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b24pgg

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jan 28, 2009
1,108
0
CA
I really hope I'm just not seeing this feature. Every other smartphone I've ever used does this so I'm hoping the iPhone does too...is there a way to see text message timestamps?
 

GraphicsGeek

macrumors 6502a
Sep 19, 2008
533
0
It makes sense of you think about it. Most text conversations can be several texts long but only last a few minutes. Why time stamp EVERY text? It just stamps the conversation. Again, Apple isn't going "fix" something that isn't broken just because other phones are doing this. If Apple did everything every other phone did, it wouldn't be the best selling smartphone in the world.
 

Virgo

macrumors 6502a
Jun 7, 2011
514
155
Los Angeles, CA
Every time there's something bad or inconvenient about an iPhone feature, there's always the guy who chimes in "it makes sense if you think about it.." :roll eyes: Apple could make some improvements. They're not perfect.
 

GraphicsGeek

macrumors 6502a
Sep 19, 2008
533
0
Every time there's something bad or inconvenient about an iPhone feature, there's always the guy who chimes in "it makes sense if you think about it.." :roll eyes: Apple could make some improvements. They're not perfect.

How is it inconvenient? Why would you need to know the exact second of every single text message sent and received? It wouldn't be an improvement if they added the time stamp for every message. What would it improve? They time stamp the conversation, not every single text. Over the 4+ years I've owned an iPhone, I can't think of one time I've needed to know the exact time a text was sent or received. It clutters up the UI with every stamp.

It does make sense to me. A lot of what Apple does with their products make sense to me. It makes sense to millions of others too. Again, Apple doesn't mimic every feature of every other pone just because it can.
 

m3coolpix

macrumors 6502a
Dec 24, 2007
721
3
Something I've wished for since the original release day......

I wish Apple would give you the option to time stamp every message. In a business environment (a place where the iPhone is getting more and more entrenched), it would be helpful.

It'd be so easy to add it as a 'Settings' option, and there's really not a negative reason why it couldn't be implemented.

FWIW, Jailbreak, and there is an app in Cydia that will do this for you. $0.99.

I purchased it awhile back. One of the biggest reasons I jailbreak, to add functionality/configurability that, IMO, should have been there in the first place.

If Apple would give us sbsettings, a call blocking capability, and SMS timestamping....there'd be one less JB'er here. I love WinterBoard and theming, but could live without it....
 

Calidude

macrumors 68000
Jun 22, 2010
1,730
0
How is it inconvenient? Why would you need to know the exact second of every single text message sent and received? It wouldn't be an improvement if they added the time stamp for every message. What would it improve? They time stamp the conversation, not every single text. Over the 4+ years I've owned an iPhone, I can't think of one time I've needed to know the exact time a text was sent or received. It clutters up the UI with every stamp.

It does make sense to me. A lot of what Apple does with their products make sense to me. It makes sense to millions of others too. Again, Apple doesn't mimic every feature of every other pone just because it can.
Honestly, people who don't think this is necessary just don't work in business. Timestamps are crucial.
 

m3coolpix

macrumors 6502a
Dec 24, 2007
721
3
Honestly, people who don't think this is necessary just don't work in business. Timestamps are crucial.

The people who don't need it, don't miss it, even if they are in a business environment....

But, for those who need it, it's usually a 'get it done now, or lose the biz' or maybe a 'front line position' or maybe a sales/engineering/support' type position, for lack of better analogies.

I've got customers who drag up emails/calls/etc. that are several years old to start a new purchase! Love that they stay interested in what I do, but :eek::eek: And I though I kept stuff too long.....
 

eyespii

macrumors 6502
Mar 8, 2008
372
0
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A405 Safari/7534.48.3)

While I can't think of a time that I needed to know the exact time a text was sent or received, it's annoying to scroll around looking for the time stamp if the conversation is a few screens long!
 

GraphicsGeek

macrumors 6502a
Sep 19, 2008
533
0
Honestly, people who don't think this is necessary just don't work in business. Timestamps are crucial.

I work in business. I use all sorts of communication tools to stay in touch with my clients, including texts. When I've been curious about when a text came in, I look at the conversation. I've never had a circumstance where the exact second of a message was needed. But to each their own I guess. If you need a time stamp on every text, then you bought the wrong phone. And time stamps are obviously not as important as you guys say it is because you bought a phone without them.
 

Identity Fraud

macrumors 6502
Sep 11, 2009
259
0
It makes sense of you think about it. Most text conversations can be several texts long but only last a few minutes. Why time stamp EVERY text? It just stamps the conversation. Again, Apple isn't going "fix" something that isn't broken just because other phones are doing this. If Apple did everything every other phone did, it wouldn't be the best selling smartphone in the world.

Or they could make it an option.
 

DroidRules

macrumors 65816
Aug 10, 2010
1,006
1
Every time there's something bad or inconvenient about an iPhone feature, there's always the guy who chimes in "it makes sense if you think about it.." :roll eyes: Apple could make some improvements. They're not perfect.

Do you really need to know that a text you received after the first one (which is time stamped) occurred 30 seconds after the first? Really? Please tell me situation you would need to know that.

Every time there's something bad or inconvenient about an iPhone feature, there's always the guy who chimes in "it makes sense if you think about it.." :roll eyes: Apple could make some improvements. They're not perfect.
My question still applies.

