the phone, that will kick it back to SMS permanently (although I've heard it takes a few days to really propogate), but of course if your phone is already sold or broken, then you can't do that. Apple really isn't too clear about all this stuff, and they don't really care if you're jumping ship to a different platform since you're not their customer anymore. Here's the iMessage disable KB entry at Apple btw:

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS5185

And yeah, I had like 3 pages of purchases to delete haha, terrible! I had no idea I had bought so much Apple stuff. I think the only legitimate Apple product I own right now is an iPhone; my wife has an iPhone & a Hackintosh (I'm on a Chromebook right now and LOVING it) and we have some Roku 3's scattered throughout the house for Plex & Netflix.

 

[ViRGE]

I believe that if you disable iMessage on the phone, that will kick it back to SMS permanently (although I've heard it takes a few days to really propogate), but of course if your phone is already sold or broken, then you can't do that. Apple really isn't too clear about all this stuff, and they don't really care if you're jumping ship to a different platform since you're not their customer anymore. Here's the iMessage disable KB entry at Apple btw:

There is also an option on iOS devices to have messages fall back to SMS if they can't be delivered within 2 minutes.

 

[Kaido]

There is also an option on iOS devices to have messages fall back to SMS if they can't be delivered within 2 minutes.

Good to know! I've had the most issues with Facetime (not connecting) and some issues with iMessage - this being the most common one, when people switch to a different platform & don't get text messages.

 

[ViRGE]

Good to know! I've had the most issues with Facetime (not connecting) and some issues with iMessage - this being the most common one, when people switch to a different platform & don't get text messages.

Yep. It's the unfortunately named "Send as SMS" option. 3rd option down on the Messages settings page.

 

[Tyranicus]

Heh. I just removed two old MacBook Pros, two old iPads, and seven old iPhones.

 

[Eug]

Thanks for the reminder. I just deleted a bunch of old hardware from my account. Mind you they're all old ones. It was interesting looking back at all my old hardware, including my first "recent" Mac, the iBook G3 from 2001.

BTW, my wife's refurb iPhone 5 isn't there. I will have to check again but I think it's still registered to the previous owner. However, iMessage works fine with it. It's been factory reset more than once since purchase. (By the store, and by me after I got it to confirm that it's factory unlocked.)

Do you not factory reset your phones before you sell them? Shouldn't this solve the iMessage issue?

Mind you, it's almost moot for us at the time being, since neither of use iMessage in the first place. We do use FaceTime, but it hasn't been a problem.

Yep. My wife's iPhone 5 is still registered to the previous owner.

However, I have tested iMessage, and works fine with her phone, since it's not the previous owners number of course. If I send my wife an iMessage, she gets it, and if she sends one back, I get it.

Nonetheless, is it worth it to try to get it unregistered from the previous owner? For example, for all of my previous Macs and iPods, I just kept them registered under my own name, and haven't had any problems with buyers asking me to unregister them in terms of function, although once I was asked to call in to verify to transfer over an Apple Care warranty I purchased after the fact. I hadn't had any problem with an iPhone 4 either, but that's because I hadn't used the iPhone 4 for iMessage, and neither does the new owner.

For the phone I can see any specific instance where having it unregistered helps. (We don't get foreign iMessages intended for the previous owner.) As for the warranty, we don't qualify for any Apple warranty, since it's refurb from a 3rd party unauthorized refurbisher. The only warranty is the store warranty. However, they likely have the old owners details on record, so I could try to pursue this if necessary.

 

[ViRGE]

Nonetheless, is it worth it to try to get it unregistered from the previous owner?

I don't see why not. Why risk your messages going to someone other than yourself?

 

[rugby]

Yep. It's the unfortunately named "Send as SMS" option. 3rd option down on the Messages settings page.

This keeps getting unchecked in updates so people may need to look there again. IT's a HUGE pain when you move to Android.

 

[Qamsunrer]

If you ever need to unregister a device from your Apple account, just log into your Support Profile:

I'm posting this partially so that I remember this trick of iPhone messages erase steps , haha. iPhones have the nasty tendency to continue to get text messages via iMessage even after the user has switched to an Android or other device (so the switcher never gets your texts!). The trick is to unregister the iPhone in the Apple Support Profile so that iMessage is no longer set to receive SMS messages. I've run into this a LOT and keep forgetting where this link is (it's not readily available when searching for this issue on Google). Technically you can also turn off iMessage in the phone's Setting app, but if you've already sold it, then you won't have access to that method at all. This is also a good time to prune out any old Apple devices that you don't own anymore.

Are you sure ？ the iphone App can be deleted on computer ,I doubt it. due to i have tried it many times , no matter how do i deleted iPhone data , no matter how do I delete the data, in the end they are still in my phone,