c_mulholland@nym.hush.com

Not sure if this has been discussed before so please forgive if I missed it.

What is the messages icon on the iPad2 for?

The icon did not show up on my desktop until i upgraded my iPad2 from
iOS 4.x to iOS 5.x.

It is identical as the messages icon on my iPhone 3GS. I use that icon on
my 3GS to send text messages.

Tried to send a text message from my iPhone to my iPad and it failed. Tried
to send a message from my iPad to my iPhone and it failed.

I went to the local AT&T store and asked a sales rep and all I got from him
was gobble-de-gook.

What am I missing?

BreadWithSpam@fractious.net

c_mulholland@nym.hush.com writes:

> What is the messages icon on the iPad2 for?

iMessage. You link it to a variety of potential identifiers
for yourself (e-mail addresses, actually) and folks using
iMessage on other iPads or iPhones can send you SMS-like
messages. (Actually, full multimedia support, not just short
bits of text).

On the iPhone, you receive messages via Message/iMessage
identified by your iPhone's phone number *plus* whatever
e-mail addresses you've registered with it. However,
even though an iPad may have a (theoretical) phone number
associated with it (if it's a 3G iPad), iMessage won't
recognize that or include it. Only on iPhones are the
phone number included in iMessage identifiers.

> The icon did not show up on my desktop until i upgraded my iPad2 from
> iOS 4.x to iOS 5.x.

It wasn't part of iOS4 for iPads. iOS4 for iPhones included it,
but only for messages routed via your cell phone number, not
via your e-mail address.

And note that the phone number or e-mail address is just an
identifier - the actual iMessage content goes through Apple's
servers and over the data network - which is different from
standard SMS messaging.

> It is identical as the messages icon on my iPhone 3GS. I use that icon on
> my 3GS to send text messages.

It's not identical, but the new iOS5 Messages program incorporates
iMessage into it - it serves both for older messages (to non-iMessage
recipients -- ie. traditional SMS) as well as for iMessage messages.

--
Plain Bread alone for e-mail, thanks. The rest gets trashed.

David Empson

<c_mulholland@nym.hush.com> wrote:

> Not sure if this has been discussed before so please forgive if I missed it.
>
> What is the messages icon on the iPad2 for?

Sending and receiving messages via Apple's iMessage service, which can
be used to send messages between iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches running
iOS 5.

iMessage works over the Internet, so it can be used on a WiFi network.
If you have an iPhone or 3G+WiFi iPad, it also works over the cellular
data network.

iMessage doesn't use standard cellular text messages, but the Messages
app on the iPhone supports both standard text messages and iMessage. It
will automatically use iMessage if possible, otherwise it reverts to
standard text messages. It colours text messages green and iMessages
blue.

> The icon did not show up on my desktop until i upgraded my iPad2 from
> iOS 4.x to iOS 5.x.

Correct. iMessage is a new feature of iOS 5.

> It is identical as the messages icon on my iPhone 3GS. I use that icon on
> my 3GS to send text messages.

That still works. If your iPhone has been upgraded to iOS 5 it can also
send and receive iMessages (e.g. to/from your iPad).

If you send a message from your iPhone to a phone number, the iPhone
will work out if the recipient is an iPhone running iOS 5 with iMessage
enabled, and if so it will send an iMessage. Otherwise it will send a
text message.

If you send a message from your iPhone to an e-mail address, it will
attempt to send an iMessage to that address.

> Tried to send a text message from my iPhone to my iPad and it failed. Tried
> to send a message from my iPad to my iPhone and it failed.

You need to have iMessage configured and be logged in on both your iPad
and iPhone in order to send messages between them. Go into Settings >
Messages and make sure iMessage is on.

There is also a "Learn More" link you can tap there to read Apple's
description of the iMessage service.

The "Receive At" field indicates the e-mail address (and/or phone number
for an iPhone) which you need to use to address an iMessage to that
device. (An e-mail address there is actually an Apple ID, which
typically looks like an e-mail address. iMessage doesn't actually send
e-mail - it just uses the e-mail address as an account identifier.)

