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You don't like iMessage because you don't get it. [iMessage FAQ]

lilpete said:
this is a screenshot of me sending a few iMessages to my mate straight after I updated to ios 5 gm. He had ios 5 the whole time. notice before I had ios 5 the message was sent as an SMS (which automatically appears in green), after i updated to ios the messages automatically were sent as iMessages (which naturally appear in blue).

of course if I turned iMessages off everything would be sent as an SMS. I like how it's easy to tell between the two with the difference in colour.
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Like FaceTime, theoretically, Apple could do iOS-only voice calling as well.
It's all laying the groundwork for a full-on Apple VoIP service(a long ways) down the road.
 
How to prevent messages from showing up on a shared iPad

waterskier2007 said:
my problem with it is that I have an iPad and iPhone. I want to use my phone number as my imessages "account/identifier" because the people who i would normally text know that number, but I would like to receive on both my iPad and iPhone so I can take advantage of the ability to resume a convo on either device (like was advertised in keynote). However, I cannot use a phone number as my PIN for iPad so this kind of stinks and the only way I can use the same account on both devices is with an email, which not many of my iOS having friends would normally know
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I appreciate the use case for being able to continue an iPhone chat session on an iPad, but I am actually worried about the opposite scenario. I have an iPhone and an iPad that i share with my family. I don't want personal messages sent to me showing up on the iPad while somebody else is using it. Is this easily avoided? I am hoping that I can easily disable iMessage on the iPad and just as easily enable it when it is my turn to use the iPad.

Thanks,
John
 
But I rather use my unlimited txt family plan than TO use ANY however small of att data.

trido
FSMBP said:
After reading numerous posts/comments, it seems that people who are against iMessage are the ones who don't understand it.

What does it do?
It's built into your iOS's Messaging app (the same one you already send Texts in). When you go to text someone, iOS 5 will automatically detect if that person is using an iOS 5 device & send it as an iMessage. If they aren't using iOS 5, it just sends it as a Text automatically. The End-user does NOTHING different that what you do today.

What are the benefits of iMessage versus just Texting?
-iMessages don't count against texting plans
-iMessages will tell you if your message is delivered (and Read, which is optional)
-There is no character limit, unlike the 160 characters in SMS
-iMessages use data (ex. 1KB), so you iMessage people internationally cheaper than SMS
-iMessage works on iPod touch, iPad
-Group Messaging
-iMessage works on Edge & 3G & Wifi (Good for us AT&T users with no reception :))

What's the difference between iMessage & WhatsApp or Kik?
-To use WhatsApp or Kik, the other user has to have the those Apps. iMessage is built in.
-You use one app for SMS/iMessage, versus using WhatsApp and SMS/iMessage
-It's free (unlike WhatsApp)
-WhatsApp & Kik work on Android/iOS/Other platforms, iMessage is only for iOS 5 Devices
-With WhatsApp, you'll have messages scattered across WhatsApp and between your default Messages app.
-iMessages works on iPod touch/iPads. WhatsApp does not work on iPod touches/Wifi iPads

The Key here is: you do NOTHING different than you're currently doing to send an iMessage/Text; iOS picks the best option (iMessage being the best since all the benefits I listed above).

Why wouldn't you use iMessage?
-The only reason I can think of is this, you're traveling internationally & data is more expensive than international texting.

It makes no sense not to use iMessage. You can still use WhatsApp or Kik for Android/WP7 users but it makes no sense not to take advantage of iMessage too.

In summary: Apple automatically sends your texts are iMessages when possible (which is good since it's cheaper & has a lot of benefits.) People will be sending iMessages & not even know it (people who are oblivious that is).

Feel free to discuss or point out things I've missed.
Thanks.
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trido said:
But I rather use my unlimited txt family plan than TO use ANY however small of att data.

trido
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Personally I think it's great. I have unlimited SMS but a friend of mine doesn't and I always feel guilty texting her multiple times because she can't always reply back without eating into her included $$ per month.

