Apple finally lets you deregister phone numbers from iMessage

HONG KONG - SEPTEMBER 19: The new iPhone 6 is seen on display at the launch of the new Apple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus at the Apple IFC store on September 19, 2014 in Hong Kong, China. On September 19, Apple's new products, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, with iOS 8 featuring 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch displays, have become available in the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore and the UK, and will be available in more than 20 additional countries beginning on September 26. (Photo by Lam Yik Fei/Getty Images)

Photograph by Lam Yik Fei — Getty Images

This post is in partnership with Time. The article below was originally published at Time.com.

By Elizabeth Barber, TIME

Messaged received: Apple has released a new tool to answer complaints that switching from an iPhone to a different smartphone dooms iMessages sent to them from other iPhone users to an unseen purgatory.

Apple’s (AAPL) new web tool lets ex-iOS users efficiently deregister their phone numbers from Apple’s iMessage system and ensures that future SMS messages get delivered to the new device.

The fix corrects a long-standing problem: If former iPhone users don’t disable iMessage before transferring to a different smartphone, SMS messages sent to them by people still using Apple devices can continue to be sent as iMessages. But, since iMessage is exclusive to Apple platforms, those messages won’t be received on the new smartphone. The bug is the subject of a class action lawsuit in California.

To use the new tool, ex-iOS users just enter their phone numbers into the web browser. Apple then sends a confirmation code by SMS.