I haven't had a chance to read the whole thread, but what's the consensus on the fact that now we have FaceTime, iMessage, and iChat? Seems good for those of you on iOs but it's annoying for those of us on OSX unless iChat will be merged with iMessage (but I don't see that happening given that FaceTime wasn't).
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You don't like iMessage because you don't get it. [iMessage FAQ]
- Thread starter FSMBP
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This is a pretty nice write up! iMessage is great, but only works for iOS 5 users. I still think WhatsApp has the advantage because it's multiplatform and not EVERYONE I know overseas has an iPhone. A lot of people are using Android and Blackberry.
iMessage is not a good solution for everybody.
For people who are heavy Google Voice users and have their GV number integrated with Sprint, iMessage actually creates an inconvenience. I spend most of my day in front of a computer. My Google Voice tab is always pinned in Chrome next to Gmail, and when I receive an SMS, I just switch tabs and fire off a reply. It takes me literally a couple of seconds to write an elaborate text message--something that I couldn't do even when I had a QWERTY Blackberry. I can no longer do that with iMessage.
For example, last night, my iPhone was charging on my desk, and I was in bed with my laptop finishing up some work. I got a text message notification on my iPhone, switched tabs in Google Voice, and didn't see anything! It turns out that the message came from another iOS 5 user. I had to get up, go to the phone, and then use the cramped on-screen keyboard to write the reply. I think you can see how that's a lot less convenient. Also, SMS is free for Sprint users, so we are not saving anything by using iMessage.
The other benefit you lose is having searchable SMS history in the cloud that travels with you when you switch phones or providers. I can search all my old SMS messages in Google Voice, just like I can search email in Gmail, regardless of whether I use an iPhone, Android, Blackberry, or Windows Phone. You lose that ability with iMessage.
You get the idea. iMessage is a nifty app and nice for people who waste a lot of money on SMS, but it's not for everybody. Yes, it tries to solve the problem of everyone depending on carriers for SMS, but it does it in a typical, proprietary, Apple way, i.e. it forces people to use the Apple platform and locks your messaging history with Apple.
For people who are heavy Google Voice users and have their GV number integrated with Sprint, iMessage actually creates an inconvenience. I spend most of my day in front of a computer. My Google Voice tab is always pinned in Chrome next to Gmail, and when I receive an SMS, I just switch tabs and fire off a reply. It takes me literally a couple of seconds to write an elaborate text message--something that I couldn't do even when I had a QWERTY Blackberry. I can no longer do that with iMessage.
For example, last night, my iPhone was charging on my desk, and I was in bed with my laptop finishing up some work. I got a text message notification on my iPhone, switched tabs in Google Voice, and didn't see anything! It turns out that the message came from another iOS 5 user. I had to get up, go to the phone, and then use the cramped on-screen keyboard to write the reply. I think you can see how that's a lot less convenient. Also, SMS is free for Sprint users, so we are not saving anything by using iMessage.
The other benefit you lose is having searchable SMS history in the cloud that travels with you when you switch phones or providers. I can search all my old SMS messages in Google Voice, just like I can search email in Gmail, regardless of whether I use an iPhone, Android, Blackberry, or Windows Phone. You lose that ability with iMessage.
You get the idea. iMessage is a nifty app and nice for people who waste a lot of money on SMS, but it's not for everybody. Yes, it tries to solve the problem of everyone depending on carriers for SMS, but it does it in a typical, proprietary, Apple way, i.e. it forces people to use the Apple platform and locks your messaging history with Apple.
Personally use use Google voice almost as much as native SMS. For the past three months I went down from Android to a dumb phone and used google voice to jus text people from my browser. Lot faster and more convenient; I can just click a few times and type rather than stop everything to pick up the phone.
I sill have the application installed on my 4S but I don't use it as often now.
Data over iMessage
I would really like to see some hard numbers on the data though...
I have 5 devices on AT&T all @ 200MB per month =
So that's $75 just for measly 200 data. We typically all run right up to the limit each month (between 150-190MB).
I do not want to pay extra $50 per month for 2GB.
I pay $30 now for unlimited text.
I appreciate iMessage - it is a nice innovation and I really hate AT&T for limiting me to a measly 200MB...
But as the numbers stand iMessage stands to negatively impact me.
3 of the 5 devices receive/send 10,000+ messages a month.
Judging from the majority of the messages in this forum it appears that I am in the minority that this is causing an issue for.
I would just like to see the hard numbers. What is the definite size, provided by APPLE or AT&T. NOT SPECULATION. We don't know what wrappers etc are on these packets. That's all I ask... I realize it's minuscule, but even minuscule we stand to be affected.
Will try to leave it on for now and monitor data usage closely.
