RU big n2 texting? Chek these 6 tips u need to no FTW. TUAW hopes they will help joo wid iphone txting. NP, our pleasure noob, newb or no.
1. Don't sign up for extra texts during activation. (See update) The default SMS-add-ons are expensive and limited. If you did sign up for them then call up AT&T, cancel the add on and request this $5 all-you-can eat unlimited messaging plan instead. TUAW reader Leo signed up and reports the $5 plan is indeed iPhone compatible--at least with the postpaid (normal) phone plan. Be persistent. The AT&T rep may have to search around to find the right plan. Ask for the option that adds unlimited mobile-to-mobile text messaging for $5 per month. Read more about this option at the Howard Forums. Remember, the mobile-to-mobile texts do not include Google SMS, AIM Mobile, Facebook or any other non-cellphone texts. If you use those services, you still might get charged per message. (Update: This unlimited plan may be limited only to other AT&T phones--in which case, you may want to just sign up for the normal messaging plans.) Update 2: According to a post at the MacRumor forums, you can add both that unlimited in-network messaging and 200 additional SMS msgs for $5/month.
2. You can send text messages to an iPhone by e-mail. Yeah, yeah, a lot of you already know about this. But many of our readers do not. And for you guys, here's how to do it: send your text message to phonenumber@cingularme.com (e.g. 7035551212@cingularme.com, just use the numbers, no hyphens, etc). Keep your message brief. Both the subject line and the message arrive on the iPhone.
3. It costs USD $0.15 to send and receive texts on an iPhone when using a prepaid plan. The money comes out of your account balance. If you're paying, say, 10 cents a minute, then a text would cost you one and a half minutes. Adjust the math according to your specific plan. (Mine is $0.15/minute, so one text is one minute.) This does not apply if you've added the $5/month all-you-can-eat text plan.
4. If you're on a limited prepaid plan, you'll receive a notification after each and every text. Yup, every single text you receive, every single text you send will cause the iPhone to display a message along the lines of "Your last transaction cost 0.15 USD. Your account balance is (whatever) USD". You must tap "Dismiss" every time. What a complete pain. Worse, at least in my experience, you have to dismiss this message before viewing the actual text you just received. AT&T says this is a feature, not a bug: "Your updated balance will be sent to your phone automatically after every call. you can also dial *777# at any time to see your current balance." I've tried this and it works.
5. All the Google SMS services work I'm not entirely sure why you'd want to use Google SMS but I tested it out and it certainly works. I texted fish tacos 80224 to Google and it replied with several local fish taco restaurants. Convenient when you're out of WiFi range and Safari with EDGE is responding too slowly.
6. SMS is not email SMS is limited to 160 characters per message. You can find any number of SMS FAQs via a Google search.
kthxbai Leo, Jordan Golson, and Brian Rose and everyone else who tipped us off about message features and annoyances.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
7-05-2007 @ 3:15PM
Charles said...
Another useful fact:
Unused SMS do not roll over into the next billing month. I asked the AT&T rep and she said no.
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7-05-2007 @ 3:16PM
Mike said...
Why would you ever bother using Google Text? You're already using a phone, just dial 1-800-GOOG-411. It's way better than Google SMS and if you want to hold on to the info you can have it text you the results by saying "text me". Much better than wasting your precious 200 txts per month by sending them all back and forth to Google.
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7-05-2007 @ 3:19PM
Kender said...
Please note - the $5 Mobile To Mobile plan is ONLY if you text with other AT&T subscribers. Otherwise it comes out of your 200 allotment.
Also - anything over the 200 basic are $0.05 each.
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7-05-2007 @ 3:19PM
Eli Hodapp said...
"Don't sign up for extra texts during activation. The default SMS-add-ons are expensive and limited."
The included SMS add-ons are "limited" but the $5 unlimited mobile to mobile (AT&T Customers ONLY) is not? I'd rather pay an extra few dollars a month to be able to text whoever I want, but I'm apparently not some college kid who has been saving their allowance for six months to pick up an iPhone.
YMMV.
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7-05-2007 @ 3:22PM
kirk said...
