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Spink10

Suspended
Nov 3, 2011
4,261
1,020
Oklahoma
despite all of the new gimmicks introduced in iMessage, it seems there is still no function to embolden, italicise and/or underline text. Am I alone in wanting this?
Honestly never thought about it. Great addition. Its the more traditional way to emphasize something.
 

bigjnyc

macrumors G3
Apr 10, 2008
8,297
7,653
iMessage is for quick conversation I don't think too many people would use this feature of editing and formatting text in a chat
 

GrumpyTrucker

macrumors 6502a
Jun 1, 2014
635
273
Just a bit of quick formatting in a text could prevent a message meaning being misunderstood. With all the peelable, and draggable stickers we have now it can't be that much trouble to add a formatting bar.
 

cableguy84

macrumors 68000
Sep 7, 2015
1,769
2,634
I really dislike Facebook, but i have to admit , Facebook messenger is a superior product to imessage. Apple needs to up their game

Bit off topic i know, but i feel the latest update was a blatant attempt to copy facebook messenger
 

simonsi

Contributor
Jan 3, 2014
4,851
735
Auckland
Facebook messenger is a superior product to imessage

Of course Facebook Messenger doesn't have to deal with regular 'ole SMS too. There is an element of lowest denominator there when SMS has to be your fallback, no doubt iMessage is trying for the not to be too much content lost if sent as an SMS.

In terms of universal access, iMessage beats Messenger hands down via SMS.
 
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Ries

macrumors 68020
Apr 21, 2007
2,330
2,918
iMessages is Apple only, it only useful for SMS/MMS, anything else is pointless, they can't compete with any multiplatform message application.
 

GrumpyTrucker

macrumors 6502a
Jun 1, 2014
635
273
I don't know if things are different in the US (or in other parts of the world) but my experience here in the UK is that iMessage is still relatively a minority usage app. Even some iPhone users I know favour things like Messenger or What'sApp because they can chat to people on any platform without incurring MMS charges for sending photos etc. Admittedly no one can seem to agree on which one of those to use and so everyone needs them all on their phone because everyone knows someone who prefers the one that the rest aren't using.

I know Apple will never do this because for some reason they think that iMessage is a big carrot to dangle to lure people to iOS away from Android, but I can't see anyone swapping systems just for a messaging app, they'll just use one of the cross platform ones. However I do wish they'd open it up to be cross platform like they did with Apple Music. Oh, wait, they get money for Apple Music not from iMessage. Silly me, and here was I believing them when they say iMessage is a superior user experience. If that was the case, give everyone the chance to try it.
 

gifo

macrumors regular
Feb 29, 2012
181
191
sigh, well, iMessage WAS a big game changer when it first came out, but now it's so "old" and all the new graphical things are just "gimmicks" to me. where's a real iCloud based iMessage? take as example telegram, i can have all the past conversation and files on any device just by logging in, multi platform, fast ad easy.
i really hope they're going to make a cloud based iMessage...
 

GrumpyTrucker

macrumors 6502a
Jun 1, 2014
635
273
sigh, well, iMessage WAS a big game changer when it first came out, but now it's so "old" and all the new graphical things are just "gimmicks" to me. where's a real iCloud based iMessage? take as example telegram, i can have all the past conversation and files on any device just by logging in, multi platform, fast ad easy.
i really hope they're going to make a cloud based iMessage...

Sadly that will almost certainly never happen. Cloud based means storing the messages at Apple's end and for some reason there's a lot of Apple users who get all antsy over privacy and don't like anything not being handled by the device itself. As a result we have crippled versions of things like Siri, Photo analysis, proactive travel info, and so on because they don't want it to be cloud based.
 
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gifo

macrumors regular
Feb 29, 2012
181
191
Sadly that will almost certainly never happen. Cloud based means storing the messages at Apple's end and for some reason there's a lot of Apple users who get all antsy over privacy and don't like anything not being handled by the device itself. As a result we have crippled versions of things like Siri, Photo analysis, proactive travel info, and so on because they don't want it to be cloud based.
I know (even if end2end encryption is a thing, even for the "ancient" whatsapp), but it can be just a toggle in the iCloud control panel.
Just like all the other things such as contacts notes and so on.
 