We've even resorted to FaceTime me on my laptop and her on her iPad (that was awkward because we were both studying and didn't look presentable and I hate looking at my own picture on screen).

This way I can iMessage her on her iPad (she doesn't have an iPhone) without feeling guilty! I'm also excited about saving $ on international SMS to my family in the US! I text them anyway so I'm paying the price regardless so if it sends as iMessage that's just a bonus for me :)
 
Everyone I regularly text runs WhatsApp anyway on various platforms, so I doubt I will use iMessage anytime soon. What happens though if you exceed 160 characters in a message and it decides to send it by SMS? Does it split it or truncate it?
 
Disable iMessage for individual contacts?

I do like what I have read about the new iMessage in the iOS5, but I was curious if we are able to disable iMessage for each/certain individual contacts?

For example, lets say my friend has iOS5 iPhone and I have iOS5 iPhone as well. I don't want to use iMessage with him and just use plain SMS messaging. Is there a way to disable him individually OR do I just disable iMessage altogether?

For me it just a whole privacy thing. I honestly don't want others to know I have an iPhone. I have had my iPhone stolen from me by friends of friends and that's one reason I don't want a whole lot of people to know I have an iPhone. I just want them to know its a mobile phone when I am sms texting
 
if i disable imessage will the sender get a notification that the message was not delivered?


I use google voice because i switch phones and lines for work and only one of my devices in an iphone. i would prefer all my messages to be received as a sms so all of my devices receive it.
 
i just install the ios 5 gm on my ipad 2...i did not see the imessage icon....only "message" (the old icon)
 
wratran said:
i just install the ios 5 gm on my ipad 2...i did not see the imessage icon....only "message" (the old icon)
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It's the same thing. iPad never had a Messages icon to begin with, so obviously they added it in iOS 5.
 
you are right....
just look at our other ipad 2 JB 4.3.3....no message icon....never notice it, dont do much texting from ipad.
 
A quick question about iMessage.

If you took your iPhone to a country where you had no service, but you were in a place that had wifi, could you still send and receive messages to other people with apple devices?
 
Kubus said:
Benefit: If you have terrible network reception in your basement (like me) you don't miss out on that important message while you're down there since you're covered with WiFi... Or some underground classrooms at universities that have bad reception but have WiFi etc... Or on a plane that has WiFi and you have to be on airplane mode and otherwise would be unable to communicate.
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I haven't been able to get imessage to work with airplane mode enabled (with the wifi turned on of course)

-iKris- said:
A quick question about iMessage.

If you took your iPhone to a country where you had no service, but you were in a place that had wifi, could you still send and receive messages to other people with apple devices?
Click to expand...

Yes, but for me, I have had to still have the network enabled, even though my service is cancelled.
 
-Copy BBM. Right now iMessage is kind of boring and everything happens in the background. Let me have the option to have a status. Integrate it with my music player to let me have the option to show people what I'm listening to. Build in some APIs to let third party applications use iMessage to open it up socially like what BBM is doing (like letting Foursquare update my status with my checkin). I know a lot of people hate Facebook and the entire concept of social networking but that's why I said option. Let those of use who want to have iMessage be a form of social networking use it and those of you who don't want to turn it all off.
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this. my thoughts exactly. even a seperate icon would be rad.
 
I don't like iMessage because I have unlimited SMS and only 2 Gb of data.
 
-iKris- said:
A quick question about iMessage.

If you took your iPhone to a country where you had no service, but you were in a place that had wifi, could you still send and receive messages to other people with apple devices?
Click to expand...

You could just get a free Google Voice number and have a separate number and the integration to your phone ALONG WITH the ability to do it all from your computer's browser.

I've been using my computer to text people for a year or so now. Transcribed voice mails, call blocking, and heavy integration even to dumbphones. (any phone really). And it's free.
 
