iMessage: Broken and Filling up your iCloud Backups

When texting on the iPhone, your text bubbles are either blue or green. Green denotes SMS and is used when texting any phone but an iPhone. Blue means the message is an iMessage and is sent over the internet to another iPhone, iPod, iPad, or Mac. iMessage debuted in 2011 and was great. It featured visual typing cues, read notifications, and overall, a more reliable method of messaging compared to SMS.

Fast forward to 2014 where Messaging services are now all the rage. Recently Whatsapp was sold to Facebook for 19 Billion. In addition to the new acquisition, Facebook has made a push with Messenger, Google has been reworking Hangouts, and Snapchat is raging in popularity.

Meanwhile, back on iMessage, we've got some problems that are in need of immediate attention. With WWDC less than a month away, we can only hope Apple is ready to show improvements to the iMessage platform—one that is starting to show its age.

My main beef with iMessage has to do with its interaction with iCloud. iCloud is the free service (5GB is free, after that it is quite expensive) most iOS users take advantage of to sync content and create backups of their devices. The problem is how iOS, and more specifically iMessage, stores messages. Every photo, video, and text received is stored locally on the device. The iPhone then automatically backs up iMessage to iCloud. There is no option to exclude iMessage from backing up or to just back up certain messages. This isn't a problem if you delete message threads on a regular basis, but if you like to keep messages for reference, blackmail, or nostalgia, you are going to run into a problem.

My iPhone no longer backs up to iCloud because there isn't enough free space and I have not upgraded to a priced storage plan. I looked at usage stats and my messages was taking up 2.7GB of storage on my device and thus 2.7GB of my 5GB iCloud allotment. Granted this is because I wasn't deleting message threads, but should I really have to? I don't delete Google Hangout threads nor do I have to worry about them.

So how can it be fixed?

• Ideally, Apple would give users an option to auto save media received in iMessage. 
• Another great feature would be the ability to view just the media in a thread without having to scroll through the entire text conversation to find old photos. 
• And finally, add an auto-archive option that would archive (or delete) message conversations after a specific amount of time has passed, i.e. a month. 

There are other things that need to change in iMessage, like the ability to leave a group conversation and the ability to create groups in Contacts. Additionally, Apple needs to lower the price on iCloud storage to be more in line with other services like Google and Dropbox.

Here's to hoping Apple takes what was great in 2011 and makes it terrific in 2014.

Note: I think Photo management is an even bigger problem than messages but that is for another post, another day. 

How to be in a relationship, own Apple products, and share an Apple ID.

Below is a Couple's Guide to Sharing an Apple ID.

I've had to explain this same process at least 4 times over the holidays to family so I decided to write a tutorial on how to share an Apple ID within a household. I will do my best to explain it as succinctly and clearly as possible. I will use a made up couple to demonstrate the situation.

Jack and Jane, happily married for 5 years.

In the household they have an iPhone 5s, an iPhone 5, an iPad Mini, and two MacBook Airs.

Jack needs his OWN personal iCloud account. Jane ALSO needs her OWN personal iCloud account.

To confirm that this is the case, we will take Jack's iPhone 5 and go to Settings>iCloud. At the top it will say Account and then show his ID.  His happens to be jackrocks4ever@icloud.com.

You will repeat the process on Jane's phone to confirm she also has her own iCloud account. Her iCloud address happens to be janerules4life@gmail.com.

NOTE: An iCloud account can end in @icloud.com, @me.com, @gmail.com, @hotmail.com, etc. It doesn't matter. It is simply whatever account you created when iCloud came out or it is the Apple ID you already were using when iCloud came out. (Also know that @mac.com, @me.com, and @icloud.com are all aliases.)

Jane will log in to iCloud on her Mac and Jack will log in to his iCloud on his Mac. But what about the iPad?

Sharing an iPad doesn't work very well. In my household, my wife is logged into iCloud on the iPad. As a result, the calendars, contacts, and messages are all hers. Sadly there is no way yet to have multiple iCloud accounts on one iOS device.