You can associate multiple e-mail addresses with an Apple ID, in which
case someone can send you an iMessage using any of those addresses.

> I went to the local AT&T store and asked a sales rep and all I got from him
> was gobble-de-gook.

Try asking a genius at an Apple Store. iMessage bypasses AT&T's text
message service, so they may feel iMessage is competition and it isn't
in their interest to help you to use that feature.

--
David Empson
dempson@actrix.gen.nz

NightStalker

In article <1kcoh5r.18mhfcy1jcamu1N%dempson@actrix.gen.nz>,
dempson@actrix.gen.nz says...

> If you send a message from your iPhone to a phone number, the iPhone
> will work out if the recipient is an iPhone running iOS 5 with iMessage
> enabled, and if so it will send an iMessage. Otherwise it will send a
> text message.
>

How can I select whether or not I wish to send a standard SMS text
message rather than an Apple iMessage? On a one-by-one basis, for each
message?

My phone plan allows a huge number of free SMS messages anyway, so it
wouldn't cost me anything.

And is there any advantage or disadvantage of one over the other? SMS
vs iMessage?

--

NightStalker

David Empson

NightStalker <NightStalker@somewhere.or.other> wrote:

> In article <1kcoh5r.18mhfcy1jcamu1N%dempson@actrix.gen.nz>,
> dempson@actrix.gen.nz says...
>
> > If you send a message from your iPhone to a phone number, the iPhone
> > will work out if the recipient is an iPhone running iOS 5 with iMessage
> > enabled, and if so it will send an iMessage. Otherwise it will send a
> > text message.
>
> How can I select whether or not I wish to send a standard SMS text
> message rather than an Apple iMessage? On a one-by-one basis, for each
> message?

You can't. The Messages app on the iPhone automatically decides whether
to send a text message or iMessage, based on whether the recipient is an
iPhone running iOS 5 and is logged in to iMessage.

If you want to force sending of text messages, then you can go into
Settings > Messages and turn off iMessage. That will also force everyone
else to send you text messages.

> My phone plan allows a huge number of free SMS messages anyway, so it
> wouldn't cost me anything.

Me too, but I hardly used any of them anyway, so I don't care that some
are now going via iMessage.

> And is there any advantage or disadvantage of one over the other? SMS
> vs iMessage?

iMessage has lots of technical advantages over text messages. See the
link I posted previously.

The main ones I notice are indications that the other person is typing,
delivery confirmation, optional read receipts, and the ability to mix in
graphics with text (without having to switch to MMS, which probably
isn't counted in your free SMS quota).

--
David Empson
dempson@actrix.gen.nz

NightStalker

In article <1kcs92g.1qu18312umfjjN%dempson@actrix.gen.nz>,
dempson@actrix.gen.nz says...
> NightStalker <NightStalker@somewhere.or.other> wrote:
>
> > In article <1kcoh5r.18mhfcy1jcamu1N%dempson@actrix.gen.nz>,
> > dempson@actrix.gen.nz says...
> >
> > > If you send a message from your iPhone to a phone number, the iPhone
> > > will work out if the recipient is an iPhone running iOS 5 with iMessage
> > > enabled, and if so it will send an iMessage. Otherwise it will send a
> > > text message.
> >
> > How can I select whether or not I wish to send a standard SMS text
> > message rather than an Apple iMessage? On a one-by-one basis, for each
> > message?
>
> You can't. The Messages app on the iPhone automatically decides whether
> to send a text message or iMessage, based on whether the recipient is an
> iPhone running iOS 5 and is logged in to iMessage.
>
> If you want to force sending of text messages, then you can go into
> Settings > Messages and turn off iMessage. That will also force everyone
> else to send you text messages.
>
> > My phone plan allows a huge number of free SMS messages anyway, so it
> > wouldn't cost me anything.
>
> Me too, but I hardly used any of them anyway, so I don't care that some
> are now going via iMessage.
>
> > And is there any advantage or disadvantage of one over the other? SMS
> > vs iMessage?
>
> iMessage has lots of technical advantages over text messages. See the
> link I posted previously.
>
> The main ones I notice are indications that the other person is typing,
> delivery confirmation, optional read receipts, and the ability to mix in
> graphics with text (without having to switch to MMS, which probably
> isn't counted in your free SMS quota).
>
>

