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Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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With the release of iPhone 4, Apple CEO Steve Jobs has fired up his email account again and is responding to a number of customer emails. First it was his description of the signal strength concerns as a non issue. And in another pair of publicized responses, Jobs has briefly addressed both future wireless syncing of iOS devices and the replacement of the iPhone's on-screen "hold" button available during calls with a button for activating the new FaceTime video calling feature.

Mashable first reported on the Wi-Fi phone syncing topic earlier this week amidst the excitement of the iPhone 4 launch, noting that Jobs replied "Yep, someday," to a question from a customer about possible future wireless syncing of his iPhone to his Mac. Jobs offered no timeframe for a launch of the feature.


101222-jobs_wifi_syncing.jpg


Earlier this year, one developer created his own Wi-Fi syncing solution and hoped that Apple would distribute it through the App Store, but the company rejected the application last month. It is now available for jailbroken devices connecting to both Mac and Windows computers at a price of $9.99.

The second issue comes to our attention via TechCrunch, which points to a LiveJournal posting from a user who asked about the removal of the "hold" button from the iPhone's on-screen calling screen to make room for a new button for initiating FaceTime video calls. Jobs' response: "Hold doesn’t do anything more than Mute."


100840-iphone_mute_hold.jpg

Table from Page 50 of iPhone OS 3.1 User Guide (PDF link)

Interestingly, Jobs was neither entirely correct nor thorough in his answer. As noted in Apple's own user guide for devices running iPhone OS 3.1, the "mute" functionality silences the user's own voice in the conversation while continuing to allow them to hear the party on the other end of the line. The "hold" functionality silences both ends of the conversation.

Fortunately for users looking to make use of the hold functionality that seemed to have disappeared, a commenter on the TechCrunch piece notes that simply holding down the "mute" button for a few seconds will activate the "hold" functionality.

Article Link: Steve Jobs on Future Wireless iPhone Syncing, Replacement of 'Hold' Button With FaceTime
 

levitynyc

macrumors 65816
Aug 19, 2006
1,123
3,704
I had a client call me yesterday and I absentmindedly pressed the facetime button to put them on hold.

Thanks for the tip. Holding mute does actually enable Hold.
 

Captainobvvious

macrumors 6502
Jun 15, 2010
366
2
Does the hold button only disappear and show the Facetime button when you meet the requirements to make a facetime call?

Because my hold button is still there, I assumed when I was talking to another iPhone 4 both on Wi-Fi it would change.
 

levitynyc

macrumors 65816
Aug 19, 2006
1,123
3,704
Its always there for me but I'm always on WiFi and I haven't looked for when i'm not. I'm sure my customer wasn't using an iPhone 4 so it may always be there when you are on WiFi
 

NinjaHERO

macrumors 6502a
Aug 29, 2008
971
1,243
U S of A
I have never used the hold button, but I hate losing a feature. So thanks for the holding the button tip. Now we gained a button and lost nothing. :)
 

iZac

macrumors 68030
Apr 28, 2003
2,581
2,748
UK
I'm increasingly getting the impression that Steve doesn’t actually do anything in Apple anymore. Just sits in a empty room, save for a Corb armchair, thumbing through his emails on an iPad, sniping at whichever ones catch his attention.
 

hesshady

macrumors newbie
Feb 3, 2005
4
0
E-Mail Blocked OUt

I love people who share these responses and block out their own e-mail and leave Steve's visible. If your gonna write Steve, and you get a response, and want to share it with the planet, why don't you share your e-mail address? I would.
 

Rootus

macrumors 6502
Mar 22, 2008
376
24
Portland, OR
I guess Jobs has a point -- for all practical purposes, mute does the same thing hold does from the iPhone users perspective. How often do you put a call on hold just so you can silence the -other- end of the call?

Now, what I'd really like to see is music on hold :). The music is right there, should be trivial to implement. Probably violates some kind of music license, but I don't really care...
 

Poll Smoker

macrumors 6502a
Jul 20, 2007
684
1
I love people who share these responses and block out their own e-mail and leave Steve's visible. If your gonna write Steve, and you get a response, and want to share it with the planet, why don't you share your e-mail address? I would.

Because not everyone's retarded?
 

jg3

macrumors member
May 3, 2002
90
0
Urbana, IL
Right, Rootus. Sure, it's technically true that mute and hold are not exactly the same, but they serve essentially the same purpose. In context, it's pretty clear to me that this is what Jobs was saying.
 

HarryKeogh

macrumors 6502a
Jun 25, 2008
609
863
I love people who share these responses and block out their own e-mail and leave Steve's visible. If your gonna write Steve, and you get a response, and want to share it with the planet, why don't you share your e-mail address? I would.

ummm, wha? We've already seen Steve's response. What will we get from the other guy's email addy?
 

bmms8

macrumors 68020
Dec 19, 2007
2,492
112
Does the hold button only disappear and show the Facetime button when you meet the requirements to make a facetime call?

Because my hold button is still there, I assumed when I was talking to another iPhone 4 both on Wi-Fi it would change.


no, you have facetime turned off. go to settings, phone, turn facetime on.
 

bamerican

macrumors newbie
Oct 23, 2007
28
0
Does the hold button only disappear and show the Facetime button when you meet the requirements to make a facetime call?

Because my hold button is still there, I assumed when I was talking to another iPhone 4 both on Wi-Fi it would change.

No. You have to enable Facetime calling in the Phone settings in order for it to appear. Otherwise the hold button will appear.

(dang...beat me to it ;) )
 

kernkraft

macrumors 68020
Jun 25, 2009
2,456
1
So my jailbroken 3G is able to sync via wifi but a brand new iPhone 4 is not?
:)

PS: Jobs is such a tool sometimes. He's supposed to be a marketing man - and it turns out to be that he's not better than some other old farts sitting in other corporate offices. I suppose the only difference is that he's the only one wearing white trainers while not jogging or in the gym.
 

Kinspiracy

macrumors member
Jun 24, 2010
30
0
I have my own version of the Hold button. I just hold the iphone like a normal human being and it puts all my calls on hold.
 

kernkraft

macrumors 68020
Jun 25, 2009
2,456
1
New problem with the iPhone 4! http://gizmodo.com/5572624/the-latest-iphone-4-problem-some-have-swapped-volume-buttons

Ahaha, now I'm not even pissed I'm just laughing at how stupid is the situation as well as the fanboy apologists...

:)
Gizmodo is cashing in...

That's what happens when you 1.) make crappy products at any price 2.) create an image that you cannot live up to 3.) mess with the press and online media.

I suppose, the lost prototype had the volume buttons installed correctly. ;)
 

bdkennedy1

Suspended
Oct 24, 2002
1,275
528
Hold didn't really make any sense anyway. I can see not wanting the other caller to hear you, but what's the benefit to not hearing them?
 

kiljoy616

macrumors 68000
Apr 17, 2008
1,795
0
USA
Well glad this does not affect me, never have used Hold since I have had an iPhone, can see a reason to use it except if someone else comes into the room and you want to cut out both, but that means if you do it, now someone on the other side could be yelling at you and you look like a fool for not answering.

Having the mute be a hold button, to me may be a bigger problem and rather not care if there was no such thing as a hold button at all, unless the mute hold button blinks or changes color when your on hold. :cool:
 
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