What is wrong with iMessage?

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Level 1

0 points

What is wrong with iMessage?

This is an incredibly disappointing app. Apple took something simple from the iPhone (text messaging) and screwed it up. Type iMessage into this board's search window and you get several threads complaining this app doesn't work.

It should work the way it does on the iPhone. When I see the same icon and label as on my iPhone, it should work the same. On any device I should be able to send a text (MMS or SMS) to any phone. It should have added the ability to send them to iPads. These should have been core capabilities.

Instead, it must be an iOS5 device that has to be registered and there are these silly rules for what address you put in it based on what device you are using. It does a verification that the address is registered that so far has rejected everything I've tried. Something as simple as sending a message from my iPad to my iPhone and it tells me that an email address I pulled from my contacts isn't registered. Both devices have iOS5, the email address was my MobileMe account that both have their mail apps synched to and they were both sitting on a WiFi. I even tried putting them on 3G. No change.

Maybe I can't send a message to myself; I tried sending one to my wife. She also has an iPad and iPhone with iOS5 and an email account synched to both devices. It seems my wife isn't registered either. I haven't figured out how to break the bad news to her. Maybe she'll take consolation in the fact that I too have been declared unregistered by Apple.

Seriously, thought, how did this pass Beta testing? How did one of the best programming companies on the planet not catch the problems in this? Apple needs to take a serious look at what went wrong. Somewhere their vaunted process broke down.

I'm going to cut my losses and put this app in a 'worthless app' folder and find something else.

iPad, iOS 5

Posted on Oct 20, 2011 6:55 AM

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Answer 1

nick101

Level 5

5,132 points

Oct 20, 2011 7:16 AM in response to barnashe

The iPad isn't a phone. It doesn'tr connect to the phone network as a phone and so it can't use SMS to send messages. It can only send messages via the internetusing the einternet implementation of iMessage.

Currently, only iOS5 deviceds ahve iMessage. Maybe Apple will make it available on other dvices, I don't know.

As to why it doesn't work between your wife's device and yours, you may have to be registered with iCloud. It's working fine between myself and my partner

This might help

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3395222

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Answer 2

barnashe Author

Level 1

0 points

Oct 20, 2011 6:31 PM in response to nick101

Thank you for the link. It both explained and confirmed my thoughts about iMessage. I have checked that everything is turned on and we do have everything registered with iCloud (which should have nothing to do with this).

I am glad that it works for you. I still can't get it to work. Why not? Apple prides itself on "just working out of the box" and this app requires me to try and figure out more than I should have to. I could have stuck with Linux for this.

As I stated in my original post, there are some core capabilities Apple should have put into this. It shouldn't matter that it isn't a phone; the idea is to sent data from one device to another. Cell networks, data networks and WiFi should easily handle that.

This app reaches too few people and requires too much trouble to get working. Again, thank you for the link.

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Answer 3

BillG3

Level 1

9 points

Dec 30, 2011 3:39 PM in response to barnashe

I agree with you. You see the same icon on both the iPhone and iPad one would think the same functionality would apply. I purchased an iPhone and iPad within weeks do one another, and as a first time Apple user I'm struck with the apparent arrogance of Apple. No Flash. iMeesage registering. How incredibly stupid. My way or the highway.

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Answer 4

bizybee

Level 1

19 points

Dec 30, 2011 3:49 PM in response to barnashe

I had the same problem as you, the 3 iPhones in my house share 1 account, so on my new iPad under settings for iMessage I entered a different email address and now it is working. Very frustrating app to use.

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