OK, now lets talk about the part that confuses many people. If you are a couple that doesn't love paying for things twice, I highly recommend that you share an Apple ID for the App Store, iBooks, and iTunes. Doing so will save you a lot of money in the long run.

It doesn't matter which Apple ID you use but pick one and then NEVER change. I'm serious about never. Everything you buy is associated with that Apple ID, so if you buy music, TV shows, movies, and apps, those will forever be associated with that Apple ID.

In the case of Jack and Jane, Jack bought his first iPod in 2007 and created the following Apple ID at that time: Jack1984@gmail.com. He has been buying movies and music ever since. Jane got her first iPhone this fall. So, the family is going to use jack1984@gmail.com for purchases.

Let me repeat: jack1984@gmail.com  IS THE APPLE ID THE FAMILY AKA BOTH JANE AND JACK WILL NOW BOTH USE.

So, on Jack's iPhone, we will go to Settings>iTunes and App Store and then confirm that it says Jack1984@gmail.com.

Note: Jack has two separate Apple ID's on his phone. For iCloud he is using jackrocks4ever@icloud.com and for the stores he is using jack1984@gmail.com.  Let me just quickly point out that if Jack had purchased his first apple product last year and created his apple ID as jackrocks4ever@icloud.com, he could use that for his apple store purchases as well. It is not a problem that he has a different ID for iCloud than he does for the ID he uses in the stores.

Now, back to Jane's phone. Go to Settings>iTunes and App Store and then NOW PAY ATTENTION, you will want to log in using jack1984@gmail.com. In fact, you are going to make sure that on both computers in the Mac App Store and iTunes, you are logged in to jack1984@gmail.com.

On the iPad, you will also login as jack1984@gmail.com.

So to reiterate, if you are jack and jane, you will forever use jack1984@gmail.com for all purchases regardless of whether or not you are Jack OR Jane.

Now for some FAQ.

Q:I'm Jack and I don't want to tell Jane the password to the Apple ID jack1984@gmail.com. What should I do?
A: If you don't trust Jane with your password, your marriage will probably not work out very well anyway.

Q: I'm Jane and I too have had an Apple ID since 2007. What if I don't want to give up my Apple ID? I've purchased lots of music and apps too.
A: This makes the situation tricky indeed. However, in my opinion, if you plan on being married for the rest of your mortal lives, I think it is best to cut your losses and move forward. Because, in this situation, you only have two options. Either keep your separate ID's and thus keep the barrier between sharing apps, music, movies, books, and TV shows you purchase. Or you give up your Apple ID and start sharing going forward, only having to buy content ONE time.

Q: We both have Apple IDs with purchases? Who should switch over to the other person's Apple ID?
A: Use whichever Apple ID has the most purchases of value associated with it. If Jane has more, use Jane's.

Q: We have a 13 year old. What should we do about their iPod?
A: I have no idea. No, but seriously, that is an age where this decision becomes tough. You may want to cut them off and have them get their own Apple ID. It does, however, make it so they can't share any purchases you buy but it prevents them from knowing your Apple ID password and potentially running up high charges. Granted you could keep your password a secret from the child but at age 13, they are going to want to download snapchat when they want and not wait for you to type in the password for them.

Q: Can't I just log in and out of different Apple IDs in the app store on my iPhone?
A: No, you cannot. You can only change once every 90 days. So make sure you DECIDE definitively before you do make the decision and log out and then log in. http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4627

Q: How many devices can I have associated with one Apple ID?
A: 10. http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4627  So if you happen to be an Apple junky and have LOTS of devices, you are going to run into a pickle eventually.

Q: Is it honest to share?
A: Apple says you can have 10 devices associated with an Apple ID. We would assume that they are saying 10 devices belonging to one person. So, in my family, I believe all the devices "belong to me." Or they could very well all belong "to my wife." So if you believe in this sort of living, where nothing is truly his or hers, then yes, it is honest.

If you have any further questions, swing by an Apple store or ask me for clarification in the comments. Best of luck to you!

