How to Change Your Settings in iMessage: A Comprehensive, Step-by-Step Guide with Photos

iMessage is Apple‘s popular instant messaging platform that allows iOS, iPadOS, and macOS users to seamlessly communicate across devices. With over 1 billion active iMessage users, it has become one of the most widely-used messaging services globally.

One of the best things about iMessage is just how customizable it is in terms of settings and preferences. You can tweak all aspects of the iMessage experience – from notifications to read receipts and more – to perfectly suit your needs.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know to change your iMessage settings on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch. Let‘s get started!

What Exactly is iMessage and How Does it Work?

Before we dive into the settings, it helps to understand exactly what iMessage is and what makes it different from regular text messaging:

• iMessage sends messages over the internet – Unlike SMS/MMS which rely on cellular networks, iMessage uses WiFi or cellular data to send messages. This means you can message for free even if you don’t have a texting plan.

• Seamlessly syncs across Apple devices – When signed in to the same Apple ID, your iMessage conversations automatically sync across all your devices. Start a chat on your iPhone and continue it effortlessly on your Mac or iPad.

• Supports rich media – Share high-quality photos, videos, locations maps, animoji, and more without worrying about SMS character limits.

• End-to-end encryption – iMessage communication is encrypted end-to-end, meaning messages are visible only to the sender and recipient.

Now that you know the unique advantages iMessage brings to the table, let‘s look at how to customize it to your liking.

Where to Find iMessage Settings on iPhone and iPad

On an iPhone or iPad, there are a couple of places you can go to change iMessage settings and preferences:

1. Settings App

This is where you’ll find system-wide settings that apply to iMessage across all conversations.

To access it, launch the Settings app from your home screen.

From there, choose one of two options to access iMessage settings:

Notifications (adjust notification settings for all message conversations)

Messages (change general iMessage settings and preferences)

We’ll cover how to use both sections later in this guide.

2. Individual iMessage Conversations

You can also change settings that apply to individual iMessage conversations. This allows you to customize notifications, read receipts, and more on a conversation-by-conversation basis.

To access these settings:

1. Open the Messages app and select a conversation
2. Tap the contact name at the top of the screen to open their contact card
3. Choose desired settings to customize that particular conversation

Now let’s explore exactly what settings you can customize in these two areas of your iPhone or iPad.

How to Change iMessage Notification Settings on iPhone and iPad

If you want to change notification settings for all message conversations at once, here’s what to do:

1. Open the Settings app
2. Tap Notifications
3. Tap Messages
4. Adjust preferences as desired:
   • Allow Notifications – Disable to mute all iMessage alerts
   • Show Previews – Choose to show message text in notifications or hide it
   • Notification Sound – Pick a custom sound for new iMessage alerts
   • Badge App Icon – Toggle on/off to show unread message count on Messages icon
   • Show on Lock Screen – Choose whether to show message notifications when device is locked

That covers adjustments that apply to notifications from all your contacts. But what if you only want to customize notifications for a single person?

Here’s how to tweak notifications for individual conversations:

1. Open the Messages app and select a conversation
2. Tap the contact name at the top
3. Toggle Hide Alerts on or off

This will mute or unmute notifications from that particular contact without affecting your notifications from anyone else.

Up next, we’ll cover how to change general iMessage settings that impact the messaging experience itself.

How to Change General iMessage Settings on iPhone and iPad

The previous section focused solely on notifications. But inside the Messages menu of the Settings app, you’ll find options that allow you deep customization of how iMessage functions:

Here are the most important ones to be familiar with:

Text Message Forwarding

This lets you send/receive SMS/MMS texts from your iPad, iPod Touch, or Mac. The features mirrors texts from your iPhone so you can seamlessly switch between devices.

To set it up:

1. On your iPhone, open Settings > Messages
2. Toggle Text Message Forwarding to On
3. Select the devices you want texts forwarded to
4. Verify setup code that appears on your other devices to link them

With everything linked up, you’ll get your texts on all configured devices instantly!

Send As SMS

This setting determines what happens if iMessage is unavailable due to no internet connection.

With Send As SMS enabled, any messages that fail to send as iMessages will be sent as regular text messages. This ensures the most reliable message delivery, but standard text messaging rates may apply.

If you disable Send As SMS, messages will only be sent over the internet as iMessages. Any messages attempted during a period of no connectivity may not be delivered.

Generally, keeping Send As SMS enabled is recommended for best delivery assurance. But you may want it disabled if you have a non-cellular device like an iPod Touch and don’t want any possibility of getting charged texting fees.

Send & Receive

This menu shows you the addresses associated with your Apple ID that can send/receive iMessages.

Having multiple options here ensures you continue receiving messages properly if one address becomes compromised or unavailable for any reason.

Most users will have at least two listed – an email address and a phone number. Both should remain enabled, but you can toggle either one on or off here if needed.

Expire Messages

This setting gives you a way to make sensitive iMessage conversations disappear forever after a preset length of time. Once initiated, expiring messages will self-destruct automatically from the sender and receiver’s histories at the chosen cutoff.

It’s perfect for temporary situations where ultimate privacy is key.

To use it:

1. Open a conversation
2. Tap the contact name
3. Choose a duration under Expire Messages

Messages in that chat will now automatically delete based on the selected timeframe – after 1 minute, 1 hour, 1 day, 1 week, 1 month or 1 year from being initially viewed.

