Texts are messed up and confusing

ssemenick

Me again. I've solved a lot with my new pixel 6a degoogled phone and I want to use it.. I have all other devices in Apple. I now receive texts on my degoogled pixel phone and nowhere else. OR I receive texts on my iPad and MacBook and old iPhone but nowhere else. On my degooogled pixel, I have to download the MMS texts, and then, they are out of order so it's hard to figure out messages.
The texts that I receive on my degoogled pixel do not appear on any other devices (Apple devices)
Still struggling and wondering if I should give up. I have a business and texts are important.
And I'm horrible and choosing tags, completely guess each time just so I can post.

de0u

ssemenick Have you tried the de-registration suggestion previously offered: https://discuss.grapheneos.org/d/9210-how-do-i-text-and-create-groups-to-text-please/29 ?

bookreader

ssemenick The problem you're dealing with is that APPLE devices do not use SMS/MMS when communicating with each other. They use their own proprietary protocol that transfers the messages through apple servers. Unfortunately, your phone number is registered in apple's database, so when other apple users try to send messages to you, apple servers tell their devices to send the messages through apple, which your phone running grapheneos will NOT connect to. That's why the messages appear on your OTHER apple devices and not your phone.

Go here to unregister your phone number (I understand that this will eventually happen automatically, but this speeds it up);
https://selfsolve.apple.com/deregister-imessage/

Note: This means that the messages will NOT appear on your apple devices. You can't have it both ways.

Phead

So, with texts you mean standard SMS? If that's the case, then once delivered the messages remain on there device. SMS are bound to your phone number, unencrypted and delivered over cellular network, not internet. So, when you receive a text on your android device your carrier has fulfilled its part of the job. In fact, sms are not even guaranteed to reach the recipient.

If changing to other ways of communication (e g. signal) is not feasible, then I would recommend to decide for one device and stick to it.

ssemenick

Ok. I guess I thought that I could have text messages appear on my pixel and other devices that are apple. That sounds impossible so I guess I should just quit trying... no worries... and I appreciate all of your suggestions.

bookreader

ssemenick Well there actually is a way to have messages available on all the devices, which is to use some other service to catch the messages before they get to either, and access that service from everywhere.

For example, you get yourself a VoIP service that includes messaging, like VoIP.ms. When people send messages to your VoIP number, they go to server rather than your cell phone. Those messages can then be retrieved on ANY device running the applicable software (i.e., VoIP.ms from F-Droid).

Skyway

ssemenick this can be done with google messages , they have a webapp to view texts via web browser . may or may not fit your threat model .

Phead

ssemenick

It's certainly not impossible when you switch to other messengers such as signal or maybe even Whatsapp depending on your contacts. When using signal you can link other devices (except other smartphones) to your phone and synchronize your messages with all of them. Whatsapp may offer similar features.