New to iPad - Can't message, what am I missing?

[Tempest]

Just got an iPad for an elderly neighbour and getting it all setup and running nice, with a few basic apps before handing it to her.
After a few hick-ups (not my fault!) I'm pretty much there, but am puzzled and struggling with messaging.

I have made her a new Apple ID, and iCloud seems to be working as I can send her iPad photo's from my PC with a shared image folder.
But when I try and use iMessage to send a message to an Android phone, it can't send.

Note: This is a WiFi only iPad, and there is no iPhone around.
I've had a google, and it seems it should still work as the iPad is on WiFi, but I'm not seeing any option....

If I'm honest, iMessage seems hard to use. I can't even work out how to close down chats! lol... I'm sure it's simple when you know. But it's not obvious.....
I know fancy features of course won't send from iMessage to any "normal?" phone, but can't you just use iMessage to send communications etc? to any other device out there, non apple, or anything?

Appreciate help as this has me a bit stumped.

 

[Tempest]

As a follow up, I have read:
"Oh just hold your finger over the message and a menu pops up with the option to send as an SMS"
Well, I've tried that, and a menu does pop up, but that option is not there.

Are you supposed to use some other message to message normal? / non apple people's phone then?

I would have installed What'sApp, but then I found that's not available for the iPad.... Sheesh!

 

[MaryWhitehouse]

The short answer may be: Use Telegram. iMessage on an iPad isn’t going to talk to an Android phone. This isn’t meant to sound patronising it’s just true. The iPad isn’t a phone (even with a SIM) and isn’t going to send a txt instead of a message. An iPhone or a Mac connected to an iPhone will.

 

[Tempest]

Thanks. I just assumed that iMessage was the default messenger for apple stuff, so it would be able to send to any device
If an iPad etc was on WiFi then it would just message like a y android device would to anything.
So even a iPad with a sim model would not work, only an iPhone?
Does seem silly restrictive.
Stupidly I just presumed it would just work.
Like Google messages on Android devices.
Going to have to think about this then as supposed to be easy way for her daughter to message her mum with this iPad.

 

[MaryWhitehouse]

You hit the nail on the head with it’s the default for apple stuff. Wifi won’t make much if any difference sending to an android phone.
If the daughter uses android, use android. If you must use the iPad use Telegram.

 

[Tempest]

Ok, silly question ...
If a normal person has an iPhone, and they are told to send a text to a stranger, what does apple expect you to use to send the message?

 

[MaryWhitehouse]

Not silly. iMessage.

 

[Tempest]

Ummmmm, so iMessage will send a message to any device if it's used from an iPhone and the iPhone will convert? It into a standard MMS/RCS message if the recipient does not have an Apple product.

But an iPad, even a cellular one with a sim in it, will fail to send if you try do do this?

 

[MaryWhitehouse]

Ummmmm, so iMessage will send a message to any device if it's used from an iPhone and the iPhone will convert? It into a standard MMS/RCS message if the recipient does not have an Apple product.

But an iPad, even a cellular one with a sim in it, will fail to send if you try do do this?

Yes. You have to remember an iPad is not and cannot be made to be a phone so doesn’t have that functionality. The sim is purely for data.

 

[ChuckMountain]

Data sims can send and revive sms messages though.

iMessage knows if it is sending to another iDevice and (and will use data rather than sms, so pictures are free) then gives you notifications on when it has been delivered and read. Also the messages that are sent to an iDevice will be blue, those sent to android will normally be green in the app

 

[MaryWhitehouse]

Data sims can send and revive sms messages though.

Only to another I-device when there's not enough network for anything else, not other eco-systems.

 

[Dave X]

so iMessage will send a message to any device if it's used from an iPhone and the iPhone will convert?

No, iMessage is an Apple messaging app that works between compatible Apple devices.

The messages app is quite cunningly called Messages on an iPhone and it will send iMessages to other compatible Apple devices and SMS messages to non-Apple devices.