iOS 5 iMessage iPhone 4 & iPad Review
Apple has released the best iOS of all time, welcome to iOS 5 where we will give you our own iMessage hands-on review. We will talk about the messaging via the iPhone 4 and the original iPad; this is a brilliant addition to the software.
We had so much going on last night, the iOS 5 install went smoothly on the iPhone 4 and the iPad, we also set up the iCloud on all devices and everything else that was needed, we will review each feature over the next few days, today we will concentrate on Apple iMessage.
iMessage is now on our Apple iPad and iPhone and they both work the same, this is a new service that is built in to the new iOS 5, you do need internet for this to work and if you wish to send free text messages to others they will also need iOS 5.
This new service is based on your Apple ID, all we did was went into iCloud our MacBook Air and sync contacts, then on the iPhone 4 and iPad we also synced contacts, now both devices can use iMessage.
iMessage works like the standard text message, for example on the iPhone 4 if the contact has iOS 5 the field you type your text into will say “iMessage”, if they do not have iOS 5 the field will now say “Message” without the ‘I” at the beginning.
When your contact is typing a message you can see that they are typing, and they can see when you are typing also. You can send texts, photos, videos just like normal,
Ok so what do I need to do to set-up?
This is fairly simple, you need to have iOS 5 installed on your Apple device, iMessage only works on Apple devices so will not work if you wish to send to non-Apple products.
To setup iMessage you will need to open your settings app and then tap on messages. Once you are in here you will need to make sure the iMessage slier is switched to “ON”, you can also select receipts so that the contact will be notified when you have read the message, up to you if you use this or not.
There is also a section in these settings saying “Receive At” this means you can change “Receiving Email Address”, we have this set on mark@phonesreview.co.uk. If you do not wish them to no your Apple ID address then simply change it to another email, Apple will verify this change by sending you an authorization link, if you have more than one Apple device and want to use iMessage just make sure you have changed all of these products settings.
Now using iMessage to contact: If it knows the address of the contact the send button will turn to blue to show that it is enabled, here is an example — My mum does not have an iPhone, which means she does not have iOS 5, so when I send her a text as normal her name and the send button will be green.
If I want to send my brother a text message that has iOS 5 and the iPhone 4, his name and send button will be blue in colour.
So in simple terms = If Name and Send is Green = Normal Text Messages, if Name and Send is Blue = iMessage (Free texts baby).
On the iPhone visit the settings app and make sure you have iMessage to ON — Send As SMS to ON — MMS Massaging to ON, the reason we say have “Send As SMS” on is just in case you cannot send a free iMessage and it will then send as a normal text. On the iPad it is just iMessage as you cannot send normal texts.
Phones Review Summary: Overall it is fantastic and we are excited, it will never replace standard text messages but it will cut your text messaging down, obviously you need Internet to use iMessage. The question we would like answered is “What happens when everyone has iOS 5 and they all use iMessage, will this slow up the server that is running very fast at the moment?”
Many will say what is the difference between iMessage and WhatsApp, personally at the moment iMessage is smother and much faster, it is linked with iCloud, which means you do not have to get all your contacts to install applications. The easy way of putting it is “iMessage is there and did not have to search app store for apps”. For more information about this new serice, please visit Apple
Please do let us know if you are using iMessage, let us know what device you are using and what you think of it. Thanks
Comments
34 thoughts on “iOS 5 iMessage iPhone 4 & iPad Review”
Been using it quite a bit today, and it works great. Real fast and easy
to use. Had a problem switching the conversation from iPhone 3GS to iPad
2, but I think that might have something to do with the “Caller ID”
setting.
my iPad can’t deliver any messages. even to an iOS devices that has iOS 5
Use google voice
I’m still on the state of ambivalence which to buy between iPad and iPhone 4S or iPhone 5. Thanks for this info. 🙂
I have a question? When I go to settings then message, my number to be reached can not be changed, so it that normal? Dont know if it is working or not? Really appreciate any help
Yes this is normal. You may add email addresses but it knows what your phone number is from the device.
This kind of sucks as does the iCloud for users who share the samen Apple ID as do my husband and I, we have an iPad and two iPhone Fours… So we didn´t need to buy Apps two or three times… Now with the iCloud, will I be receiveing all his email?? Will all of our iMessages be received on all three devices?? I don´t want/need to know every little sms my husband sends (specially if it´s work related) and I don´t want him to be bothered at work when i am chatting with my friends about whatever..
IWhat – I have been struggling with the same thoughts however it is quite clever. Â Firstly iMessage works on the phone number and so it will be no different to sending texts as you do now. Â Secondly, you have have the same AppleId for the Store (hence sharing Apps etc, but a different AppleId for iCloud. So you do not have to share all your contacts and calendar entries, etc (unless you want to – you can enable sharing of specific calendars) and Find My Friends will work using the different Ids (if you have the same iCloud id on multiple devices then you cannot see each other as you have to nominate the device to be tracked). Â Also benefit of multiple iCloud IDs is that you each get the 5Gb of storage free… Â I have it setup between multiple devices this way all using different iCloud IDs but the same store ID so we all get same apps and music, etc., without seeing each others contacts and calendars and iMessage events.. It is very good.