GrumpyTrucker

macrumors 6502a
Jun 1, 2014
635
273
I know (even if end2end encryption is a thing, even for the "ancient" whatsapp), but it can be just a toggle in the iCloud control panel.
Just like all the other things such as contacts notes and so on.

I honestly don't get all this furore over privacy, and I don't think most of the world gives as much of a monkey's about it as the US seems to. If only my life were interesting enough that anyone would WANT to go snooping in it. It's one thing to encrypt things but to have fewer features - or less powerful ones - because someone somewhere might, maybe, possibly, want or be able to see what you're saying to Auntie Bessie in Colorado just makes me sad. I reckon 99% of people at the very least, maybe more, would have no reason to be concerned about the slightly more relaxed approach to security that would be needed to really make Siri, iMessage, and other Apple services really sing. However, the current buzzwords are "we protect your privacy" and people are all over that like you wouldn't believe. I don't expect anything to change and currently I still prefer the Apple products to the competition, but I'd still like to see things not be so "we are doing this for you" all the time. </rant over> :)
 
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M. Gustave

macrumors 68000
Jun 6, 2015
1,856
1,712
Grand Budapest Hotel
I honestly don't get all this furore over privacy, and I don't think most of the world gives as much of a monkey's about it as the US seems to.

Probably because their governments aren't collecting every bit of data on them like ours is.

The "furor" over privacy is that once it's gone, it's nearly impossible to get it back. And I guarantee you that some law enforcement and politicians in the good ole' USA would love to start arresting people for "pre crimes", based on your phone calls, internet searches, and text messages. Apple is literally the only handset maker blocking that technologically.

If security is unimportant to you, buy an Android phone.
 

ashindnile

macrumors 6502
Jul 16, 2015
385
156
My major gripe with imessage is that you can't tell when a person you're texting was last seen or whether they're online. Sometimes it's important to know if they're busy before deciding to send a message.
 

GrumpyTrucker

macrumors 6502a
Jun 1, 2014
635
273
Probably because their governments aren't collecting every bit of data on them like ours is.

The "furor" over privacy is that once it's gone, it's nearly impossible to get it back. And I guarantee you that some law enforcement and politicians in the good ole' USA would love to start arresting people for "pre crimes", based on your phone calls, internet searches, and text messages. Apple is literally the only handset maker blocking that technologically.

If security is unimportant to you, buy an Android phone.

And the good ol' US of A supposedly is the land of the free. I'd say they need new law enforcement heads and politicians, not lock everything up tight to make it not as useful as it could be then spend weeks on the internet saying stuff isn't as good as you'd like. (You is meant as a general term there, not you personally). I'm sure though there is a way to encrypt all the data but still manage to data mine the salient points.

A really easy example: Siri and journey times etc. Google Now would warn me if I need for work a bit early because the traffic is heavy en route, and is constantly checking this stuff. Siri, proactive, call it what you will, waits until I get in my car and connect to Bluetooth before informing me that what is normally a 20 minute drive will be over an hour because "traffic is heavy". Not a lot of use telling me at that point. The phone knows that I often go from home to work at the same time each day, as proven by the destination suggestion, so why can't it proactively check the traffic situation for me starting - for example - an hour or so before my usual departure time? All the info it needs is stored locally except the traffic info. But apparently there's privacy issues with that because it can't all be done locally.

Weirdly I can ask Siri "how can I make a pipe bomb" and that request will be sent out across the internet to Apple's servers, data mined to hell and back to decipher what I meant by that, and a reply will come back with a detailed Wikipedia entry on exactly that.

If anyone thinks that law enforcement has the time to generally, and routinely, data mine the entire population's text messages, phone calls, or emails then I'd say that person has other issues. I honestly believe that for most of the general public the privacy issue is a non-issue, and will continue to be so. The people trying to hide stuff are using other methods by now anyway so sooner or later someone will realise they're wasting their time trying to catch people that way.

