iMessage

OS X 10.8.2 released, featuring Facebook integration, and better iMessage support

Jeff Benjamin ∙ September 19, 2012

A few days ago, I highlighted my experience with OS X 10.8.2, which is like the perfect supplement for Mac users who've just upgraded their mobile devices to iOS 6.

Some of the biggest features included is phone number support for iMessage, which makes the entire iMessage experience lightyears better than before, and Facebook single sign on integration.

Don't be misled by the ".2", as OS X 10.8.2 is a huge upgrade over OS X 10.8.1. Take a look inside for the change log, and stay tuned for videos showing off the new digs.

Messages for Mac is about to get a lot more useful

Jeff Benjamin ∙ September 11, 2012

As 9to5Mac just pointed out, Apple has released OS X 10.8.2 build 12C50 to developers, and it packs quite a few useful features.

Most notably, in my opinion, is the new syncing ability between iMessages sent to a telephone number. Now, any iMessage can be sent and received from a Mac running OS X 10.8.2, regardless of whether or not it's a phone number or an email address.

I don't know about you, but this has always seemed like a glaring omission, and serves to make iMessage that much more of a relevant communication tool on the desktop.

Apple kinda responds to the SMS security flaw found in iOS

Sébastien Page ∙ August 18, 2012

Yesterday we broke the news that our friend and iOS hacker pod2g had uncovered a major security flaw in the way the iPhone handles SMS. The exploit basically allows anyone to specify a different "reply-to" phone number when sending you a text message. You can easily imagine various scenarios of how this could be used maliciously.

Today, Apple sent a statement that doesn't necessarily makes us feel better about the exploit found, but which does insist on the fact that iMessage is more secure than standard text messages...

Pod2g uncovers major SMS security flaw in iOS

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 11, 2018

Despite the fact that Apple continues to receive praise for the security in iOS, hackers continue to discover vulnerabilities. Just look at all of the exploits that have been used in past jailbreaks.

Today, Pod2g adds another one to that list with his newly discovered SMS flaw. It has to do with the way the iPhone handles SMS, and could open the doors for text message spoofing...

Apple confirms iCloud email outage for some, App Store and iMessage hiccups reported

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 4, 2018

Looks like something is amiss with that $1 billion North Carolina data center as Apple just acknowledged that a limited number of iCloud users are having issues accessing their iCloud email. A bunch of people reported the problem earlier today on Apple's discussion forums.

The Cupertino, California company is working to resolve the problem "ASAP", reads a notice on Apple's iClod status page. It appears that the issue is not contained just to iCloud email as some users are beginning to complain about hiccups with the App Store and iMessage services as well. Moreover, looks like FaceTime is down for some, too...

UPDATE: All services are now back online...

Users experiencing significant iCloud and iMessage outages [updated]

Cody Lee ∙ June 20, 2012

In line with several reports, readers are telling us that they are experiencing difficulties accessing iCloud and sending iMessages this afternoon. We are noticing similar problems on our own devices.

Judging by recent Twitter chatter, the outage appears to be world-wide, affecting a number of users. Apple has acknowledged the problem on its iCloud status page, but there's no ETA for a fix...

AT&T CEO talks the iPhone, unlimited data and iMessage

Cody Lee ∙ May 4, 2012

The New York Times points to some interesting comments, regarding Apple, made by AT&T's chief executive Randall Stephenson at the Milken Institute's Global Conference earlier this week.

During an on-stage interview, the CEO discussed a wide range of topics including his regret for initially allowing iPhone users to have unlimited data, and how it affected AT&T's bottom line...

How Apple can solve the multiple iMessage alert conundrum

Jeff Benjamin ∙ April 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.

‘SMS Timestamps’ makes tracking your messages easy

Jeff Benjamin ∙ April 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...

Black SMS keeps your iMessages locked away safe and sound

Oliver Haslam ∙ March 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...

‘SendAny’ and ‘ReceiveAny’ now available on Cydia

Jeff Benjamin ∙ March 26, 2012

[tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXzXqZtFYwU[/tube]

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

Jeff Benjamin ∙ March 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...