SMS is available on virtually every phone and tablet in the world. iMessage on the other hand is available only on Apple devices. But one of the major differences and in fact, the most important is security. iMessage texts contain a thing called end-to-end encryption that regular SMS texts don't.
Which is better for you? Most iPhone users will want to use iMessages, so long as they have a good plan that can handle the data usage. The only reason to use SMS instead of iMessage is if you're chatting with people who don't have Apple devices, or if you don't have any data on your phone.
iMessage is ideal for communication between Apple users and offers more advanced features than SMS. Sending rich content is easy with iMessage, but not all Android users will be able to receive rich messaging (they need to have RCS enabled).
When you disable SMS, the iMessage system automatically takes over, and sends and receives messages using your cellular or Wi-Fi data connection. To ensure you don't receive any text messages through SMS, you can also disable your cellular data connection to force your iPhone to use an available Wi-Fi network.
Plus, if you send messages over Wi-Fi, there's no cost to you to send that message, either. It's important to remember that iMessage is a messaging app that only works on Apple devices. If you try to send an iMessage to an Android device, your phone will send it as an SMS (green message) instead of an iMessage (blue).
If you see a green message bubble instead of a blue one, then that message was sent using MMS/SMS instead of iMessage. There are several reasons for this: The person that you sent the message to doesn't have an Apple device. iMessage is turned off on your device or on your recipient's device.
If you switch from iPhone to Android, you must turn off iMessage. Otherwise, texts from your iPhone friends won't be delivered to your new phone since your number is still registered on iMessage. You will have to create a new group chat with your iPhone friends on your Android phone.
SMS is fast and reliable, but SMS is also expensive and limited. You should opt to use iMessage when possible because it works online and is more robust with end-to-end encryption. Granted, there are certain times you will need SMS, like when you can't connect to the internet.
If you aren't using iMessage, you can use SMS/MMS. These messages are texts and photos that you send to other cell phones or another iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. SMS/MMS messages aren't encrypted and appear in green text bubbles on your device. To use SMS/MMS on an iPhone, you need a text-messaging plan.
Since Android and other carriers operate within the SMS and MMS standards of text communication, these green texts are more versatile in who they can reach with their texts. Blue messages, or iMessage messages, are compatible within the Apple ecosystem. Apple backs up all of these messages.
iMessage users will show a blue iMessage icon alongside their name.
But one of the major differences and in fact, the most important is security. iMessage texts contain a thing called end-to-end encryption that regular SMS texts don't. This is what protects your communications from getting intercepted by hackers or other unwanted third parties while going through networks.
With iMessage, you can send texts, photos, videos, and emojis to other Apple devices with WiFi or cellular-data networks. The messaging app on your iPhone allows you to create group chats, send multimedia files, and more to other iMessage users. iMessage has a benefit that stands above all: Apple Business Chat.
It's the same difference as the Messages bubble colors. Blue is another iMessage user and green is SMS.
On the Messages screen, swipe down to the Message History section, and tap Keep Messages. You'll notice it's set to keep SMS and iMessages Forever. Change it by tapping the 30 days option or 1 Year.
“iPhone messages are stored in a database in what is called SQLite format. These messages aren't immediately deleted from the database—they're instead added to a type of list called free lists,” he explains.
You can set up your iPhone so that when you send or receive an SMS message, it appears on your other Apple devices. Go to Settings > Messages. Tap Text Message Forwarding, then turn on any devices you want to include.
You can choose to automatically delete your iMessages from your device after 30 days or a year, or to keep them on your device forever. For your convenience, iMessages are backed up in iCloud and encrypted if you have enabled either iCloud Backup or Messages in iCloud.
Chances are, you'll end up using both: iMessage with your iPhone friends and SMS messages with your Android friends. However, iMessage does use data, so if you are on a monthly data plan but have unlimited SMS text messages, you may want to stick with SMS.
iMessage service is only available on Apple's hardware lineup, including iPhone, iPad, and Mac. If the recipient has changed their primary phone to Android, messages turn green on iPhone.
If your iPhone messages are green, it means they're being sent as SMS texts rather than iMessages. You'll always see green when texting Android users, or when you're not connected to the internet. If all of your iPhone messages are green, you should make sure iMessage is turned on in Settings.
A green bubble could also indicate that someone blocked you, especially when the bubbles have always been blue. When blocking occurs, iMessage sends your text, but the recipient never receives it. Your old messages remain blue, but the latest texts you send after they've blocked you turn green.
Check the Bubble Color
If you don't see a blue bubble on your end, then it's likely that they've blocked you on iMessage. It's important to note that this doesn't mean they have blocked your number altogether; it just means they have blocked you from sending them messages over iMessage.