The unlimited mobile to mobile is only for other ATT customers. If you text someone on another network, the will come from the standard 200 messages. Most people I SMS with are on other networks so the $10 for 1500 plan is better than the $5 for "unlimited to the one person I never text" and a fat overage charge.
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7-05-2007 @ 3:23PM
SBro said...
If you read the press release, the $5 add-on plan is for unlimited messaging between at&t customers, not everyone. When at&t uses "mobile-to-mobile," it has always meant between other customers. As it says further down in the press release, completely unlimited text messaging is $20 more, which matches the iPhone plans.
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7-05-2007 @ 3:25PM
Jon P said...
Kender got it right, that means bullets 1 and 3 are wrong - full blown unlimited texting costs 20 bucks a month.
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7-05-2007 @ 3:35PM
Quix said...
I find SMS-only texting a ridiculous feature omission anyway. We need iChat on the iPhone - even if Apple has to limit it to wi-fi access to appease AT&T.
If I want to text someone from my sofa at home, why should it count against my text limit when I have wi-fi at my disposal? Lame.
Side note to Eli: grow up.
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7-05-2007 @ 3:37PM
Bjarke said...
Does the iPhone let textmessages span several messages. Like say you want to send a message with 197 chars... Does it get sent as one or are you limited to the 160? If so it would be a major limitation here in Europe where texting is much bigger than in the US.
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7-05-2007 @ 4:25PM
Paul-Michael Bauer said...
@Bjarke
I prefer email, but texting, at least in my US social network, is the weapon of choice for most non-business communication.
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7-05-2007 @ 4:41PM
Thomas Han said...
hmm... 160 char? maybe I was mis-informed, but I thought the SMS limit is 140, thus that limit on jaiku, twitter
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7-05-2007 @ 4:46PM
d said...
Also note that AIM users cannot send or receiving text messages from iPhone users. A serious problem for me, because I use this feature all the time!
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7-05-2007 @ 4:58PM
JamesB said...
Does the iPhone not do the spanning-message thing? In Europe, texts can be as long as you want - you just pay the standard text charge per each 160 characters (or part thereof). Seriously, *every* phone over here supports it. It will be a real pain if the iPhone doesn't - you won't be able to send or receive long messages.
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7-05-2007 @ 5:37PM
Mike said...
I'm getting the annoying "Your last transaction cost $0.00" messages on my prepaid plan also :(
I would actually LIKE if it did this after placing a call/sending a text message but it also does this for no reason at all. My phone vibrates and says "Your last transaction was $0.00" every 5-10 minutes while just keeping it in my pocket. While charging my iphone last night I turned it on today to see about 30 of these messages overlayed on top of eachother that I had to dismiss before getting to the Unlock screen.
They need to find a way to disable all $0.00 transaction messages.
The fact that it vibrates and displays the "Your transaction was $0.00" message every 5-10 minutes feels like its burning through the battery for no reason (no to mention it's annoying having it vibrate every so often)
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7-05-2007 @ 7:04PM
Dave said...
I can use SMS to and from and AIM account just fine. Don't know what problem you are having.
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7-05-2007 @ 7:48PM
Ronald Poi said...
This should be named "6 Things You Need To Know About AT&T sms"... there's no iPhone info on this posts...
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7-05-2007 @ 8:39PM
Branden Russell said...
Or, if you do $30 a month on a family plan, you get unlimited text messages for all lines on the family plan and the unlimited is to anybody on any network.
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7-05-2007 @ 8:48PM
John Williams said...
HEY TUAW!
Regarding tip number 5 about using Google SMS. Instead of burning a text message, try typing the same thing (fish tacos 80224) into the Google Maps applications. You'll get a list of matches there with links to look up directions, add them as a contact, etc.
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7-05-2007 @ 9:27PM
R2B2 said...
Here's a cool thing I learned last night. If you have an AIM account, go to http://mobile.aol.com/mobileaim and register your phone number. You can now set it up so that when you put your computer to sleep, it will automatically forward any IM's you get to your iPhone. A nice touch is that your friends buddylists will show that you are 'mobile'.
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7-06-2007 @ 12:05AM
Ben the Dog said...
To #8 - would you say something like that to anyone in person? Didn't think so. Grow up, you coward.
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