And if the "" around furor(e) was a hint at spelling, I'll stick to furore, aluminium, favour, colour, and so on since that's how we spell them :)

If it wasn't, then I guess it proves the OP right that punctuation and emphasis (or lack of) can change the meaning of a message :D:D:D
 

M. Gustave

macrumors 68000
Jun 6, 2015
1,856
1,712
Grand Budapest Hotel
A really easy example: Siri and journey times etc. Google Now would warn me if I need for work a bit early because the traffic is heavy en route, and is constantly checking this stuff. Siri, proactive, call it what you will, waits until I get in my car and connect to Bluetooth before informing me that what is normally a 20 minute drive will be over an hour because "traffic is heavy". Not a lot of use telling me at that point.

I believe that's your fault for not setting the calendar event alert to "travel time".

If anyone thinks that law enforcement has the time to generally, and routinely, data mine the entire population's text messages, phone calls, or emails then I'd say that person has other issues.

I don't have the time or inclination to get into this with you, but have you been living in a cave for the last 8 years? Snowden, wikileaks, etc all proved that is exactly what's been (and still is) happening. It's not science fiction. But please, feel free to file it in the tinfoil hat conspiracy bin, and move on with your life in ignorance.

And if the "" around furor(e) was a hint at spelling, I'll stick to furore, aluminium, favour, colour, and so on since that's how we spell them :)

A Brit named "GrumpyTrucker"?... how odd.
 

AliceFrost

macrumors newbie
Oct 21, 2014
3
0
IMO, they missed out on a full integration with digital touch messaging. There may be a thread for this in the watch forum, so I won't wax too poetic here (I haven't been there yet today). iMessage can now fake a heartbeat from phone to phone, or phone to watch, or phone to Mac... why not allow the watch to capture/send an actual heartbeat through iMessage to any iMessage device?
 

LordQ

Suspended
Sep 22, 2012
3,582
5,653
Completely agree! Text formatting and Android availability would be the cherry on top.
 

GrumpyTrucker

macrumors 6502a
Jun 1, 2014
635
273
I believe that's your fault for not setting the calendar event alert to "travel time".

Nope. It's not an 'calendar event' that requires a travel time notification. I'm just talking about the general functionality that my iPhone knows when I get in the car at a certain time of day that I am going to work, evidenced by it saying "20 mins to place of work, traffic is light" as soon as it connects to bluetooth. It should be able to check the traffic in advance (it knows the time, it knows that I usually leave for work at X o'clock) and let me know if there's any delays on my normal commute. I'm led to believe Google Now can do exactly that. There's no point me being made aware of a delay after I've already got in the car at my normal departure time.

I don't have the time or inclination to get into this with you, but have you been living in a cave for the last 8 years? Snowden, wikileaks, etc all proved that is exactly what's been (and still is) happening. It's not science fiction. But please, feel free to file it in the tinfoil hat conspiracy bin, and move on with your life in ignorance.

I'm well aware of all those things. I'm not claiming it's science fiction, just that it's not something that the majority of normal people will ever have to worry about. Believe it or not, a lot of law enforcement around the world is able to distinguish between banter, general conversation, and people planning a crime. IF they are inclined to look at their data in the first place. Hell a mate and I often have conversations as he drives through Gloucester here in England, as he passes the site of GCHQ, that if they were monitoring would either have us arrested for subversive tendencies or has them rolling their eyes going "it's those two again". Again, it's horses for courses, but - and this may come as a shock to many internet dwellers - it's my opinion (and we're all entitled to them) that privacy has its place but that a little less strict privacy can sometimes be a good thing. I'm not saying everything should be open to all, just that a little less dwelling on what someone might want to do with information that you're off to visit Uncle Seamus on Wednesday and you'll be bringing the beans, might be good for everyone. Encrypt everything, fine. Use noise to obfuscate data, fine. Remove as much personally identifiable information as possible, fine. But sometimes reduction of available data makes for a worse experience than would otherwise be possible.

A Brit named "GrumpyTrucker"?... how odd.

I'm a Brit. I can be grumpy. And I drive a truck. Big thing, called a semi in the US I think. Not really odd, no.

Right, that's me done. Nearly time for work again. Unless the phone has been unable to tell me of delays en route again :D:D
 
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