How to setup iMessage on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch

Wondering how to setup iOS 5′s new iMessage service on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch? Using iMessage you can send text messages, photos, video and much more to other iMessage users around the world, all over your existing data connection. That’s right, no texting plans or charges needed! Here’s how to get started.

Let’s take a look at the iPhone first

• First off ensure your running the latest iOS 5 software
• Select settings
• Select Messages
• Turn the toggle switch for iMessage to on

• You should see a message saying “Activating”
• You can now enter your receive to addresses, this can be an email address (Apple ID) or just your iPhone phone number, or both. The phone number part should already be filled out
• If you have an Apple ID and want to use that as well as your phone number, enter it here

• Once completed you will now have an active iMessage account on your iPhone
• You can toggle various options on and off such as read recipts etc
• Also you have an option to send as an SMS if iMessage data connection is not available

That is all you need, you now have iMessage set up on your iPhone!  

Now for the iPad and iPod touch

Setting up iMessage on the iPad and iPod touch is slightly diferent as these devices do not have any telephone number associated with them.

• First off ensure your running the latest iOS 5 software
• Select settings
• Select Messages
• Turn the toggle switch for iMessage to on
• A new box will open asking you for an Apple ID

• If you have an Apple ID, enter it here
• If you don’t have one, select Create New Account
• Once completed you will now have an active iMessage account on your iPad or iPod touch

Ok now we have iMessage set up there are a few things to consider. If you only have one device then you are fine. If you have multiple iOS 5 devices then you will need to think about how you want them to work. Do you want separate iMessage accounts for each device? More than likely, you would want one account that stays in sync across all of your devices. If you want separate iMessage accounts for each device, you will need to create separate Apple ID’s for each device, these can be created for free in the iMessage original set up screen. Just select Create New Account.
If you want to have all devices use one iMessage account then you need to input the same Apple ID details into each device iMessage setup page.
That should be all you need to get started with iMessage!