The ability to make confidential chats literally expire adds an extra layer of protection on top of iMessages’ standard end-to-end encryption!

iMessage Settings and Customization on Mac

Much like iPhone and iPad, Macs give you a couple places to access and tweak iMessage settings:

Mac Notification Settings

To change notifications system-wide:

1. Click the Apple menu
2. Choose System Settings > Notifications (or System Preferences > Notifications on older macOS versions)
3. Select the Messages app
4. Adjust do not disturb, badges, sounds and more to your preferences

Mac iMessage Settings

To edit iMessage options for all conversations at once:

1. Open the Messages app
2. Click Messages > Preferences in the menu bar
3. Click the iMessage tab
4. Customize settings:
   • Enable/disable iMessage
   • Toggle Send read receipts
   • Change how long to Keep messages
   • Add Email address or phone number for sending messages

These controls mirror many of the same ones found in Settings on iOS devices.

And just like iPhone and iPad, you can further tweak settings for individual conversations by selecting the chat first.

With Mac setup, let‘s move on to…

Customizing iMessage on Apple Watch

The ability to tweak iMessage on Apple Watch is more limited than iPhone, iPad or Mac. This is because the watch‘s functionality depends so much on what your iPhone is configured to do.

However, there are still a few customizations you can make directly on the watch itself:

Disable All Notifications

To quickly mute all notifications from the watch:

1. Open the Settings app
2. Scroll down and tap Notifications
3. Toggle off notifications completely with the big switch at the top

You can then tap back through and re-enable only the notifications you want to receive going forward.

Default Replies

You can create and save default quick reply messages from Apple Watch to easily respond to incoming iMessages with just a tap or two:

1. On your iPhone, open the Watch app
2. Go to Messages > Default Replies
3. Tap to add new replies like "Can‘t talk now" that will display as reply options on your watch

After setting up a few automated responses in advance, replying discretion from the watch becomes a total breeze!

Outside of those Apple Watch-specific options, most customization is done through the settings on your paired iPhone which then carry over automatically.

For instance, if you disable read receipts in your Messages settings on the phone, read receipts will also be disabled in iMessage conversations started from the watch.

Syncing up configurations between devices helps simplify things!

Key iMessage Settings You Should Know

We’ve now covered the full range of settings you can customize within Apple‘s messaging platform. Here are some of the key options that tend to matter most for improving the iMessage experience:

Read Receipts – Disable these if you want complete privacy around whether recipients have seen your iMessages or not. Leave enabled to see those “Delivered” and “Read” confirmations.

Text Message Forwarding – Set this up to seamlessly carry over SMS conversations across all devices. Extremely useful for picking up where you left off without interruption.

Notifications – Configure on iPhone and Mac based on what style of alerts work best for you. Mute altogether or fine tune using custom sounds and preview options. Allows dialing in exactly the right notification setup.

Keep Messages – Choose whether you want a full history of all conversations stored indefinitely into the cloud or not. Handy for reference but can take up substantial storage space over time.

Expire Messages – Make especially sensitive chats disappear completely for both parties after a set duration. As close to off-the-record communication as you can get digitally.

Get these core options configured the right way for your needs, and you’ll likely find iMessage works significantly better as a primary messaging solution.

While Apple sets logical defaults to start, taking a few minutes to customize things for yourself goes a long way!

Troubleshooting Common iMessage Problems

Even with the right settings enabled, people sometimes run into issues using the service.

Here are fixes for some common iMessage troubles:

Can’t Activate iMessage – This is often tied to Apple ID problems. Ensure you’re signed in properly under Settings > [Your Name]. Delete and re-enter your Apple ID if needed.

Missing Text Messages – Text forwarding can glitch and fail to deliver certain messages sometimes. First disable/re-enable the feature under Settings > Messages. If issues continue, remove the problematic linked device and set up again from scratch.

No Read Receipts Visible – If this happens randomly for some contacts, make sure read receipts are enabled on both ends under Settings > Messages > Send Read Receipts. Toggle off and back on for good measure.

Can’t Send Messages – A send & receive address may have become unchecked under Settings > Messages > Send & Receive. Double check that all your active emails and phone numbers have the proper enable toggles switched on.

Taking basic troubleshooting steps like these will solve most common messaging problems quickly. But if unique issues persist, contact Apple Support who can investigate further and offer specialized fixes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are answers to some common questions around changing settings within iMessage:

How do I stop photos saving automatically from iMessages to my Camera Roll?

1. Open Settings > Messages
2. Toggle Save Incoming Media to Off
3. Any incoming photos or videos will now no longer save to your Camera Roll without your consent on a one-off basis. This prevents your personal library from filling up overtime with unwanted pictures over iMessage.

Can I disable read receipts for some conversations only?

Yes! The instructions above show you how to disable (or enable) read receipts on a conversation-by-conversation basis. Different rules can apply for individual contacts vs group conversations depending on your preferences. Super handy for keeping those “Read” statuses private with only certain people.

Do my iMessage settings sync from iPhone to iPad/Mac/Apple Watch automatically?

For the most part, yes! Settings toggle positions and choices will carry over across devices signed into your same Apple ID thanks to iCloud syncing. Notification preferences also typically mirror. This way you can configure once on your phone then not worry about duplicating everywhere. Super convenient!

Customize Your iMessage Experience Today!

That wraps up this ultimate guide to customizing iMessage settings across Apple products.

As you can see, taking a few minutes to dig into the available preferences and options gives you an amazing level of control. You can really mold messaging into the optimal communication system tailored specifically for your needs and preferences on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch devices.

We highly recommend tweaking notifications, read receipts, text forwarding, expire messages and more to get the right setup dialed in. This delivers a much smoother and more enjoyable iMessage experience overall.

So put some of the tips above to work for you today in streamlining your messaging workflow even further! Feel free to bookmark and share this guide anytime someone needs help changing their own iMessage settings going forward.