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wiivile

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 13, 2012
173
15
i have unlimited sms but only 6gb of data, so what is the point of using imessage to send messages to ios users instead of sms? is there an advantage to turning imessage on?
 

TonyTouch

macrumors newbie
Oct 8, 2012
18
1
I don't have unlimited texts so I like using it to cut down on SMS.

But otherwise- I understand video clips are of a higher quality via iMessage. You can also get send/read receipts.

Also, I find the soft blue bubbles of iMessage easier to read than the neon green of SMS.
 

takeshi74

macrumors 601
Feb 9, 2011
4,974
68
Depends on your needs/wants/situation. Details on what iMessage offers are available online for you to refer to in order to see if it would benefit you. A couple of things not mentioned so far:
- You can carry over iMessage discussions from one device to another.
- You can send/receive iMessage messages via WiFi.

That said, if you're concerned about data usage then it may not be of any benefit to you. It's your call to make. I share 4GB with my wife and use GV which sends messages via data without any concerns. Again, depends on your needs/wants/situation.

Don't overlook Google and existing threads. See also:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4353254
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1282491/
 

bushido

Suspended
Mar 26, 2008
8,070
2,755
Germany
i have unlimited sms but only 6gb of data, so what is the point of using imessage to send messages to ios users instead of sms? is there an advantage to turning imessage on?

u can send pictures, short clips and audio recordings on top of simply text

and lol at "only" 6GB of data... the average data volume u get before they slow u down to 64kb/s even tho u got unlimited data is between 200-500mb here in Germany
 
Last edited:

elistan

macrumors 6502a
Jun 30, 2007
997
443
Denver/Boulder, CO
i have unlimited sms but only 6gb of data, so what is the point of using imessage to send messages to ios users instead of sms? is there an advantage to turning imessage on?

In your situation, the only advantage to iMessage over SMS that I can think of is that iMessage works for OSX and non-cellular iOS devices like WiFi iPad and iPod Touch in addition to the iPhone.
 

cyks

macrumors 68020
Jul 24, 2002
2,090
8
Westchester County, NY
There are no character limits with iMessage, so you can use real words and not have to worry if it'll send as one or three texts.

Otherwise, as others have mentioned, media quality is much greater since the files can be sent full size.
 

jsw

Moderator emeritus
Mar 16, 2004
22,910
44
Andover, MA
Unless you're regularly sending out long videos and lots of images, iMessage isn't even going to be a blip on your 6GB plan.

Also, you'll spare the text usage of friends (with iOS devices) as well.
 

gotluck

macrumors 603
Dec 8, 2011
5,712
1,204
East Central Florida
sms tends to be more reliable than imessage

i have unlimited texts so I leave it disabled

mms includes picture texts and group texts, so not an advantage of imessage

so i suppose short clips and audio recordings (didn't know imessage could do that) would be the only advantages for me

sms requires the least amount of signal strength to succeed, texts can go through in areas where even voice is too shoddy.
 

FSMBP

macrumors 68030
Jan 22, 2009
2,712
2,631
sms tends to be more reliable than imessage

i have unlimited texts so I leave it disabled

mms includes picture texts and group texts, so not an advantage of imessage

so i suppose short clips and audio recordings (didn't know imessage could do that) would be the only advantages for me

sms requires the least amount of signal strength to succeed, texts can go through in areas where even voice is too shoddy.

Quality in MMS is awful. When people send me MMS's of pictures, they look nasty. When I get pictures in iMessage, it's almost original quality.

But I digress...

OP: I had friend's who had unlimited messaging...but I didn't. So they constantly would cause me overages. Same friend got an iPhone and she constantly still iMessages me, but now I don't go over. Basically, if you're texting others on iPhones, it will benefit them if they don't have unlimited messaging.
 

Ntombi

macrumors 68040
Jul 1, 2008
3,804
1,604
Bostonian exiled in SoCal
There are no character limits with iMessage, so you can use real words and not have to worry if it'll send as one or three texts.

Otherwise, as others have mentioned, media quality is much greater since the files can be sent full size.

Character limits are a biggie with me. Media quality and read receipts are good too. I really miss iMessage with the friends without iPhones.
 

buddybd

macrumors 6502
Jul 28, 2011
359
0
It has been very good for me as well, I cancelled my text plan entirely actually. And with Verizon not offering 250 messages anymore, it made the decision that much easier.

People I text frequently have iPhones or iPads, the ones without don't text me enough for the charges to exceed my monthly text plan.
 

mattroman246

macrumors 6502
Mar 19, 2009
488
4
Upstate NY
text and pick up conversations on all your devices, I can go from my phone to my macbook to my iPad. If only it worked as seamlessly as I'd like it to every time I used it..
 

xraydoc

Contributor
Oct 9, 2005
10,786
5,242
192.168.1.1
I like iMessage because of the delivered & read receipts. Also works internationally without fees. And I'm on a CDMA carrier (VZW) and iMessage removes the 160-character limit before messages are split in to multiple messages.
 

scaredpoet

macrumors 604
Apr 6, 2007
6,627
342
The real advantage to iMessage is if you have regular access to WiFi. There, you're not using SMS and you're not using your cellular data plan. The carrier never has to touch the messages you send/receive.

And yeah, if you're texting someone internationally, there's no fee or extra package to buy. Same is true with FaceTime.
 

jafingi

macrumors 65816
Apr 3, 2009
1,470
158
Denmark
  • Often faster than SMS/MMS
  • Group conversations
  • Delivered/Read status
  • Works across your iPhone, iPad, iPod and Mac
  • Great if you don't have unlimited SMS
 

brylliant

macrumors regular
Jul 18, 2012
193
1
United Kingdom
i have unlimited sms but only 6gb of data, so what is the point of using imessage to send messages to ios users instead of sms? is there an advantage to turning imessage on?

It varies for every person but I have an unlimited data plan for 30 days, only costs £5.00 a month, and with it I can iMessage for completely free, and as many messages as I like.
I can't go over the limit with my plan so for me it's a really nice way to keep in touch with my family and friends on iOS devices. I think it would be a different story if I had an iPhone 5 with an LTE plan.
 
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