Problems with texting...

[Mad Mac Maniac]

There are many flaws I have found with the way the iphone handles sms text messages.

first of all you can't view, erase, or save individual messages.

You can't really 'save' any messages at all technically. If you accidentally hit clear it's gone. And it's ALL gone.

And then this is the one that really bugs me. It doesn't show the specific time of messages. It just shows it occasionally, if you haven't received a message in a while. This can be frustrating if you are texting back and forth for a while and wanted to know the time of the end of the conversation and no just the beginning. I know this is an ichat thing to, it frustrates me there as well. Also, does anybody know how long you have to wait in between messages before it shows the time again? Is it like 5 minutes probably?

Anybody else share these frustrations or any of your own?

[The General]

There are many flaws I have found with the way the iphone handles sms text messages.

first of all you can't view, erase, or save individual messages.

You can't really 'save' any messages at all technically. If you accidentally hit clear it's gone. And it's ALL gone.

And then this is the one that really bugs me. It doesn't show the specific time of messages. It just shows it occasionally, if you haven't received a message in a while. This can be frustrating if you are texting back and forth for a while and wanted to know the time of the end of the conversation and no just the beginning. I know this is an ichat thing to, it frustrates me there as well. Also, does anybody know how long you have to wait in between messages before it shows the time again? Is it like 5 minutes probably?

Anybody else share these frustrations or any of your own?

If you wanted a Blackberry, then get one. These are text messages we're talking about. Not legal documents. Why on earth would you need to know the exact time you sent "omg meet me at starbucks in 5?"

If you need to archive important messages, know exact dates, times, deleted individual messages and keep important information such as this, u shouldnt b txtin it 2 ur frndz, use email! Then you can read the archived messages from the comfort of your computer, web browser, mobile phone, etc. Your choice.

I love how simple the SMS app is on the iPhone, and I think most people are happy with it too. I didn't need all the jumbled clunky features my freaking Nokia had. Why on earth would I need a forward feature? So I can forward annoying spam chain texts? Oh god no! Let's put an end to those!

/rant over

[Natesac]

I have to side with the OP on this one. Knowing the time of texts is somthing I miss about my old crap phone. This is a valid complaint. There is no reason there are not options for the texting app. (such as turning on a timestamp. :)

[Mad Mac Maniac]

I have to side with the OP on this one. Knowing the time of texts is somthing I miss about my old crap phone. This is a valid complaint. There is no reason there are not options for the texting app. (such as turning on a timestamp. :)

exactly, i was looking more for an on/off concept. or perhaps you could select a message to get specific information such as time. and then while you are inside that selected message you have the option to either delete or save to specified folder!

I mean the time thing isn't urgent or anything usually. But I'm just a anal type of person when those type of things and I kinda like to know.

[Ntombi]

I'm with you. I'd like to have a timestamp option, as well as the ability to delete select messages. And yes, I miss the forwarding feature of my Treo too.

BTW, not all of us are texting inanities. Case in point: with the earthquake here this morning, there was a lot of crucial texting to check on people and exchanging messages. In case you didn't know, we are encouraged to text rather than call in emergency situations, since they go through easier and don't tie up towers. Forwards and time stamps would have been helpful today.

/MY rant over

[ubersalad]

Text message is quite annoying, I absolutely agree.

Once this damn Push thing is squared away, I am saying goodbye to paying for text message, period. I think this was Apple's ultimate scheme to screw AT&T in the arse.

[Mad Mac Maniac]

Yea I don't really have a need for forwarding. I suppose I could see it's merit, and in the lifetime of my iphone would probably only have used it once or twice. So not devastating but whatever :p

[cjbryce]

There are many flaws I have found with the way the iphone handles sms text messages.

first of all you can't view, erase, or save individual messages.

You can't really 'save' any messages at all technically. If you accidentally hit clear it's gone. And it's ALL gone.

And then this is the one that really bugs me. It doesn't show the specific time of messages. It just shows it occasionally, if you haven't received a message in a while. This can be frustrating if you are texting back and forth for a while and wanted to know the time of the end of the conversation and no just the beginning. I know this is an ichat thing to, it frustrates me there as well. Also, does anybody know how long you have to wait in between messages before it shows the time again? Is it like 5 minutes probably?

Anybody else share these frustrations or any of your own?

+1 forwarding and deleting individual messages would be very convenient and a timestamp would occasionally be useful. Should be really easy to implement if :apple: ever get round to it.

[slicecom]

I agree with the OP. The ability to delete individual messages rather than the whole conversation would be GREAT.

[phannon666]

I'm happy with the SMS as is, however, I can't help but think it's *so* basic that Apple have plans for something a bit more special in a future update, but it's not a priority at the moment.

[mingletron]

It would be nice to have the basic text features found in most mobile phones.
It's all well and good saying we don't need text messages and MMS because we have email but my wife, family and friends don't own iPhones and texting has been the normal non vocal phone communication for several years.

Texting is good on the iPhone (when the keyboard lag error is not happening) but it would be nice to have these 'normal' features that we are used to.

I'm pretty sure my first Nokia I bought in 1999 had text message forwarding and time stamps.

[Ninja Guidan]

I'm with you. I'd like to have a timestamp option, as well as the ability to delete select messages. And yes, I miss the forwarding feature of my Treo too.

BTW, not all of us are testing inanities. Case in point: with the earthquake here this morning, there was a lot of crucial testing to check on people and exchanging messages. In case you didn't know, we are encouraged to text rather than call in emergency situations, since they go through easier and don't tie up towers. Forwards and time stamps would have been helpful today.

/MY rant over

As far as I know, my old Treo 650 doesn't have the timestamp option, nor the forwarding of text messages. What other phones have this feature?

