5 Best Fixes for iMessage Sending From Email Instead of Phone Number

Apple lets you seamlessly manage your iMessage chats from iPhone, iPad, and Mac. It even lets you use iMessage on a Windows 11 PC with the Phone Link app. iMessage is primarily linked to your phone number which gets displayed to your contacts when they receive your texts.

Some users complain that their iMessage shows an email address instead of the phone number of their contacts. That usually happens when the iMessage converation is initiated using the contact’s email instead of phone number. Here are the best ways to fix iMessage sending from email instead of phone number on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

1. Check if Your Phone Number Is Selected for iMessage

Your Apple devices give you the option of sending and receiving iMessage from either your phone number or your email (Apple ID). So if your email shows up when you text to your contacts, here’s how to check if your phone number is selected for using iMessage.

On iPhone and iPad

Step 1: Open the Settings app and select Messages.

Step 2: Tap on Send and Receive and check if your phone number is selected for iMessage.

Step 3: After you select your phone number, close Settings and check if the problem is solved.

On Mac

Step 1: Press Command + Spacebar keyboard shortcut to open Spotlight Search, type Messages, and press Return.

Step 2: Click on Messages in the top-left corner and select Settings.

Step 3: Select the iMessage tab.

Step 4: Ensure that your phone number is selected for sending and receiving iMessage on your Mac.

Step 5: After that, close Settings and check if the problem is solved.

2. Enable iMessage Again

If you are still facing the same issue and wondering why iMessage is sending texts from email, you can try enabling iMessage again on your devices. That will re-register, download, and sync your conversations across devices.

On iPhone and iPad

Step 1: Open the Settings app and tap on Messages.

Step 2: Tap the toggle next to iMessage to disable the service.

Step 3: Wait for a few seconds and then tap the toggle again to enable iMessage.

Step 4: After all your messages are downloaded and synced, check if the problem is solved.

On Mac

Step 1: Press Command + Spacebar keyboard shortcut to open Spotlight Search, type Messages, and press Return.

Step 2: Click on Messages in the top-left corner and select Settings.

Step 3: Click the iMessage tab at the top.

Step 4: Click the checkbox next to Enable iMessage in iCloud to disable the service.

Step 5: Wait for a few seconds and then click the checkbox again.

Step 6: Once all your messages are downloaded and synced, check if the problem is solved.

3. Force Quit and Relaunch Messages App

If your iMessage texts are still coming through as emails, you can force quit and relaunch the Messages app. This will give the app a fresh start on your device.

On iPhone and iPad

Step 1: On the home screen, swipe up and hold to reveal the background app windows.

Step 2: Swipe right to look for the Messages app window and swipe up to remove it.

Step 3: Relaunch the Messages app and check if the problem is solved.

On Mac

Step 1: Click the Apple icon at the top-left corner and select Force Quit.

Step 2: Select the Messages app and click the Force Quit button.

Step 3: Relaunch Messages and check if the problem is solved.

4. Update Messages App

You can install the updated version of the Messages app on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac. There can be some bugs in the current version that might be causing this issue with iMessage.

On iPhone and iPad

Step 1: Open the Settings app and tap on General.

Step 2: Select Software Updates.

Step 3: If an update is available, download and install it.

Step 4: After that, open the Messages app and check if the problem is solved.

On Mac

Step 1: Press Command + Spacebar keyboard shortcut to open Spotlight Search, type Check For Software Update, and press Return.

Step 2: If an update is available, download and install it.

Step 3: After that, open the Messages app and check if the problem gets solved.

5. Reset Network Settings

If none of the solutions work, reset the network settings on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac. This will remove all the connected network preferences and restore settings to default. Of course, you’ll need to add Wi-Fi details all over again, and it’ll be a fresh start.

On iPhone and iPad

Step 1: Open the Settings app and tap on General.

Step 2: Scroll down to the bottom and select Transfer or Reset iPhone/iPad.

Step 3: Tap on Reset and select Reset Network Settings.

Step 4: Tap on Reset Network Settings again to confirm.

Step 5: After that, connect to your network again and check if the problem is solved.

On Mac

Step 1: Press Command + Spacebar keyboard shortcut to open Spotlight Search, type Wi-Fi, and press Return.

Step 2: Click the Details button next to the connected Wi-Fi network.

Step 3: Click on Forget This Network.

Step 4: Click on Remove to confirm.

Step 5: Close the window and connect to your Wi-Fi again to check if the problem is solved.

Send iMessage Using Phone Number

These solutions will help to resolve the issue of iMessage sending from email and not your phone number. Sometimes, you would want to send your iMessage as a text message when you don’t have internet access on your iPhone and iPad. You can refer to our post to learn how to force send iMessage as a text message.