Ecosystems aren't new. And companies trying to "lock" customers into them isn't, either. Companies want retention, customers that stick around. Finding ways to make that happen is crucial. And yet, some people still appear be shocked by this.
There's no doubt that Apple's been leveraging iMessage to keep customers from switching over to Android, using the proprietary messaging protocol as a powerful lock-in mechanism.
Apple's services are not immune to outages. And today a range of services are experiencing outages and issues, according to Apple itself.
Earlier today, there was a report circling that said Apple is developing new HomePod smart speakers. And not just a replacement for the original HomePod that Apple has discontinued. No, these devices will reportedly feature screens and cameras in some capacity.
One of my biggest pet peeves when using Apple’s Messages app to send Photos to contacts via iMessage or MMS is that you have to jump through hoops just to open the Photo Library picker.
Users will either tap on the Camera shortcut and then launch their Photo Library from the ensuing Camera viewfinder interface, or they’ll tap on the App Store button to view installed iMessage extensions and visit the Photo Library via the dedicated Photos button.
It’s not uncommon for nosy onlookers to peer at your phone screen from over your shoulder as you enjoy a text message-based conversation with one of your friends or loved ones. Albeit creepy, such is life.
Apple’s iOS mobile operating system takes this fact into account, offering a handy feature in the Messages app’s notification settings that can hide message contents from your Lock Screen’s notification banners under various circumstances. But if that’s still not enough privacy for you, then a newly released jailbreak tweak dubbed LeaveMeOff Pro by iOS developer Plat-Ykor could be worth checking out.
If you use Instagram and share links in iMessage, you may have noticed an issue with previews. It's been a problem for a bit of time now, but the social network says a fix is in the works.
Texting fanatics know that there’s more than one way to get your point across. In addition to simply typing out short strings of text or adding a high volume of Emojis after a statement, one might use different text effects to help convey a message with a specific type of tone.
One common example that has gained substantial traction recently is something called sPoNgEcAsE, which as you can see for yourself, inverts the case of every other letter in a word or sentence to provide a sarcastic mocking tone to anything it gets applied to.
Apple's iCloud service is currently experiencing a widespread outage, with many users potentially impacted.
If, like so many others, your primary methods of communication comprise of iMessage and SMS via your iPhone, then you might take a particular liking to a newly released jailbreak tweak and computer application combination dubbed WebMessage by iOS developer sgtaziz.
WebMessage effectively turns your iPhone into a messaging server on demand, and by installing a special client on your computer, you can read and respond to both iMessage and SMS conversations via your computer even if it’s not a Mac.
A new piece of software, dubbed Beeper, collates as many as 15 chat apps into one interface, with iMessage functionality on Android, Windows and Linux offered via a workaround.
A feature of the Messages app that I find absolutely indispensable is the ability to mute individual conversations that I don’t feel like responding to or receiving notifications from. This lets me continue receiving messages and responding to those I want while not being pestered by those that I’ve muted.
As great as this feature is, I’ve found that that missed messages from muted conversations still count against the Messages app’s notification badge count. This means that even if you’re trying to ignore someone in particular, the Messages still serves you with unwanted badge notifications for that specific conversation — and worse — bunches those missed notifications with others from the conversations you actually care about.