Help With Converting to Android from iMessage

[Honza]

So we bought an HTC One X for my wife who dropped her iPhone in water, and we're trying to figure out how to make an Android phone work for her. Here's the situation:

Her family all has iPhones, and they are constantly sending pictures of babies and videos to each other through texting (iMessage). I know something like What'sApp or Skype would be better, but there's no changing everybody now. So the biggest problem I can see so far is sending and receiving videos to each other. The videos she gets are horrible quality and are very blurry. This is a dealbreaker for her. So how can you send and receive videos via text message to iPhones and have decent quality video? She also has a problem since group messaging doesn't get threaded in the same conversation on Android, but we've downloaded Handcent and supposedly it will fix the issue (haven't tried yet).

Any advice related to getting along without iMessage, especially related to videos?

 

[nj1266]

There is an app called xsync. It allows the user to share pics/video via a QR code reader. Try it and see of it works for you.

 

[Honza]

There is an app called xsync. It allows the user to share pics/video via a QR code reader. Try it and see of it works for you.

This would help with sending video to others. I think the major problem lies with receiving video from others (without telling everyone to stop using iMessage).

 

[onthecouchagain]

Whatsapp. Everyone's on it now.

 

[sentinelsx]

What's app, hookt, Facebook messenger etc etc.

Shed your dependence upon a proprietary protocol.

 

[Honza]

What's app, hookt, Facebook messenger etc etc.

Shed your dependence upon a proprietary protocol.

Not so helpful. It's just shedding one proprietary protocol for another. While it is cross platform, it requires everyone to have it, and does not natively work with others phones. You have to convince others to use it too.

 

[sentinelsx]

Not so helpful. It's just shedding one proprietary protocol for another. While it is cross platform, it requires everyone to have it, and does not natively work with others phones. You have to convince others to use it too.

Well I am under the impression everyone in this part of the world is using Facebook at least right?

If not, just make her an account without publishing anything personal, and use it for Facebook messenger. That's all I use my Facebook account for too, keeping in touch with everyone through the messenger. Barely visit the actual site/app maybe once a month.

 

[chris2k5]

iMessage is part of the ecosystem where Apple kills the competition for sure.

I found when I try out Android phones and I want to chat/send pics, Facebook Messenger and Skype are ok options. The messenger apps for Android are buggy though and crash way too often on my Note 2.

 

[matttye]

Facebook Messenger is infinitely better than iMessage with regards to stability, it's just, like you said, hard to convince people to use it over the built-in option.

 

[Honza]

Facebook Messenger is infinitely better than iMessage with regards to stability, it's just, like you said, hard to convince people to use it over the built-in option.

This is exactly right. The HTC One X is going back today for an iPhone 5.

 

[onthecouchagain]

This isn't directed at the OP, but more of a general statement:

I feel like iMessage is to some iPhone users like BBM is to Blackberry users when Blackberries were declining.

Just an observation. And perhaps not a direct comparison.

 

[Knowimagination]

My family is large and uses several different platforms so we finally switched to groupme for our messaging needs and I really like it. Even people without a smart phone can be added to a group, and you can temporarily silence notifications.

 

[ReanimationN]

.

 

[sviato]

Facebook Messenger is infinitely better than iMessage with regards to stability, it's just, like you said, hard to convince people to use it over the built-in option.

Too bad FB messenger lags if you're having a conversation with someone and is quite the battery drainer. Otherwise, I do like it.

OP, if this is such an inconvenience then why not return the OneX and get an iPhone?

 

[surjavarman]

In most parts of the world people don't even use imessage that much. I believe whatsapp is the norm. And otherwise you always have facebook or even email.

 

[mattopotamus]

Facebook Messenger is infinitely better than iMessage with regards to stability, it's just, like you said, hard to convince people to use it over the built-in option.

What stability issues have you had with imessage? I have had it not work once since it launced, and that was during a hurricane on the east coast.

 

[Gav2k]

Buy her a cheap iPod touch. Really dosnt have to be the latest and greatest. Last gen can be picked up cheap. If she uses that for iMessage she can tether it with her included data and have access to iMessage.

 

[matttye]

What stability issues have you had with imessage? I have had it not work once since it launced, and that was during a hurricane on the east coast.

Only had a couple of periods of actual downtime, but I have delayed messages on a daily basis. I will get messages like 20-30 minutes after they were sent and so does the recipient with mine.

Sometimes they're only delayed by five or so minutes, but often times they're like half an hour late.

 

[mattopotamus]

Only had a couple of periods of actual downtime, but I have delayed messages on a daily basis. I will get messages like 20-30 minutes after they were sent and so does the recipient with mine.

Sometimes they're only delayed by five or so minutes, but often times they're like half an hour late.

that's crazy. I would say around 70% of the people I talk to use imessage and never have that happen. I mean I guess there is no real way to know if that happens unless you are sitting next to the person or in an intense conversation.

 

[matttye]

that's crazy. I would say around 70% of the people I talk to use imessage and never have that happen. I mean I guess there is no real way to know if that happens unless you are sitting next to the person or in an intense conversation.

The time stamp is the time they sent it, not when you received it, so if they don't match you know it's late.

 

[SlCKB0Y]

Not so helpful. It's just shedding one proprietary protocol for another.

Facebook messenger uses an open-source protocol called XMPP:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extensible_Messaging_and_Presence_Protocol

Google Talk also uses this.

As a side issue, Apple is truly pathetic with their use of closed protocols. Of course it only benefits them to the detriment of their customers.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Not all my friends are on iPhone but I also use Whatsapp. Those who are on iMessage get texts through that and those that are not use the app. Works for me.

 

[roxxette]

Tell her and the family to get a grip, no reason to spent the whole day texting, sending pictures and videos.

 

[vistadude]

MMS, SMS, and whatsapp.

 

[matttye]

that's crazy. I would say around 70% of the people I talk to use imessage and never have that happen. I mean I guess there is no real way to know if that happens unless you are sitting next to the person or in an intense conversation.

In addition to my above post, and something which happened three or four times last night when I was talking to the mrs, sometimes this will happen:

Me: blah de blah
Read 7:50am

Her: response to blah de blah
7:45am, but actually delivered at 7:50am

So sometimes the read receipt time stamp for my last message is TIMED after she has already read and replied to the message. And the message is delivered late too.

This happens at least once a day, but usually like five times or more.

We were both on WiFi.