[cjbryce]

As far as I know, my old Treo 650 doesn't have the timestamp option, nor the forwarding of text messages. What other phones have this feature?
All my SE phones had this as well as all my WM smartphones - had this in every phone since about 2000.

[Ntombi]

As far as I know, my old Treo 650 doesn't have the timestamp option, nor the forwarding of text messages. What other phones have this feature?It's been a while since I had the 650 so I can't say for sure on that model, but both my 680 and 700P had those options and more.

[Mad Mac Maniac]

Also, has anybody had a problem with the spacebar?

I'm 90% sure that this is user error and I'm just hitting too low and not actually hitting the spacebar, but on average the spacebar won't register maybe once per sentence... Then it's annoying because I have to go back and seperate the words and correct any mistakes...

[deannnnn]

If you wanted a Blackberry, then get one. These are text messages we're talking about. Not legal documents. Why on earth would you need to know the exact time you sent "omg meet me at starbucks in 5?"

What if he's late and I want to prove him wrong by showing him the exact time I sent the text? =P

[Mad Mac Maniac]

What if he's late and I want to prove him wrong by showing him the exact time I sent the text? =P

word

[Natesac]

exactly, i was looking more for an on/off concept. ]or perhaps you could select a message to get specific information such as time. and then while you are inside that selected message you have the option to either delete or save to specified folder!

I mean the time thing isn't urgent or anything usually. But I'm just a anal type of person when those type of things and I kinda like to know.


I would LOVE this. Just take some of that great email functionality and apply it to SMS

[Mad Mac Maniac]

I would LOVE this. Just take some of that great email functionality and apply it to SMS

And also maybe when the text bubble is selected there can also be a "forward" option.

Time, delete, save, and forward.

[Gloor]

What bothers me is the thing that you delete all conversation at once when you hit delete. I didn't know about no forward feature so you brought me bad news. :) Anyway, what I would love to see is something like sms sessions so After a while the session of texting is saved somewhere and new one begins so when i talk one day with my gf about something and next day about something else than i don't have a long text about so many things etc. :)

[pauld]

I really miss SMS/Text received notifications.

[The General]

What if he's late and I want to prove him wrong by showing him the exact time I sent the text? =P

:D Good point. Maybe they should have "enable advance text mode" and basically it changed it to something like SMSd. :cool:

Then we could both be happy. :D

[DenniZ]

See if your on O2, you could use bluebook, which backs up all your SMS and MMS messages for you. And you can always get to it as long as you have a internet connection.

[Mad Mac Maniac]

What bothers me is the thing that you delete all conversation at once when you hit delete. I didn't know about no forward feature so you brought me bad news. :) Anyway, what I would love to see is something like sms sessions so After a while the session of texting is saved somewhere and new one begins so when i talk one day with my gf about something and next day about something else than i don't have a long text about so many things etc. :)

Good call on that. definitely handy. There, in no way, needs to be a flowing conversation between something that happened last week and something going on now. maybe when you are done you can hit "end chat" which ends that session, or if you wanted to divide something into sessions you could drag select however many texts u wanted and hit "create session"

the only problem with all of these ideas, in my opinion, is that they will NEVER be realized. just getting our hopes up with these good ideas. I don't think apple gives a rats ass about better sms messages.. :(

[AiralynRose]

The main SMS screen displays the time of the last message sent to/from that specific person... if that helps you any.

[smudged]

I think you shouldn't text

[Mad Mac Maniac]

The main SMS screen displays the time of the last message sent to/from that specific person... if that helps you any.

I actually didn't know that. helps a bit.. but still i need more.

edit: So i just checked. And it only works on the day of. So yesterday is a no go. Still mildly helpful :)

[Mad Mac Maniac]

I think you shouldn't text

wow that was a productive response...

[VeNoMiZeD]

Yeah the message time stamp is important and annoying that it doesn't have it. They should have a double tap option on that certain bubble and either show more detailed information/ save option.

Why no alert notifications either? Like missed call, incoming text?

[Blown01NJ]

Yeah the message time stamp is important and annoying that it doesn't have it. They should have a double tap option on that certain bubble and either show more detailed information/ save option.

Why no alert notifications either? Like missed call, incoming text?

What do you mean no alert notifications?

The phone notifies you when you get a text. :confused:

[Blown01NJ]

I really miss SMS/Text received notifications.

What do you mean?

[FrankieTDouglas]

This thread is over a year old, so maybe there's been an update?

I've been searching for a way to add timestamps to my text messages and also to delete individual texts but not the entire string of messages between a person.

Are you still unable to do this on the iphone?

[courtney.bella]

This thread is over a year old, so maybe there's been an update?

I've been searching for a way to add timestamps to my text messages and also to delete individual texts but not the entire string of messages between a person.

Are you still unable to do this on the iphone?

I believe you can delete individual messages now. I don't think there are timestamps still.

[renewed]

I believe you can delete individual messages now. I don't think there are timestamps still.

Correct.

Hit edit and then there will appear circles next to each line of messaging. Hitting the circle will select it and you can delete them.

There isn't a way to timestamp, short of jailbreaking. In that case, BiteSMS has timestamp abilities.

[courtney.bella]

Correct.

Hit edit and then there will appear circles next to each line of messaging. Hitting the circle will select it and you can delete them.

There isn't a way to timestamp, short of jailbreaking. In that case, BiteSMS has timestamp abilities.

I thought so, but I went to BlackBerry, so I've forgotten all the little tidbits.

[Niyaolowe]

For those wanting to forward SMS, if you hit the "edit" button then you can pick all or any parts of the conversation to forward.