I would really like to see some hard numbers on the data though...
I have 5 devices on AT&T all @ 200MB per month =
So that's $75 just for measly 200 data. We typically all run right up to the limit each month (between 150-190MB).
I do not want to pay extra $50 per month for 2GB.
I pay $30 now for unlimited text.
I appreciate iMessage - it is a nice innovation and I really hate AT&T for limiting me to a measly 200MB...
But as the numbers stand iMessage stands to negatively impact me.
3 of the 5 devices receive/send 10,000+ messages a month.
Judging from the majority of the messages in this forum it appears that I am in the minority that this is causing an issue for.
I would just like to see the hard numbers. What is the definite size, provided by APPLE or AT&T. NOT SPECULATION. We don't know what wrappers etc are on these packets. That's all I ask... I realize it's minuscule, but even minuscule we stand to be affected.
Will try to leave it on for now and monitor data usage closely.
anyone here have iMessage on a 3GS/iphone 4?
can you please tell me if you see the bubbles behind your contacts?
it appears i can't see the bubbles to know if someone has imessage or not
also iMessage doesn't seem to work for phone numbers on my hacktivated phone. obviously has something to do with my unlock
Emails work fine
In Settings/messages it still says waiting for activation
can you please tell me if you see the bubbles behind your contacts?
it appears i can't see the bubbles to know if someone has imessage or not
also iMessage doesn't seem to work for phone numbers on my hacktivated phone. obviously has something to do with my unlock
Emails work fine
In Settings/messages it still says waiting for activation
Google voice is only really used by a small amount of people in the world, so not much of a widespread issue really
On Sprint with Google Voice integrated, do your text messages come over on the default message app or do you have to install the less than desirable iPhone Google Voice app?
To provide with some extra information, you can have all texts and calls go to your number, so you don't have to interact with anything at all.
That's how people with any phone can take advantage of Google Voice.
They come into your Messages app.
You really don't need the Google Voice app, unless you want to browse your old voicemails. I also sometimes use it to check for calls I may have missed while my battery was dead, since Google Voice records all missed calls in the cloud.
For the past 5 years: Hey Apple! Make a BBM type messaging app!
Apple releases iMessage: I don't like iMessage because I can just use SMS!
You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you cant please all of the people all of the time.
If you don't *want* to use iMessage, turn it off and go back to whatever you were using before. It's a choice.
Apple releases iMessage: I don't like iMessage because I can just use SMS!
You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you cant please all of the people all of the time.
If you don't *want* to use iMessage, turn it off and go back to whatever you were using before. It's a choice.
No... No we do not.
We do not tolerate people with Android or Windows phones. That is silly talk. I have very low expectations of my friends and family but in that is obviously participating in the much superior world of iOS. Not knowing that is a flaw that is simply not something that can be overcome.
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Actually iMessage is much faster than texting almost all the time, so that is another advantage.
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Besides it being faster, not having the length limitation of texts, and having delivery and read receipt options... For someone who texts that much, those features would probably be more useful to you than most for anyone who has an iOS device you know.
I just don't get people saying they won't use it or get any benefit from it. The hybrid iMessage/SMS program is vastly better than the previous SMS only program. It does not matter how you slice it or look at it.
If someone wants to use a third party app because it meets your needs, fine, but in some cases the new imessage functionality would replace that need and work just as well if not better.
Maybe I missed this somewhere, but will texts sent through iMessage to another iMessage user be logged somewhere other than on the phone? Right now, I can see a record of all texts sent/received and the phone number by checking my At&t data usage. Or will any texts sent this way just be billed as general data usage with no way to see the phone number? And if there is not a log, can this feature be turned off under "Restrictions"?
iMessage comes under general data usage as its not via sms, its over the data connection and you can turn it off in the messages section under settings.
But not under "Restrictions"? So theoretically, someone could turn it on, text away, and then turn it back off and delete the messages, leaving everyone else none the wiser?
It's part of the messages app, why would it be under restrictions if the original messages app wasn't? so no different to someone texting from it and deleting it. Plus the amount of data it uses is negligible.
Nothing is stopping you from disabling iMessage. This would solve your problem completely and force everything to come as SMS.
iMessage is attractive to me as I am lucky enough to still have unlimited international data. I have the GV iOS app and intended to use it whilst overseas to text with people at home, however, nearly anyone I text with has iOS and will likely have iMessage capability making it more convenient for me.
well....
There are apps called textnow and textfree which give you a phone mumber and let you text any phone or ipad.
There are apps called textnow and textfree which give you a phone mumber and let you text any phone or ipad.
I did.
What a cool world you live in. Do you all your friends also dance like the colorful silhouettes in the iPod commercials?
