iPad User Guide

Set up Messages on iPad

In the Messages app, you can send text messages in two different ways:

  • Using iMessage with others who also use iMessage. Your iMessage texts appear in blue bubbles.

  • With SMS, MMS, and RCS messages forwarded from your iPhone. Your SMS, MMS, and RCS messages appear in green bubbles. See Choose other devices for SMS/MMS/RCS messaging in the iPhone User Guide. (RCS messages aren’t supported by all carriers or in all countries or regions.)

For more information, see the Apple Support article What is the difference between iMessage, RCS, and SMS/MMS? and the iOS and iPadOS Feature Availability website.

Turn on iMessage

  1. Go to the Settings app 👁 Image
     on your iPad.

  2. Tap Apps, then tap Messages.

  3. Turn on iMessage.

  4. To select which of your phone numbers and email addresses you want to use with iMessage, tap Send & Receive, then choose from the available options below “You can receive iMessages to and reply from.”

Learn more about iMessage.

👁 The Messages settings pane with iMessage turned on.

Sync messages on all your Apple devices

When you turn on Messages in iCloud, messages you send and receive on your iPad are saved in iCloud. When you sign in to the same Apple Account and turn on Messages in iCloud on another device, your conversations show up there too. Your entire messages history is kept up to date across those devices, even when you set up a new device. This includes messages sent or received with SMS, MMS, RCS, or iMessage.

  1. Make sure that your iPad is turned on and connected to a Wi-Fi network, and that you sign in to the same Apple Account on each device.

  2. Go to the Settings app 👁 Image
     on your iPad.

  3. Tap your name, tap iCloud, then tap Messages.

    If Messages doesn’t appear, tap See All in the Saved to iCloud section.

  4. Turn on “Use on this iPad” (if it’s not already turned on).

If you have an iPhone, you can set it up so that when you send or receive an SMS, MMS, or RCS message, it also appears on your iPad. See Choose other devices for SMS, MMS, and RCS messaging in the iPhone User Guide.

After you turn on Messages in iCloud, any messages or attachments you delete from iPad are also deleted from your other Apple devices (iOS 11.4, iPadOS 13, macOS 10.13.5, watchOS 1, visionOS 1, or later) where Messages in iCloud is turned on. See Set up iCloud for Messages on all your devices in the iCloud User Guide.

Note: Messages in iCloud uses iCloud storage. See Sign in and manage your Apple Account.

Share your name and photo

In Messages, you can share your name and photo* with others. You decide whether to share it whenever you send or receive a message from someone new.

👁 A conversation in Messages. A notification appears at the top asking whether the user’s name and photo should be shared with the other person in the conversation.

  1. Go to the Messages app 👁 Image
    on your iPad.

  2. Do one of the following:

    • At the top of the conversation list, tap Edit, then tap Set Up Name & Photo.

    • Swipe up to the top of the conversation list, then tap Share Your Name & Photo.

  3. Choose how you want to be represented, scroll down, then turn on Name and Photo Sharing.

  4. Tap Share Automatically, then choose one of the following:

    • Contacts Only: Anyone who is a saved contact receives the option of using the name and image you chose when they communicate with you.

    • Always Ask: You decide to share your name and photo as you communicate with each contact.

  5. Tap 👁 the Done button
    to save your changes.

To change these settings after you set them up, tap Edit, then tap Name & Photo.

Note: Your name and photo may not appear as expected when you send messages to recipients who are using non-Apple devices.

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