iMessage or SMS: how to find out which numbers use an iPhone

Blue bubble or green bubble: on an iPhone, that small detail tells you whether a message went through iMessage or as a normal SMS. For businesses it tells you something bigger: which of your contacts use an Apple device. Here is how to check one number by hand, and how to check a whole list

What iMessage is

iMessage is Apple's own messaging service. It is built into the Messages app on iPhone, iPad and Mac, and it sends messages over the internet instead of the mobile network's SMS channel. A phone number can only receive iMessages if it is registered with iMessage on an Apple device

In the Messages app you can see the difference:

• Blue bubbles are iMessages, sent to a number that uses iMessage
• Green bubbles are SMS or RCS messages, sent to a number that does not, or when iMessage is not available

Check one number by hand

On an iPhone or a Mac:

1. Open Messages and start a new message
2. Type the number with its country code in the "To" field
3. If the number turns blue, it is registered with iMessage. If it stays green, it is not

You do not need to send anything. This works for a few numbers, but not for a list of thousands

Why it helps to know who uses an iPhone

• Send the right app link. iPhone users get the App Store link, everyone else gets Google Play. One message, no wrong store
• Plan your channel. iMessage users can be reached in the Messages app they already use. The others may be better reached on WhatsApp or RCS
• Understand your audience. The share of Apple users in a list says a lot about how people will see your messages, your website and your offers

Check a whole list

With the iOS Checker on PWF Platform you upload your list once and get two files back:

1. Registered: the numbers that are active on an Apple device
2. Not registered: everything else

Use a .txt or .csv file with one number per line, each with its country code. Duplicates and invalid lines are removed before the price is set, so you only pay for the numbers that are actually checked

What the result does and does not tell you

A result tells you that a number was active on an Apple device at the time of the check. It does not tell you the model, the person's name, or whether they read their messages. People switch phones, so lists change over time: check again before larger campaigns

Use it responsibly

Knowing which device a number uses is not permission to message it. Only check lists you are allowed to work with, and send marketing messages only to people who agreed to receive them