Young Spade said:
You could just get a free Google Voice number and have a separate number and the integration to your phone ALONG WITH the ability to do it all from your computer's browser.

I've been using my computer to text people for a year or so now. Transcribed voice mails, call blocking, and heavy integration even to dumbphones. (any phone really). And it's free.
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all that AND the bonus of google tracking everything you do over it...correlating it with all the other free data about your life you are willing handing over...

there is a cost to free.
 
steadysignal said:
all that AND the bonus of google tracking everything you do over it...correlating it with all the other free data about your life you are willing handing over...

there is a cost to free.
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*rolls eyes*

If you aren't sending sensitive corporate information or, rather, any sensitive data at all, there's nothing to worry about.

People love to eat up the "omg google knows what I'm doing" nonsense. Let me ask you this though, what CAN they do with my information?

KNow what I do? Know what I say? And then what?

I'm all for privacy and whatnot, but in some circumstances, people are worried for (and obviously IMO) no reason.

Do you use a free email service? Then you're subjected to the same treatment. Facebook? Check. Twitter? Check.

We live in an information filled society now. There's some good with the bad. How much you're willing to put up with is up to you, but I'll be reaping the benefits of these free services for a very long time.

You don't think Apple keeps track or logs of what people are asking Siri to do? You're mistaken.

Hell, ATT keeps logs of your information for over 2 years, IIRC. Internet providers keep them for months on months as well.
 
You can send animated GIFs over iMessage, which is fun to do. Also the data usage is not noticeable, messages deal in the kb's of data at the very most.
 
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I'm not sure if this has been asked already, but what happens when you are sending an international iMessage, and the data network somehow isn't available? Will the message automatically default to SMS and then charge you the ridiculous international SMS fee? Any way to disable plain SMS to other iOS users?
 
Young Spade said:
Do you realize that point is irrelevant since he has unlimited texting?

And the fact that it STILL uses data? As a heavy data user, I can easily rack up ~66MB per day. (budget I had when on 2gb plan)
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And if you send a thousand long iMessages in one day, that number will jump up to 67mb. An iMessage uses almost NO data. Less than opening a page on safari.

Here's a breakdown I found for data usage sending messages:

Bytes (8 bits)

0.1 bytes: A single yes/no decision (actually 0.125 bytes, but I rounded)
1 byte: One character
2 bytes:
5 bytes
10 bytes: One word (a word of language, not a computer word)
20 bytes:
50 bytes:
100 bytes: Telegram; two punched computer (Hollerith) cards
200 bytes:
500 bytes:

Kilobyte
1,024 bytes; 210;
approx. 1,000 or 10 3

1 Kilobyte: Joke; (very) short story
2 Kilobytes: Typewritten page
10 Kilobytes: Page out of an encyclopedia
20 Kilobytes:
50 Kilobytes: Image of a document page, compressed
100 Kilobytes: Photograph, low-resolution
200 Kilobytes: Two boxes (4000) punched computer (Hollerith) cards
500 Kilobytes: Five boxes, one case (10,000 of punched computer (Hollerith) cards
 
I have unlimited texts. I don't have unlimited data. And yes, I bump up against my data limit sometimes. iMessage is off on my phone and will stay off until there is an option to not send iMessages over cell data, only wifi.
 
DoofenshmirtzEI said:
I have unlimited texts. I don't have unlimited data. And yes, I bump up against my data limit sometimes. iMessage is off on my phone and will stay off until there is an option to not send iMessages over cell data, only wifi.
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But it uses less than 1kb of data per message. Even if you send 1000 iMessages in a month, thats still at most 1mb of monthly data. Thats nothing.
 
pezasied182 said:
But it uses less than 1kb of data per message. Even if you send 1000 iMessages in a month, thats still at most 1mb of monthly data. Thats nothing.
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Agreed. There's no reason not to use iMessage, unless to pad the carriers' profits.

Unfortunately AT&T saw iMessage's threat a mile away, and quickly discontinued their 1000 texting plan.
 
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