How Apple can solve the multiple iMessage alert conundrum

By Jeff Benjamin on Apr 13, 2012

If you’ve taken advantage of iOS 5′s iCloud functionality, you understand how much potential is on tap. iCloud coerces all all of your iOS devices to stay in sync; at least that’s the theory.

While the potential is certainly there, iCloud still has a way to go before all of its issues are ironed out; though I definitely commend Apple for being gung-ho about its rollout.

One of the main issues that I’ve personally experienced — and no doubt countless others share similar sentiments — is with iMessage. More specifically, since iCloud can sync every iOS 5 device you own, all of your devices alert you when you receive a new iMessage.

Now I know; why not just disable alerts altogether for all but one device? Well, there’s a number of reasons why I would not want to do that. The main reason being is that you shouldn’t have to select one feature over another. iCloud is meant for convenience, and taking such a step would certainly be a leap backwards.

Instead, let’s examine a more proactive approach — utilizing the iPhone’s built in technology to solve the issue. That’s exactly what we tried to do. Introducing our solution to the multiple iMessage alert conundrum — Alert Priority. Read More

 

‘SMS Timestamps’ makes tracking your messages easy

By Jeff Benjamin on Apr 6, 2012

Want an easy way to track when your text messages were sent or received? SMS Timestamps is a jailbreak tweak that may be up to the task.

With SMS Timestamps installed, you can force a timestamp to created with every new message, or you can set specified timestamp intervals of 1, 5 or 10 minutes.

It’s nowhere near a groundbreaking idea, but if you’ve been looking for a standalone timestamp solution, then SMS Timestamps does the job adequately… Read More

 

Black SMS keeps your iMessages locked away safe and sound

By Oliver Haslam on Mar 27, 2012

With security and privacy very much at the front of everyone’s minds these days, the possibility of having your private SMS messages read is something that will send a shiver down the spine of plenty of people, especially if you are sharing sensitive information.

A new iPhone app plays to those fears, while also providing a workable solution that, as far as we can tell, isn’t going to be as annoying as you might first think.

Black SMS is not an iMessage or SMS app replacement, and in fact, it could be used with email or any other encrypted text. What it does do is allow users to type text into the app and then have it encrypted, ready for decryption on the other end… Read More

 

‘SendAny’ and ‘ReceiveAny’ now available on Cydia

By Jeff Benjamin on Mar 26, 2012

SendAny and ReceiveAny are two jailbreak tweaks that work in harmony to let you send and receive unsupported files via iMessage.

Be sure to take a look at our full walkthrough for more information on how these two tweaks work together to make iMessage much more useful for sending files.

ReceiveAny is a free download, while SendAny will set you back $1.99. Both can be acquired via Cydia’s BigBoss repo.

 

‘Attacher’ allows you to open any attachment in iMessage

By Jeff Benjamin on Mar 24, 2012

Attacher is an alternative to the ReceiveAny tweak that we covered previously. It allows you to open previously unsupported files directly from within iMessage.

Although you can’t use Attacher to send unsupported files, it’s still a great free solution for those cases when someone insists on sending one to you… Read More

 

‘SendAny’ and ‘ReceiveAny’ lets you send and receive any file using iMessage

By Jeff Benjamin on Mar 11, 2012

Remember that little feature we showed you with the OS X Messages beta that let you send files to your iDevice straight from the desktop?

Imagine that, but imagine it about 50 times better. That’s what you get with the upcoming jailbreak tweaks entitled SendAny and ReceiveAny — they allow you to send and receive any type of file using iMessage.

Check inside for our full hands-on preview of both tweaks in action… Read More

 

‘SMSmileys’ automatically converts text smiley faces into Emoji icons

By Jeff Benjamin on Mar 3, 2012

Isn’t it weird that the stock Messages app doesn’t automatically convert ASCII smiley faces into Emoji icons?

I never understood why Apple neglected to include this feature; I think they should have at least made it an option.

Thanks to the jailbreak community, now it is an option, and that option is called SMSmileys… Read More

 

‘FastStatus’ lets you tweet, text, and email using Activator

By Jeff Benjamin on Feb 26, 2012

With everything going the route of iOS 5′s Notification Center, we’re seeing less and less tweaks that use Activator as a means for invoking, but FastStatus bucks that trend.

In fact, FastStatus’ ability to retain full compatibility with iOS 4 is one of the feathers in its cap.

This is a tweak that allows you to send email, text messages, and tweets from anywhere using a user assigned Activator action.

Check out our video walkthrough of FastStatus in action inside… Read More

 

How to send any file format to iOS devices using Messages for Mac

By Jeff Benjamin on Feb 19, 2012

Yes, you can send files to iOS devices from the beta Messages app that Apple recently released. That much is obvious, as it only makes sense to be able to send photos, sound files, text files, and the like.

What’s a bit stranger is the fact that you can send virtually any type of file from your Mac to an iOS device via Messages.

But don’t get your hopes up too high. There is still a limit as to what you can do with said files in iOS’ Messages app once you receive them… Read More

 

Apple releases public iMessage beta for OS X

By Jeff Benjamin on Feb 16, 2012

Want to get your hands on the new iMessage beta — the iChat replacement that’s coming with OS X Mountain Lion this summer? If so, you can do so now, as Apple has posted a public beta download for all to enjoy.

iMessage was one of the prominent features of iOS 5, and it allows users to chat across multiple devices using the same interface that’s used for SMS messages.

