How do I stop messages going to my iPad instead of my phone

How to Stop iPad from Getting iPhone Messages

Jan 16, 2020 - 6 Comments

How do I stop messages going to my iPad instead of my phone
How do I stop messages going to my iPad instead of my phone

Ever wondered why your iPad is getting text messages from your iPhone? And have you ever wondered how to stop the iPad from getting iPhone messages? This article will show you how to disable the feature that allows all iPhone messages to be shared and received to an iPad.


If you haven’t noticed already, if you have an iPad setup with the same Apple ID as an iPhone, the iPad will get messages from the iPhone, and the iPad can also send messages too. This iMessage sharing feature is really useful for some people, but for others it can be very frustrating, annoying, or invasive. For example, if you have a personal iPhone but a shared iPad for the house that sits on a coffee table or similar, your personal text messages may be visible and readable by anyone using the shared iPad. Thus, if you have multiple people that use the same iPad, it might be desirable to turn off this feature and stop the iPad from receiving iMessages and text messages that were sent to and from the iPhone sharing the same Apple ID.

How Do I Stop Text Messages from Going to My iPad?

Want to stop messages from iPhone going to iPad? This guide will show you how to stop messages from appearing on all devices connected to an Apple ID.

By @Lena
Last Updated May 24, 2021

How Do I Stop My Texts from Going to My iPad?

My text messages from my iPhone are appearing on iPad for family use, how do I stop that?

- Question from Apple Forum

Have you encountered a problem similar to this user? If your iPhone and iPad use the same Apple ID and related Messages settings are enabled, you will notice that your iPad will get messages from the iPhone.

For anyone who uses both iPhone and iPad for communication, it’s a great feature to keep important information up to date. However, it can be a potential privacy nightmare for you: the iPad is for family use and the personal messages may be visible and readable by anyone who also uses the iPad. Nothing is more annoying than this.

So how to stop sharing text messages between iPhone and iPad? Well, you can log out your Apple ID on iPad, thereby completely disconnecting the iPhone and iPad. If not, you should go to the Settings app to turn off message syncing to stop messages from iPhone to iPad. Keep reading to get the details.

Why are text messages going to my iPad and not my Android phone?

If you have an iPhone and another iOS device, like an iPad, your iMessage settings might be set to receive and start messages from your Apple ID instead of your phone number. To check if your phone number is set to send and receive messages, go to Settings > Messages, and tap Send & Receive.

How do I get my android text messages on my iPad?

If you only have an iPad, you cannot text Android phones using SMS. iPad only support iMessage with other Apple devices. Unless you also have an iPhone, which you can then use continuity to send SMS via iPhone to non Apple devices.

Why am I not getting all my text messages on my Android phone?

Fix problems sending or receiving messages

Make sure you have the most updated version of Messages. … Verify that Messages is set as your default texting app. Learn how to change your default texting app. Make sure your carrier supports SMS, MMS, or RCS messaging.

Why do only some of my text messages come to my iPad?

This is because of a feature called iMessage. … Normal text messages will have green bubbles, while iMessages will have blue bubbles. You can turn iMessage on or off on your iPad by navigating to Settings > Messages > iMessage. iMessaging is turned on when there is green shading around the button.

How to Prevent iMessages From Accidentally Appearing On Other Devices

By

Thorin Klosowski

4/12/17 2:13PM

If you own multiple Apple devices, you’ve probably signed into all of them with your Apple ID. You’ve also probably noticed that when you get a Facetime call your computer rings, or when you get an iMessage your iPad beeps. For most of us, this is a small annoyance worth fixing. For others, it’s a potential privacy nightmare.

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Case in point, the lurid tale of now-former Alabama Governor Robert Bentley, whose goofy love poetry iMessage thread with his former political advisor and mistress accidentally synced up with his state-issued iPad that he also happened to share with his wife. Whoops.

Chances are, most of us want to keep access to iMessages on just our phones and maybe a laptop, and we don’t need it on every Apple device we own. Here’s how to audit where you’re signed on and prevent something like this from happening to you.

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See All the Devices You’re Signed Into

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First things first, lets give your Apple ID a little audit to see every device you’re signed in on.

