Having acquired an iPad I am puzzled to know how I can get Messages to work. I have turned on iMessaging and the very first text, sent from the Apple Store, was received. Subsequent texts to both iPhones and other smartphones have not been sent. I have entered the email address to which respondents can reply, but no joy and no clue either in the various online sets of instructions.
So two questions. How am I supposed to set iMessaging up, and will I be limited to texting other users of Apple kit?
I have not tested this exhaustively but I think that when wi-fi is available, messages will send using that. If it's not, then it will use the mobile phone network if the iPad has a sim card and that option is turned on. If it doesn't have a card or it isn't turned on, then the message may not go until it does have a wi-fi connection.
There's also complications at the receiving end. I know from experience that on my iPhone I had "send as SMS" or whatever it's called turned off. If I was at home with wi-fi available but Jane was out and so no wi-fi, she did not receive my message until she got back into wi-fi range which of course was often several hours later. However, having allowed my phone to use the mobile network, the message starts off as blue but if Jane is not able to receive by wi-fi it goes green and is sent using SMS via my carrier.
Second part - yes. (Apple say "Because it’s free for you and anyone texting over Wi-Fi using an iOS device or Mac with iMessage. And it’s unlimited.* So say as much as you want."
In short, once set up, your message will go as an iMessage if you have wi-fi and the recipient has an Apple device capable of running iMessages and is in wi-fi range. If you don't have wi-fi or the other person does not have an Apple device with iMessage or is out of reach of wi-fi it will go as a normal text message (SMS) if you've allowed that as an alternative and you have a sim card in your device.
Michael Corgan 