The beauty about iMessage is that it’s basically just an IM client, which means you incur no SMS fees. Now with this latest update, you can start and/or finish conversations on your desktop or laptop… Read More

 

Apple Says There is No iMessage Bug

By Cody Lee on Feb 2, 2012

A few months after Apple released iOS 5 to the public last year, a major bug was found in the software’s new iMessage application. Several users reported that their iMessage accounts continued to remain active after wiping their devices.

Gizmodo added fuel to the fire yesterday when it published several images of strange iMessage conversations it was receiving on an iPhone after visiting an Apple Store for tech support. Apparently, when a Genius inserted his personal SIM card into the phone to test the device, the handset locked on to his iMessage account… Read More

 

RingerX VIP Now Available on Cydia

By Jeff Benjamin on Feb 2, 2012

A couple of days ago we provided you with an in-depth preview of RingerX VIP, the jailbreak tweak that lends fine grain control over your iPhone’s vibrate and ringing behaviors. It’s now available for download on Cydia’s BigBoss repo. If you haven’t seen our preview, be sure to check it out.

 

RingerX VIP: Control Ringer and Vibrate Behavior for Calls and Messages

By Jeff Benjamin on Jan 31, 2012

Don’t you just hate it when you miss an important call because you forgot to turn your iPhone’s mute switch off? Or what about that one annoying person that always calls at 3 in the morning? Wouldn’t it be nice if you could forever silence their calls?

With RingerX VIP, all of these scenarios feature easy solutions.

This is a jailbreak tweak for those who require fine grained control over how various contacts are treated whenever they call you or message you… Read More

 

RIM Looking into BlackBerry Messenger for Other Platforms

By Oliver Haslam on Jan 27, 2012

RIM’s new CEO Thorsten Heins may have inherited a sinking ship, but he seems determined to explore all avenues in his attempt to find an escape route for the ailing Canadian firm.

Having previously been very keen to keep its BlackBerry Messenger crown jewel as a key feature that is exclusive to its hardware, BlackBerry smartphones may not be the only ones to support it some time in the future. RIM’s new CEO outlined his company’s openness to such a move during an interview with CrackBerry.

If RIM was to license its SMS-like instant messaging system to third parties then it could stript the firm’s handsets of arguably their biggest feature… Read More

 

Compose and Reply to Messages From Anywhere With Messages+

By Jeff Benjamin on Jan 10, 2012

Messages+ is the standalone SMS messaging tweak from Intelliborn, the same crew behind the amazing IntelliScreenX. In fact, Messages+ is actually a big part of IntelliScreenX — it was included along with IntelliScreenX free of charge.

Why would anyone buy Messages+ alone when you can get it with another great jailbreak app for $2.00 more? Let’s take a look… Read More

 

SMS on the Decline with iMessage and IM to Blame

By Oliver Haslam on Jan 4, 2012

This Christmas saw lower than normal numbers for SMS, according to new numbers released by Forbes. As is to be expected, certain times during the year cause higher than usual numbers of SMS messages to be sent.

Major sporting events are one cause, as is events Christmas and the ringing in of a new year. The numbers this year show that we sent less messages through the carriers’ SMS networks than we did last year, which will no doubt be a concern to those same carriers who have been overcharging us for years to send a few characters of text. Read More

 

How to Protect Your iMessages on a Stolen iPhone

By Oliver Haslam on Dec 22, 2011

Apple’s iMessage may be a fine SMS/MMS tool, but as we recently reported, it isn’t without its problems.

If you are unlucky enough to find your iPhone stolen or lost, then under some circumstances it is possible that the iPhone can continue receiving iMessages. Even moving your phone number to another handset, changing your Apple ID password, and remote wiping the handset may not stop the problem.

There are two possible fixes, and they are as simple as turning on your iPhone’s SIM card PIN and calling your phone carrier… Read More

 

biteSMS 6.0 Featuring iOS 5 Compatibility Officially Released

By Jeff Benjamin on Dec 18, 2011

It’s finally here. After what seemed like an infinite beta test, biteSMS 6.0 has hit Cydia for public download.

With it comes all of the features you’ve come to know and love, plus a few surprises and UI enhancements. Best of all, it’s a free download if you’ve purchased an older version of biteSMS. Check out our video coverage inside…

Read More

 

iMessage Bug Lets Thieves Keep Texting From a Stolen iPhone

By Alex Heath on Dec 17, 2011

One of the benefits of iCloud is Find My iPhone, a service that lets you locate and remote wipe a handset if it is stolen or misplaced. While remote wiping an iPhone on iOS 5 cleans the device of your personal information, a bug in iMessage has been discovered that lets a thief continue to send messages from someone’s iMessage account.

Ars Technica has uncovered the bug, and the scariest part is that permanently deleting your Apple ID is the only way to circumvent the issue until it is addressed by Apple. Read More

 

Apple Airs New iPod touch Commercial Featuring iOS 5

By Cody Lee on Nov 24, 2011

With the holidays around the corner, Apple’s advertising team is working overtime. Just a few days ago we told you about the new iPad 2 commercial, and now the company has just released a new iPod touch ad.

The iPod touch line didn’t receive any hardware updates this year, but it did get a new white model and a minor price drop. It also received the new iOS 5 update, which stars in the device’s latest TV spot… Read More

 
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