Note: If you are wealthy, you may not want to share. If you don't ever plan on buying anything from Apple, you also may not want to share.

Anxious for a new iPhone? Here are my September iPhone predictions.

We are all anxious to see what Apple has in store for us this fall. Rumors have been rampant about a new iPhone that will be more affordable and use a plastic back rather than the current aluminum and glass found on the iPhone 5. With that being said, here is what I predict: 

I think there will be an event on the 17th of September that will announce two new iPhones. I think the iPhones will be available for preorder starting on the 20th, and in store the 27th(maybe the 4th).  

1. The iPhone 5C. Not sure if it will be called this or not but that is what current rumors are speculating. It will be a 16GB model and come in 5, maybe 6 colors. It will basically be the same internals as the current iPhone 5 but in a plastic body. That means, the A6 processor, 8 Megapixel camera, bluetooth 4.0, LTE, and 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi(no ac). The phone will retail for $449(free on contract).

2. Apple will keep the current iPhone 5 but drop the price $100, ditch the 32 and 64GB models, and continue selling a 16GB(There is the possibility that Apple makes the iPhone only available in 32GB in order to give someone more reason than just the aluminum back to pay the $99 premium over the color iPhone). The iPhone 5 will be sold for $549 ($99 on contract).

3. Apple will introduce an iPhone 5S. It will look the same as the current iPhone 5 but will have a faster chip, probably an A7, will have an improved camera(not necessarily a megapixel increase, but definitely other improvements), NFC, 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, and some sort of distinguishing feature. Rumors are that this feature will be a finger print sensor. I'm not 100% convinced that this will happen but I do think at this point that is the best bet. The 5S will continue to be sold in black and white, in 16, 32, and 64GB models, and prices will be $649, $749, and $849 ($199, $299, $399 on contract).

The color iPhones will be very attractive to a lot of people, especially in order to save $200. However, Apple is definitely going to do things to the 5S that will make you pine for it, almost anxious for them to take the additional $200 out or your pocket. The 5S is going to be one snappy bugger and it will be great with iOS 7. Oh, and as for iOS 7, I think it will be released sometime between the 20th and 26th of September. 

So if you are at the end of your life with your current iPhone, hang tight for 2 months and you'll have the chance to get it replaced. 

It's almost here: Apple Event

The invites are out.  The banners are up.  Travel arrangements have been made by media personnel, most of which will be arriving in San Fransisco today.  The rumors have been swirling for months: larger screen, LTE, aluminum unibody, new dock connector, headphone port relocation, thinner, and a few others.  The world, specifically the tech world, has been like anxious kids in December, the ones who can't help but inspect the gifts under the Christmas tree, lifting them in the air, shaking them, and trying to pry through a loosely wrapped corner.  If a new part could be obtained, it would, and the images would circulate the web at alarming speeds.  There have been blog posts written with full hardware design analysis, debate on whether NFC would make it, and a plethora of other speculations. The most interesting thing of all?  The only thing Apple has said was this:  It's almost here with the number 12 and a shadow of the number 5.

It is a marvel of our day that so much effort, so much thought, so much debate and wonder goes into a product that had, up until a week ago, never been confirmed by the actual maker.  Some expect the iPhone to turn the world on it's head.  That happened in 2007 and I think those days of sheer revolution have given way to a consistent pattern of evolution.  The nice thing about tomorrow is that the rumors will fade into the past and we will have concrete details on a real product. One thing you can be sure of; regardless of what Apple announces, many will say Apple nailed it and others will say Apple's new iPhone is a letdown.  This will always happen with Apple.  As the most successful tech company in the world they are under a strong microscope of scrutiny.

Things are getting exciting in the smartphone realm.  The market is indeed competitive with Android finally becoming a real competitor with Jelly Bean and Microsoft about to attempt a strong push with Windows Phone 8.  The iPhone is no longer the only good phone available but one thing I can put my money on for tomorrow: It will be the best iPhone Apple has ever made.




