When i add a contact i have a option of adding a "iphone" number under a contact. What exactly does this feature do on a 3GS?
Ehrm actually that's a designation for iMessage. Try iMessaging someone if they are using iMessage but the contact's number is tagged as "Mobile" or something else. You'll get the green standard SMS button and not the blue iMessage button.
not true at all. I have several friends with iPhones and their numbers are saved as "mobile" and I can iMessage just fine with them.
Really? Maybe an iOS 7 fix then? I'm on iOS 6.1 and if it's set to anything other than iPhone I can't iMessage anyone using an iPhone.
Really. It has no bearing whatsoever on anything, just a designation for the number like said above mobile, fax, work, etc...
Never used the iPhone label for any phone numbers and haven't had issues with iMessage working properly in any iOS (7, 6, or 5 when iMessage was introduced). The check for whether or not someone uses iMessage is done server-side by Apple and isn't related to labels or anything like that, just the phone number or email that is associated with an Apple ID.
Hmmm…OK. Thanks. ---------- I'm jailbroken and I'm using biteSMS and have been since February of last year. I know with biteSMS in the Quick Compose you have to use the country code to force it to iMessage (even US numbers) so maybe using biteSMS is what's throwing me off. I can remember trying to message friends in the UK and Australia though on my 3GS with iOS 5 at the time and iMessage did not come up until I put in iPhone next to their number. Strange. Thanks. I was wrong and I guess it's just my issue.
this. The only thing that determines the person imessage "account" is how they have it set up. For example, you can have imessage only associated with your email and not your phone number if you want. settings-message-imessage-send/receive.