IOS messages – contacts with both IOS and text messaging

contactsiosmessages

So my kids all have "dumb" phones and iOS devices (iPods, iPads). Currently, I only have one contact per person, with both their iOS device and regular phone number as part of their contact.

Unfortunately, I can't tell if I'm getting a message from their phone or iOS device. If they are on their iOS device, I can send them links, images, etc… but if their are on their phone, I can only send text messages.

Apart from creating 2 contacts for each person (one for their phone, one for their iOS device) is there any other way to tell these apart?

Best Answer

So long as your children have iMessage turned on Settings.app > Messages > Turn iMessage *on*, you can determine which device you are messaging based on the color of your message bubble backgrounds or, in your specific example, the "Send" button color (while typing):

Green = non-iOS dumb phones.

Blue = iOS devices.