  1. Head to your Apple ID page and log in.
  2. Scroll down to the Devices section and take a look at where you’re logged in.
  3. If there’s a weird or old device here, click on it, then select Remove to log out.

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Now, you should know exactly what devices you own that are still linked up to you Apple account.

Turn Off iMessage On Extra Devices

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You probably do not want to log out of you Apple ID entirely on every device. Good news though, you can turn off just Messages (and Facetime, while you’re at it).

How you do so depends on which device you’re on:

On iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch

If you don’t want iMessages showing up on an iPad or on an old iPhone, it’s easy to disable:

  1. Open up Settings > Messages.
  2. Set the iMessage toggle to off.
  3. You may also want to disable Text Message Forwarding, which sends regular non-iMessage SMS messages from your phone to Messages on your Mac or iPad. Tap the Text Message Forwarding option, then uncheck any devices you do not want SMS messages to go to.

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On a Mac

If you don’t want iMessages showing up on your Mac, you just need to log out:

  1. Open up Messages.
  2. Click Messages > Preferences, then select the Accounts tab.
  3. Select your iMessage account, then click the Sign Out button.
  4. To log out of Facetime, open Facetime, then head to Facetime > Preferences, then click Sign Out.

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Now, your messages won’t sync up anywhere you don’t want them to.

Share Your Purchases Without Sharing Your Private Data

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There’s a chance that one reason you might be signed into your Apple ID on multiple devices is because your family doesn’t want to purchase the same apps, music, or movies multiple times. Well, in that case, you’re doing things wrong. Don’t share your account with your family; set up Family Sharing so you can both have individual accounts.

With Family Sharing, you can share each other’s iTunes, iBooks, and App Store purchases without actually sharing accounts. This means your phone calls, iMessage conversations, Safari browsing history, photos, and everything else that’s linked to your Apple ID remains yours and yours alone. With Family Sharing, one person is the family organizer who sets it all up. That organizer adds other users to the account, then confirms any purchases someone else in the group tries to make. Theoretically, you could also do this with your personal account and a work account, which would help keep private data private.

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Again, set up here depends on which devices you have:

On an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch

  1. Go to Settings and tap your Apple ID.
  2. Tap Set Up Family Sharing, then tap Get Started.
  3. Tap Continue to agree to being the Family Organizer, then follow the rest of the instructions to add additional members to your family group.

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From here on out, you can manage, remove, or add new family members by heading to Settings > iCloud > Family.

On a Mac

  1. Open up System Preferences.
  2. Click iCloud.
  3. Click the Set Up Family button, then follow the rest of the instructions to add additional members to your family group.

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You can now manage, remove, or add family members by heading to System Preferences > iCloud > Manage Family.

Enable Two-Factor Authentication

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Finally, the last thing you’ll want to do is enable two-factor authentication if you haven’t already. This not only secures your Apple ID and every device connected to it, it also prevents you from doing anything on accident in the future because it requires a few extra steps to sign in. With two-factor authentication, when you sign into a device for the first time, you need to authorize it with a verification code sent to another, trusted device.

For example, if you get a new MacBook, you can’t sign into your Apple ID on that MacBook until Apple sends a code to your iPhone. Yet again, set up depends on which device you’re on. This might sound cumbersome, but Apple’s implementation is less annoying than other options, and the security is well worth it.

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On an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch

  1. Open Settings, then tap your Apple ID.
  2. Tap Password & Security.
  3. Tap Turn on Two-Factor Authentication, then follow the directions on screen to finish the set up process.

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On a Mac

  1. Head to System Preferences > iCloud > Account Details.
  2. Click the Security tab.
  3. Click Turn on Two-Factor Authentication and follow the directions on screen to finish the set up process.

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Now, your Apple ID is not only secure, it’s also much less likely you’ll accidentally sign into a device without realizing the repercussions of doing so.


Beyond all that, one final thing: do not link your personal accounts to your company-issued devices, especially if you work for the state. It’s not only bad form, it’s also a privacy nightmare. Besides the fact that you may potentially look like a dummy when someone in your IT department figures it out, most company-issued devices grant access to everything you do on that device to your company. Which is to say, if you send an idiotic, racist, scandalous, or whatever other stupid message to a friend on that device, your company might just happen upon it.

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