Good information - thanks for that

--

NightStalker

Michelle Steiner

In article <MPG.295f9c7bf38028e7989952@news-europe.giganews.com>,
NightStalker <NightStalker@somewhere.or.other> wrote:

> > If you send a message from your iPhone to a phone number, the iPhone
> > will work out if the recipient is an iPhone running iOS 5 with
> > iMessage enabled, and if so it will send an iMessage. Otherwise it
> > will send a text message.
>
> How can I select whether or not I wish to send a standard SMS text
> message rather than an Apple iMessage? On a one-by-one basis, for each
> message?

You can turn iMessage off globally.

If iMessage is on and the recipient has iMessage capabilities, it will send
an iMessage; otherwise, it will send an SMS.

--
Tea Party Patriots is to Patriotism as
People's Democratic Republic is to Democracy.

Mad Prof

David Empson <dempson@actrix.gen.nz> wrote:

> NightStalker <NightStalker@somewhere.or.other> wrote:

> > How can I select whether or not I wish to send a standard SMS text
> > message rather than an Apple iMessage? On a one-by-one basis, for each
> > message?

> You can't. The Messages app on the iPhone automatically decides whether
> to send a text message or iMessage, based on whether the recipient is an
> iPhone running iOS 5 and is logged in to iMessage.

You can. Tap and hold the iMessage baloon just immediately after you've
tapped the Send button and you'll be prompted to send a standard SMS. On
an iPhone, of course...

--
Questa, signori miei, è porno-anarchia...

David Empson

Mad Prof <nospam@mail.invalid> wrote:

> David Empson <dempson@actrix.gen.nz> wrote:
>
> > NightStalker <NightStalker@somewhere.or.other> wrote:
>
> > > How can I select whether or not I wish to send a standard SMS text
> > > message rather than an Apple iMessage? On a one-by-one basis, for each
> > > message?
>
> > You can't. The Messages app on the iPhone automatically decides whether
> > to send a text message or iMessage, based on whether the recipient is an
> > iPhone running iOS 5 and is logged in to iMessage.
>
> You can. Tap and hold the iMessage baloon just immediately after you've
> tapped the Send button and you'll be prompted to send a standard SMS. On
> an iPhone, of course...

Ah, not a feature I'd dicovered. The timing is rather tight - must be
done before the message is delivered. I can't see this being
particularly useful - since the iPhone has already gone through the
motions of sending as an iMessage, it has probably counted as data
traffic, which will count off against your data cap (if you are on a
limited plan).

I suppose it might be useful if the iMessage service was offline or it
was taking too long to deliver the message, or there was a connectivity
issue which was blocking data traffic either at your end or the
recipient's end.

--
David Empson
dempson@actrix.gen.nz

Mad Prof

David Empson <dempson@actrix.gen.nz> wrote:

> Ah, not a feature I'd dicovered. The timing is rather tight - must be
> done before the message is delivered. I can't see this being
> particularly useful

Actually it can. iMessage has one big flaw: once it has determined that
the recipient has an iMessage-enabled device, it will stick to sending
iMessages even if the recipient has no Internet connectivity at the
moment. Several times I had to send text messages to people who normally
use iMessage, but that were abroad with no cellular data connectivity.
Not having any clue if they were connected to a Wi-Fi network or not,
the only way to make sure they could read my message with no delay was
switching to standard SMS.

--
Questa, signori miei, è porno-anarchia...