One more thing:  I really think that the first manufacturer to make a really good companion product to their smartphone will have a very unique selling point.  I am referring to an iPod Nano type product, one that you can wear on your wrist, one that uses bluetooth 4.0 and allows you to read your tweets, text messages, see who is calling, change the song playing on your iPhone, and more.  This would make tomorrow really exciting!  Here's to hoping!

Smartphone Apps

Marco Arment is right on with his last post titled Might upgrade to the paid version someday.  If you use a smartphone, I recommend that you read the post.  Here is my favorite part:

It’s a very common user mindset: they tolerate a lot of limitations, ads, and nags to avoid paying. It’s not that they’re cheap, per se: they just really don’t believe that apps are worth paying for, and they feel cheated or defeated if they end up needing to pay for one.²

I have definitely met a lot of people who fall into this category.  I don't think less of them.  It comes back to my philosophy that everyone has their favorite things in life and those tend to be the things that they spend their money on.  Buying a $200 smartphone and then paying somewhere between $70-$110 a month for service but being unwilling to pay for apps is like buying an expensive refrigerator, paying to run it all month long, but being unwilling to buy food to put in it.

I enjoy apps.  I think they add value to both my phone and my life.  Some people feel the same way about gardening, washing their car, buying new clothes, dying their hair, dining out, traveling, donating, etc.  To each their own.

Why T-Mobile Doesn't Sell the iPhone

T-Mobile customers have been clamoring for the iPhone for over 4 years now.  We understand why T-Mobile didn't have the iPhone for the first 3 1/2 years.  That was due to an exclusive contract made between AT&T and Apple prior to the launch of the first generation iPhone in 2007.  However, that exclusivity ran out sometime around the end of last year/first of this year.  Almost immediately following the end of the exclusivity, Verizon held an event announcing a February launch of the iPhone 4 for Verizon.  6 days ago the iPhone 4S launched and became available on Sprint.  Now that 3 of the 4 big US Mobile carriers offer the iPhone, T-Mobile users are left asking the question, "Why not us?"

A few weeks ago, T-Mobile's Cole Broadman, sent a letter out to customers.  He said, "We’ve heard from many customers who love their T-Mobile service, but are disappointed that we don’t carry the iPhone. To these customers, first, thank you for your business.  Please know that we think the iPhone is a great device and Apple knows that we’d like to add it to our line-up. Today, there are over a million T-Mobile customers using unlocked iPhones on our network. We are interested in offering all of our customers a no-compromise iPhone experience on our network." So if T-Mobile wants to sell the iPhone, why would Apple not want to have a partnership with T-Mobile?  I truly don't think that Apple doesn't want T-Mobile to have the iPhone, it must have simply come down to contract negotiations.  Prior to the iPhone 4S launch, rumors asserted that Sprint paid a lot of money to get the iPhone 4S.  This may or may not be true but it's possible that T-Mobile may not have been willing to meet Apple's pricing terms or it may be holding out with hopes that the merger with AT&T will still occur.  With the Justice Department doing all they can to stop the merger, the likelihood is looking more bleak, but time will tell.  

Whether the issue is technical or contractual, we don't know with certainty.  However, if you are on T-Mobile, out of contract, and still not getting an iPhone, it shows that you really don't care to have an iPhone (or at least one that isn't jailbroken and unlocked, running on Edge speeds).  T-Mobile's network, pricing, and customer service may all be positives but none of those outweigh the benefit of owning an iPhone on a supported network.  I switched from T-Mobile to AT&T in 2008 in order to get the iPhone 3G and haven't regretted the decision once.  In my opinion, the device is more important than the carrier.  What's better, with the 3 largest US carriers offering the iPhone, you can now have the best of both worlds: a terrific phone and a terrific carrier. 

Buy an iPhone 4S?: It May Save Your Life!

Are your chances of living higher if you purchase an iPhone 4S?  Are your chances of inflicting injury or death upon another lower? How about survival chances if everyone were to start using an iPhone 4S?  I believe the answer is YES.  Here's why.