This sounds like what i need to do because my text messages are going through our ipad and i need to stop it. how do i do this?
Not a good system. I have an Iphone 4 and ipad and although they have different numbers, when someone txt me it comes through on both systems. Also its saying that the messages have not been delivered and yet my contact is recieving. I want to be able to send messages on my Ipad through the number and not email. Can this be done?
I use google voice to send text messages. I can also receive voicemail messages on the same number.
ios 5 would probably be fine with the iphone 4 and 4s however there starting to let the 3gs down with the new software as its making the phone slower, it seems with apple its either keep buying the new handset/ipad or ipod or get left behind doesnt seem to be that user friendly
any one Please msg me on imessage i want to know how to message to a person and where can i find people who using ios 5
zubair.raj@hotmail.com is my imessage id
Â
I message is great but its showing my email addy, i dont want it to show my email, how do i stop that?
Horrible!
Ever since updating my iphone 4 (not 4s) to the new iOS5, Ive had nothing but trouble with my phone. Unless I am standing within 10 – 15 feet of my wifi modem, I get no signal.
App store simply does not load at all anymore, it opens and just sits there with the spinning little pinwheel in the center of the screen, be it on a 3G network or my wifi network. Any app that needs to access the internet does not load.
Numerous issues & problems with text messaging, saying message not delivered, etc. Making a phone call now takes twice as long as before (at least).
And overall, just using the phone in general has slowed down dramatically (loading apps such as Notes, the calender, settings…).
have the new 4s with the new system – first iphone ever and i love it, works great, imessage very handy, the icloud is great no problems its a win win situation.
Can’t believe with the IOS5 you cannot speak to text messages like you can on the 4S. Â That should have been a simple thing to do for the iPhone 4. Â I could do that with my old LG Optimus S Android phone.
None of my “green” messages are working… Â I cannot receive messages or send if they are green. Â The blue messages (only about a dozen of my friends) are working just fine. Â Is the a toggle i’m not aware of..?
I have a question : my Mother has an IPad and updatend it to the new iOS5 and i have THE iPhone 4 with ios5. But for some reason i cannot send message to her by using iMessage. So i still have to pay. I Find this weird since my Britser also has THE Same phone as i have and my mum is able to chat with him for free…. Do u know what THE problem could be ?
i only can use the imessage for a single person only, other still green colour for the other iphone user. Anyone can help pls?
It’s bc the other iPhone you may be texting might not have updated theirs…but any phone that you text and it is not an iPhone it will still be green..for instance if you text a friend with an iPhone 4 and they updated there’s then it will be blue..but if you text another friend that has iPhone 3G and they haven’t updated then it will still be green..
What size data plan do you have because the I-Messages hit you Data plan not your Text plan.
Nothing is free.Â
It is if you’re on WiFi, or like me, have unlimited data. It’s great for texting people internationally. 🙂
I have just sent to a friend who has just got an iPhone and she didn’t know who the message was from as it was delivered showing a different number – why is this?
I had the same problem, but I think I’ve solved it. It seems when I updated my iPhone 4 to iOS5 iMessage picked up the number that was originally assigned to he phone when I bought it – I had carried my old number from my previous phone. To solve it I went to settings tapped on messages and switched iMessage off as the problem was only to other iPhone users and I figured I could live without iMessage if necessary, but then later when I went back in and switched it back on it then picked up the correct number
I think this is a really good idea, but i have a ipad and a iphone and this is happening but i need to stop it because this ipad is not just my personal it is used by others in the household also. How do i stop this from happening?
Thanks Emma
I think the answer to the question of whether iMessage will slow down the server, is YES. If SIRI and iMessage relay through the same servers, it would explain a lot for the intermittent delays or not delivered iMessages. I’ve been finding SIRI to be slow responding more lately, probably due to more iP4S users, which probably contributes to the issues with iMessage. However, there are other issues that can affect the delay or undelivered. Such as your own wifi or 3G connection. But I don’t think as much as slow Apple server response. Especially during that same time, internet, email and regular texting are quick.
Hi, I’ve just got an iPhone 4s and have set up my imessage, however it is not giving me the option to receive imessages to my phone, only my email. Do you know what I can do to adjust this?
can you use imessage for one person and does the other person need to have iphone
Can anybody help. I would like to send messages between my iphone and my ipad, is this possible. ie I am at work on iphone and send messages to my other half who is at home on ipad? How would the devices need to be set up please?
well it did not really help cause i don’t know if i need wifi internet or not
This is pointless
how do i get rid of those annoying advertising bubbles that come up… annoying site!
I have the iPhone 5. If an incoming message is in a grey bubble, what does it mean?