Get Out of 'iMessage Purgatory' With New Apple Tool

If your text messages have been trapped in iMessage purgatory since you ditched your iPhone, Apple (finally) has a solution for you.

Cupertino has released an online tool that lets you deregister iMessage on your old phone.

Apple's iMessage is a convenient way to chat with other iOS users without eating into your monthly text allotment. But if you ditch your iPhone for a smartphone on another platform, and do not switch off iMessage, your messages will be delivered to your old iPhone, even if it's no longer in use.

This can be avoided by turning off iMessage and unchecking your phone number on your iPhone before switching to an Android, Windows Phone, or BlackBerry device, but you're out of luck once the old iPhone is gone. Until now.

On Apple's new website, enter the phone number you want to deregister from iMessage and Apple will send a confirmation code to your current device. When you get that code, enter it on Apple's website, and Cupertino will deregister it.

If you still have your old iPhone, put your SIM card in, navigate to Settings > Messages and switch iMessage off.

Reports of this iMessage purgatory have persisted for months, but cropped up in May when a California woman, Adrienne Moore, sued over the issue. Apple has sought to have the case thrown out, but it is ongoing. The two sides are scheduled to meet in a California court on Nov. 13.

About Our Expert

Chloe Albanesius

Executive Editor, News

My Experience

I started out covering tech policy in DC for The National Journal, where my beat included state-level tech news and all the congressional hearings and FCC meetings I could handle. I later covered Wall Street trading tech before switching gears to consumer tech. I now lead PCMag's news coverage.

My Areas of Expertise

Getting my start in DC means I still have a soft spot for tech policy; Congressional hearings can sometimes be as entertaining as a Bravo reality show, for better or worse. But PCMag is all about the technology we use every day, as well as keeping an eye out for the trends that will shape the industry in the years ahead (or flop on arrival). I've covered the rise of social media, the iOS vs. Android wars, the cord-cutting revolution that's now left us with hefty streaming bills, and the effort to stuff artificial intelligence into every product you could imagine. This job has taken me to CES in Vegas (one too many times), IFA in Berlin, and MWC in Barcelona. I also drove a Tesla 1,000 miles out west as part of our Best Mobile Networks project. Of late, my focus is on our hard-working team of reporters at PCMag, guiding and editing their robust coverage.

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