We are law breakers.  We bend rules.  We believe that we are invincible and we have a "it won't happen to me" mentality.  Utah law prohibits texting while driving.  I'm going to guess this also includes tweeting, searching for a restaurant, or setting a reminder to do something.  The problem is, we do it anyway.  If you do not, I am proud of you and applaud your dedication to the safety of yourself and others on the road.  However, the problem may not lie with you.  You may not text and drive but your neighbor may and she may end up causing a wreck because she wasn't paying attention to the road.  This could result in serious injury, loss of property, or premature death.  Now, what if you had convinced your neighbor to get an iPhone 4S?  Everything could have been different.  Very different....with Siri.

Siri is the new personal assistant built into every iPhone 4S.  Siri is voice recognition software that goes above and beyond almost all voice technology we have ever used before, especially in a cell phone.  Let me lay out a few scenrios for you.  Scenario A will be without an iPhone 4S and Scenario B will be with an iPhone 4S and the personal assistant Siri.

Scenario A

You are driving and you receive the text, "I love you" from your wife.  You pick up your phone to read the text.  You feel so good inside that she loves you that you have to respond right then to tell her that you love her too. The car in front of you stops suddenly and since you had taken your eyes off the road to text back, you rear end the car. 

Scenario B

You are driving and you receive the text, "I love you" from your wife.  You ask Siri to read the text message to you. You feel so good inside that she loves you.  You then speak to Siri telling her to send a text to your wife telling her that you love her too.  The car in front of you stops suddenly but you are prepared and hit your brakes to avoid a collision.

Scenario A

Your Boss calls and informs you of a meeting scheduled for Thursday at 2 PM.  You know that if you don't put the appointment in your phone right away that you will forget.  So you start putting the appointment in your calendar and run a red light, slamming into another car in the intersection.  

Scenario B

Your Boss calls and informs you of a meeting scheduled for Thursday at 2 PM.  You know that if you don't put the appointment in your phone right away that you will forget.  So rather than manually inputting the appointment, you tell Siri to book the appointment for you.  Siri happily does this and you are able to stop safely at the red light.

Scenario A
You are driving and need to call your brother-in law to let him know you snagged some free tickets to the Creed concert.  You realize that he is at work and will only be reachable at his office phone.  Naturally you don't have this number memorized and will need to flip through your address book to find his work number.  This causes you to take your eyes off the road and you end up side swiping the median on the freeway.

Scenario B
You are driving and need to call your brother-in law to let him know you snagged some free tickets to the Creed concert.  You realize that he is at work and will only be reachable at his office phone.  Of course you don't have this number memorized and so you ask Siri to call your brother-in law at his work number.  Siri dials and you continue on safely within the limits of your lane.

The temptation to take our eyes off the road has never been greater.  We have more distractions around us than ever before.  Siri makes a strong case for widespread adoption because Siri may not only save you time, she may save your life!

Apple: Offend No One!

I am in the middle of an interesting conversation with my great friend and tech buddy Zach Holmquist.  What else would we be discussing today other than the iPhone 4S.  So I'm getting the vibe that most people were "expecting more."  What would I define that more as meaning?  Different external design.  First we should understand why so many people had such an expectation?  The answer is that Apple, rather than releasing the iPhone 4S in June, released it in October and thus a delay of roughly 3 months lead many to believe "big things" were in store.  So the big question is why did Apple not change the design and was it the right decision?

Customer happiness is all based on perception.  To try and best explain this, I'm going to do a list of bullet point scenarios.

