Switching from iPhone to Android? Switch off iMessage

Google's executive chairman, Eric Schmidt, wrote a much derided 900-word guide to switching from iPhone to Android the other day. I should have read it more closely, because in there – aside from the slightly eccentric suggestion that you email your photos from one phone to the other – is a very useful nugget of information about iMessage.

I made the switch from the iPhone 4s to an HTC One at the weekend, and while the transition has been remarkably smoothly, one thing I didn't notice until I switched my iPhone back on last night was that I'd been missing out on text messages, because I neglected to switch off iMessage on my old handset.

iMessage, for those who are unaware, is Apple's SMS alternative, which redirects text/photo messages sent between iPhone users over the internet, rather than via the regular SMS channels. Consequently, messages from other iPhone users don't arrive on your Android handset - even if they're replying to an SMS message you've sent them.

To make sure you can receive text messages from iPhone owners on your new Android handset you need to switch off iMessage first.

On your iPhone (iOS 7), go to Settings | Messages and make sure the iMessage slider is switched off.

If you have an iPad or other iOS device, you'll need to make sure you do likewise on all of them.

If you no longer have your old handset, visit the Apple Support site, login with your iTunes account details and deregister your device.

Finally, apologise to all the friends whose messages you've inadvertently ignored for the past week.