Honestly, people who don't think this is necessary just don't work in business. Timestamps are crucial.
Question above applies.... pls explain why you need to time stamp every text in a conversation.

I wish Apple would give you the option to time stamp every message. In a business environment (a place where the iPhone is getting more and more entrenched), it would be helpful.
Question above applies. Please give me a situation where you would need to know a text was sent 30-45-70 seconds after the first.

Not defending apple for NOT having this feature, just want to know why any of you feel the need to know when EVERY text was sent in a conversation. Was just checking out my text.... the wife sent a text, I sent one back and so forth. 12 minutes later she sent me another text and it was TS.
 
Last edited:

EllyaJ

macrumors newbie
Jun 11, 2012
1
0
Why are people being so touchy? Just because YOU as an individual don't need or want a timestamp on each message doesn't mean that there is no valid reason that someone else might need or want it. How arrogant can you get? I can think of several reasons that time stamps on each message would appeal to someone, some of them more serious/important and some of them more frivolous. But that doesn't matter! An individual's reason for wanting a specific feature is not any more or less valid if they can't satisfactorily explain it to you. All of these people demanding to know why a time stamp is desirable should just chill and acknowledge that their opinions on what makes for a good feature are not universal truths. Does it hurt your feelings that bad to know that there are those among us who don't think Apple is perfect? Good thing they aren't as arrogant as some of the fans seem to be, or they'd never improve anything. I love Apple because they keep getting better and better, not because they are perfect. It's nice to know that something new and great will always be coming, even if there are things I don't like about current models. I am allowed to dislike things, right?

----------

Do you really need to know that a text you received after the first one (which is time stamped) occurred 30 seconds after the first? Really? Please tell me situation you would need to know that.


My question still applies.


Question above applies.... pls explain why you need to time stamp every text in a conversation.


Question above applies. Please give me a situation where you would need to know a text was sent 30-45-70 seconds after the first.

Not defending apple for NOT having this feature, just want to know why any of you feel the need to know when EVERY text was sent in a conversation. Was just checking out my text.... the wife sent a text, I sent one back and so forth. 12 minutes later she sent me another text and it was TS.

Because some people are different from you and like different things. Radical notion, I know. Maybe a person really does want to know that texts were sent 27.5 seconds apart. And maybe you think that's stupid. You're allowed to think it's stupid, but they're still allowed to want to know. Even if there is no dire need or reason. Also, let's take a second to acknowledge that most smartphones aren't just about what you need-- they'd be dreadfully boring. Smartphones (and other forms of technology) often aim to give users what they want, too. Even when it's dumb.
 

Gman!

macrumors newbie
Jun 21, 2012
1
0
Brilliant idea!

How about implementing a finger swipe feature on the text message that displays the time stamp if you want it or want to know when it was sent? Swipey its here & swipey its gone! Brilliant! keeps it clutter-free & dont have to switch a setting back n forth. And no its not already built in as I tried it.
 

Matthew9559

macrumors 6502a
Apr 7, 2007
941
55
Cleveland, OH
This has been a huge complaint for me. I know it sounds so minuscule but it really bugs me to no end. I mean how damn hard would it be to add a toggle in Settings for Messages to show timestamps for all messages.
 

JAT

macrumors 603
Dec 31, 2001
6,473
124
Mpls, MN
My message app has time stamps.

Also, at some forums people are shot for dredging up dead threads. I'm just sayin'....
 

Rajani Isa

macrumors 65816
Jun 8, 2010
1,161
72
Rogue Valley, Oregon
The issue I have is the time frame where the iPhone considers it the same conversation and therefore does no time-stamp them seems kinda big. It's also nice having a time stamp when you are trying to meet up with friends and they give you an ETA.
 

Daveoc64

macrumors 601
Jan 16, 2008
4,074
92
Bristol, UK
How about implementing a finger swipe feature on the text message that displays the time stamp if you want it or want to know when it was sent? Swipey its here & swipey its gone! Brilliant! keeps it clutter-free & dont have to switch a setting back n forth. And no its not already built in as I tried it.

It's really not a case of how to do it, just about every other platform manages to do it somehow - even third party Apps, it's just that Apple doesn't listen to feature requests like this.
 

diamond.g

macrumors G4
Mar 20, 2007
11,068
2,421
OBX
Interestingly enough, the phone does store the timestamps for text messages and imessages. It just doesn't expose them to the user.
 

Agent-P

Contributor
Dec 5, 2009
2,502
23
The Tri-State Area
If you're willing to jailbreak, I've found the free Cydia extension "xMessages" to be sufficient for this task. Plus it has a couple of other features that you may or may not find useful.
 

tmoney22193

macrumors newbie
Jul 8, 2012
1
0
Really???

I work in business. I use all sorts of communication tools to stay in touch with my clients, including texts. When I've been curious about when a text came in, I look at the conversation. I've never had a circumstance where the exact second of a message was needed. But to each their own I guess. If you need a time stamp on every text, then you bought the wrong phone. And time stamps are obviously not as important as you guys say it is because you bought a phone without them.

Honestly, I didn't know timestapping would even be an issue up for debate when I bought an iphone a couple weeks ago. For some of us in the legal world things need to get documented and timestamped. I can't understand why it wouldn't be standard, let alone an option. I mean really?
 
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