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Apple Releases iMessage Deregistration Utility

Posted by samzenpus on from the try-it-now dept.

tlhIngan writes When moving from an iPhone to something else, if you were an avid user of iMessage, you may find your messages missing, especially from iOS-using friends. Indeed, it has been such a problem that there are even lawsuits about it. While Apple has maintained that users can always switch off iMessage, that only works if you still have your iOS device. Unless one also has other iOS devices or a Mac, they may not even realize their friends have been sending messages that are queued up on Apple's services via iMessage. Well, that problem has been resolved with Apple creating a deregistration utility to remove your phone number from the iMessage servers so friends will no longer send you texts via iMessage that you can no longer receive. It's a two-step process involving proof of number ownership (via regular SMS) before deregistration takes place.

6 of 136 comments (clear)

  1. Try explaining that... by sarguin · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ... to your grandma that if she wants to receive text message on their new Android/Nokia/... phone, she needs to turn off iMessage in their iPhone BEFORE activating her new mobile. Or if she forgot to do it, she just have to access an obscure Apple web page to do it. Thanks Apple for SMS service hijacking!

    1. Re:Try explaining that... by cant_get_a_good_nick · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Thanks Apple for SMS service hijacking!

      I think Occam's razor applies here. You can either read it as "EVIL APPLE, take over SMS to screw people OVER!!!!!" or you can read it as "Apple tried to make imessage a seamless extension on SMS, and got them a little too intermixed". I kind of see it more as the latter. Witness this with the issue with SMS/google account intermixing in Google Hangouts.

    2. Re:Try explaining that... by danlip · · Score: 4, Interesting

      SMS used to be quite limited in the USA, but most providers started making "Unlimited" SMS either the standard or a very cheap price.

      Which they did after iMessage and other alternative messaging services came out, of course. I'm grateful to Apple for forcing their hand.

  2. Re:Call me by tooslickvan · · Score: 3, Funny

    Apple sent you a text via iMessage but you probably did not receive it.

  3. iMessage isn't bad... by MMC+Monster · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I actually like the idea behind iMessage: If you have internet access, sending a message via internet is potentially much cheaper than via SMS (unless you have an unlimited SMS plan). Even Apple's implementation of iMessage isn't too bad.

    The problem is that it's lock-in to Apple devices, of course. If Apple could get their head out of the sand and create a unified protocol with Google and whoever is left in the smartphone OS field (BlackBerry?, Mozilla?), it would be fantastic. Especially if the protocol was expanded a bit. Imagine being able to share files like via dropbox, but seemlessly through an SMS app?

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  4. Re:Overdue by ArcadeMan · · Score: 4, Funny

    In Apple's defense, it took them 54 days to decide the radius for the corners of the patch.

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