With Apple’s iMessage, you can send messages with style or include stickers and applications into your communications. Additionally, you can sync iMessage across many Apple devices—but only once you’ve configured it correctly. You’re not alone if messages appear on your iPhone but not on your iPad or Mac. We can assist you.

Follow along if you’re having trouble sending and receiving iMessages on all of the devices.

TL;DR

The easiest approach to make sure that all of your iMessage chats are transmitted to all of your Apple devices is to send and receive messages using the same Apple ID and simply your phone number. Simply make sure that the same email address is set on all of your Apple devices if you must use both your phone number and email address.

The iPhone is the first.

Before we go on to an iPad or Mac, let’s make sure your iPhone is configured correctly.

Image Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET: imessage-ios.jpg

On your iPhone, choose Settings > Messages > Send & Receive.
Note the Apple ID that your iPhone uses for iMessage at the top of the page. Your phone number and any email addresses linked to your Apple ID are shown here.
For sending and receiving texts, I advise using simply your phone number. By doing this, a great deal of misunderstanding will be avoided, and messages won’t sync to one device by accident.
A new option will show up at the bottom of the page if you want to choose an email address as well. You may start new discussions by providing your phone number or email address.
After configuring iMessage on your iPhone, you must confirm that the same data is used on the rest of your Apple devices.

Using an iPad

Verify that the Apple ID you used on your iPhone is being used on your iPad by opening Settings > Messages > Send & Receive.
Choose your phone number and any email addresses you added to your iPhone if that’s the case.
When choosing the Start new conversations from option at the bottom of the screen, it’s crucial that you choose the same thing as you did on your iPhone.
You may sign in using the same Apple ID you used on your iPhone by tapping on it and following the instructions to sign out if the Apple IDs don’t match.

mac-imessage-screenshot.jpg

on a Mac

Expand the Picture
Jason Cipriani/CNET screenshot
Verify that the Apple ID used to log into iMessage matches the one on your iPhone and iPad by opening Messages, then selecting Preferences > Accounts.
Select the phone number and email address you want to use by checking the boxes next to them.
When choosing the Start new conversations from option at the bottom of the screen, it’s crucial to choose the same item as on your iPhone.
Editors’ note: New features have been added to this piece since it was first published in 2012.