• I bought the iPhone 4 on launch day in June of 2010.  How do I feel about the launch of the new iPhone 4S?  Great!  Why?  If I choose to upgrade, it will give me some great new features.  If I choose to stay with my iPhone 4, I also feel great because it isn't "that different."
• I bought the iPhone 4 on Verizon when it launched earlier this year.  Would I have been upset if a completely redesigned iPhone had launched today, a mere 3, 5, or 7 from my date of purchase? You bet! I would have an OLD, USELESS, OUTDATED iPhone 4.  How do I feel now that i know the iPhone 4S looks the same and "isn't that different"?  Great!
• I don't want to spend $200 on a phone because, ya know, technology really isn't that important to me.  But my RAZR flip phone just broke and I need a new phone.  Oh, I can get an iPhone 4 for only $99? How do I feel?  Great!  "I feel even better since I know it looks JUST LIKE that brand new expensive iPhone 4S that my son in law just bought."(Zach Holmquist)
• I want an iPhone but why would I spend so much on an iPhone when there are Droids for less money?  Wait, there is an iPhone 4 for only $99 that looks JUST LIKE the iPhone 4S?  Oh, I want that! It's probably pretty much the same for only half the price!

Hopefully this 4 bullet points have helped point out the amazing genius that Apple is.  You are always going to make some people upset.  Yes, there were those in the camp pining for a thinner, bigger screened iPhone 5.  But they have managed to release a fantastic updated product that will sell millions and all the while keeping everyone happy.  They have also managed, as Zach put it, leveled the playing field for a BIG release next year. Well done Apple, you un-offending company you. 

Note: If you still really want a thinner iPhone, come into the store sometime and hold the iPod touch up to your ear for at least 5 minutes.  I'm guessing it will start to feel uncomfortable after about 1 minute.  Too thin, the edges feel sharp.  Also, you thought a lot of people dropped the iPhone 4?  Give them something thinner and then we'll see a serious increase in dropped and damaged iPhones.  

Jailbreaking: Part 1 of the iPhone Series

iOS jailbreaking is a process that allows devices running Apple's iOS (also known as iPhone OS prior to iOS 4.0) operating system (such as the iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, and recently Apple TV) to gain full access (root access) to unlock all features of the said operating system, thereby removing limitations imposed by Apple. Once jailbroken, iOS users are able to download additional applications, extensions and themes that are unavailable through the official Apple App Store, via installers such asCydia, one of a number of current means for older iPhones.

That's the definition I found on Wikipedia. This process has been around since the original iPhone that launched in 2007. After some colleagues raved about how great their iPhones were with the jailbreak, I decided to give it a go.

Once my iPhone was jailbroken, I installed LockInfo and BiteSMS. Besides those changes, I didn't mess with too much more.

Result: After about a week, I wanted to go back to the original iPhone OS, sans jailbreak. The reasons are as follows:

1. Jailbreaking did add some nice features that are currently lacking in iOS 4.3.3. Notably, notifications. The notification system on the iPhone is terrible. It was OK for 2007/2008 but it has worn out its welcome. Lockinfo accomplished this by putting the notifications on the lock screen as well as a pull down menu from the top of the screen. However, I found it to be a bit unpolished. It truly felt like someone in their parents basement had created it rather than a group of engineers at Apple.

2. BiteSMS gave me the ability to respond to a text without going into the actual Messages app. This was handy on occasion but I found that if I received multiple messages in a short period of time, this functionality was limited and ended up being redundant to the official Messages app.

3. The phone became SO slow. I love the iPhone 4 for how fast it is. It is quick! The jailbreak slowed the phone down and it was noticeable. People say they love jailbreaking because "you can do so much more!" To me, it felt like buying a sports coupe and then putting a luggage rack and off-road tires on it so I could "do so much more." In the process, I lost the whole reason I loved the car in the first place: To drive fast!

Trying to restore my phone and "unjailbreak" it was also less than ideal. I ran into hiccups that eventually lead me to force my phone into restore mode and then upgrade to iOS 4.3.3.

Lesson: I like how Apple does things. They don't do everything perfect and they don't have every feature. There will always be features that are missing from iOS. But that is because they don't just push out features to push out features. What they do offer "just works." (See Benjamin Brooks article on it "Just Works" HERE. They refine and polish the features of the phone and OS and then do a release. That is why Apple just announced the new notification system for iOS 5. They recognized a need, resolved it, and will be releasing it this Fall. The main reason I jailbroke my phone in the first place just went away.