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My wife currently has no roaming data available and so I need to text her rather than imessage. I know I can hold down on the blue imessage and choose Send as Text, but is there a way to toggle my phone to default to sending as a text until she has roaming availability? And then toggle it back to default for imessage?

I have XR, she has 7+, both fully updated.

Midavalo
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  • This isn't a new issue… https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/148579/mark-phone-number-as-cannot-receive-imessages – Tetsujin Jan 05 '20 at 08:26

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is there a way to toggle my phone to default to sending as a text until she has roaming availability?

No. This is not possible.

There is no way for your iPhone, Mac, or even Apple's iMessage servers to know whether your wife's phone is roaming or not.

Roaming is a carrier function designed to allow the user to seamlessly use their home carrier services on a different carriers network. The phone doesn't notify any other phones it's not on its home network.

roaming refers to the ability for a cellular customer to automatically make and receive voice calls, send and receive data, or access other services, including home data services, when traveling outside the geographical coverage area of the home network, by means of using a visited network.

If roaming is an issue, you should use a 3rd party app like WhatsApp or have your wife turn off roaming altogether.

Allan
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  • My point is that I know that she's roaming, so want to send as a text until she's no longer roaming. I'm not expecting imessage to do it automatically, I'm looking for an option to set (maybe in her Contact) but I can't find one – Midavalo Jan 04 '20 at 21:25
  • Still not possible even manually as there is no "my recipient is roaming switch" you can toggle. Again, it's a carrier function and the only setting you can set is whether you roam or not. – Allan Jan 04 '20 at 21:33
  • OK thanks. I do wonder whether you are focusing too much on the roaming? I want to know if on my phone I can specify that (since my wife can only receive calls/texts and not data) I want to default to sending Texts to her? And when she has data available again then I can change the default back to sending her imessages? – Midavalo Jan 04 '20 at 22:48
  • For her only? No. You can disable your iMessage or disable WiFi and Cellular Data to force SMS to default but you'll disable all of your services and it will be for all your contacts. – Allan Jan 04 '20 at 22:52