You can't use these steps for landline numbers or devices that aren't made by Apple. You can use these steps only for the active phone number that belongs to your iPhone.
Set up or remove a phone number
Turn a number on or off for Mac
Set up or remove a phone number
Use these steps to set up or remove the number for your iPhone for Messages and FaceTime on other devices. If you use this feature and share your Apple ID with someone, you can't prevent them from seeing your conversations (Instead of using the same Apple ID as someone else, set up Family Sharing).
Set up
You can set up only the phone number that belongs to your iPhone:
- On your iPhone, tap Settings > Messages. Check that iMessage is on. You might need to wait for it to activate.
- Tap Send & Receive. If you see “Use your Apple ID for iMessage,” tap it and sign in with your Apple ID. This should be the same Apple ID that you use on your iPad, iPod touch, or Mac.
- Under “You can be reached by iMessage at,” make sure that there are checkmarks beside your phone number and Apple ID.
- Go to Settings > FaceTime and use the same steps.
- Now you just need to turn on your phone number for your iPad, iPod touch, or Mac. Use the following sections to learn how.
Remove
If you don't want calls or messages for your iPhone on your iPad, iPod touch, or Mac, you can remove your phone number. There are two ways to do this:
- On your iPhone, go to Settings > Messages > Send & Receive. Sign out of your Apple ID account. Then go to Settings > FaceTime and sign out of your Apple ID account.
- If the phone number that you want to remove belongs to an iPhone that you can't access, change your Apple ID password. This removes all phone numbers from your iPad, iPod touch, and Mac. Calls or messages for the removed numbers won't appear on those devices anymore.
If you have questions, contact Apple Support.
Turn your phone number on or off for your Mac
If you set up your phone number first, you can turn your number on or off for your Mac:
- On your Mac, open Messages. If asked, sign in with your Apple ID (This should be the same Apple ID used in Messages on your iPhone).
- From the menu bar, choose Messages > Preferences. Click Accounts, then select your iMessage account.
- Choose whether to use your phone number on your Mac:
- To turn on your phone number, select it and select your Apple ID under “You can be reached.” If you don't see your phone number, get help with your settings or contact Apple Support. If you see a number that isn’t yours, you need to change your Apple ID password.
- To turn off your phone number, deselect it. Or learn how to remove a phone number.
- If you want recipients to see your phone number and not your Apple ID, select your phone number from the “Start new conversations from” popup menu.
You can also use these steps for FaceTime on your Mac. Open FaceTime. From the menu bar, choose FaceTime > Preferences > Accounts.
To send and receive SMS and MMS messages as well as iMessages, learn what to do. If you aren't sure, learn the difference between iMessage, SMS, and MMS messages.
Turn your phone number on or off for your iPad or iPod touch
If you set up your phone number first, you can turn your number on or off for your iPad or iPod touch:
- On your iPad or iPod touch, tap Settings > Messages and make sure that iMessage is on. If asked, sign in with the Apple ID used in Messages on your iPhone.
- Tap Send & Receive.
- Choose whether to use your phone number on your iPad or iPod touch:
- To turn on your phone number, select it and select your Apple ID under “You can be reached.” If you don't see your phone number, get help with your settings or contact Apple Support. If you see a number that isn’t yours, you need to change your Apple ID password.
- To turn off your phone number, uncheck it. Or learn how to remove a phone number.
You can also use these steps for FaceTime on your iPad or iPod touch in Settings > FaceTime.
To send and receive SMS and MMS messages on your Mac as well as iMessages, learn what to do. If you aren't sure, learn the difference between iMessage, SMS, and MMS messages.
If you don't see your number in Messages or FaceTime on your iPad, iPod touch, or Mac
First, get help with your settings. Then, if you still need help, sign out of Apple ID on all of your devices and sign back in.
Get help with your settings
Here's what you need to check:
- Check that you have the latest software for your iOS device and Mac.
- Make sure that iMessage is on in Settings > Messages on your iPhone. (After you turn on iMessage, you might need to wait a moment for it to activate.)
- Tap Send & Receive.
- If you see “Use your Apple ID for iMessage,” tap it and sign in with your Apple ID (This should be the same Apple ID that you use on your iPad, iPod touch, or Mac). If not, skip this step.
- Under “You can be reached by iMessage at,” make sure there are checkmarks beside your phone number and Apple ID. If your number is unchecked and you can't select it, use the next section to sign out and back in with your Apple ID on your devices. If you need help with FaceTime, go to Settings > FaceTime and repeat these steps.
Sign out and back in with your Apple ID on every device
Follow these steps on all of your Apple devices:
- On every Mac that you own, open Messages. From the menu bar, choose Messages > Preferences, then click Accounts. Click iMessage in the left column, then click Sign Out. Open FaceTime. From the menu bar, choose FaceTime > Preferences and sign out.
- On every iPhone, iPad, and iPod that you own, go to Settings > Messages > Send & Receive. Sign out of your Apple ID. Do the same in Settings > FaceTime.
- On your iPhone, check that iMessage is on in Settings > Messages. Then tap Send & Receive, choose “Use your Apple ID for iMessage,” and sign in with your Apple ID. With the same Apple ID, sign back in to Messages and FaceTime on your other devices.
- If you still need help, change your Apple ID password and repeat the previous step.
If you still need help, contact Apple Support.