Apple’s new tool will nuke your phone number from iMessage forever

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Federal judge shoots down down group iMessage lawsuit.
Photo: Apple
Photo: Apple

One of the longstanding complaints about iMessage is how it can stay active even when you switch to an Android phone. The result is that texts often get sucked into some sort of purgatory where they never actually reach your contacts.

Today Apple released a new web tool that permanently deregisters phone numbers from iMessage. Anyone can enter their phone number and cut all ties with Apple’s messaging platform for good.

The tool is intended to be used if you are “using a non-Apple phone and can’t get SMS or text messages,” according to Apple’s website. A class action lawsuit was filed against Apple earlier this year over iMessage interfering with incoming and outgoing SMS messages on other phone platforms. The issue is that sometimes iMessage still thinks a number is registered even when the SIM has been put in a non-Apple phone.

Head on over to Apple’s new webpage to learn more.

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