Thursday, February 23, 2012
Seamlessly Syncing iMessage to your Apple Devices
Seamlessly Syncing iMessage to your Apple Devices.
My objective is to be able to demonstrate how to update your settings on your iPhone and iPad so that iMessage works seamlessly on all of your iOS devices. I want you to be able to get the most out of devices and have a great user experience. These changes in your settings will allow you to receive an iMessage on both devices at the same time so that you can pick up a conversation where you left off on either device.
Before I discuss the important steps to take in changing your settings, I thought I would give a very high level lesson on how iMessage works. Remember these are not the intricate pieces of the functionality behind iMessage but rather a quick overview.
When you want to send a message (text or iMessage) from your iPhone the functionality is integrated in the message app. As you select a contact, the app determines if your contact is set up on the cloud by the phone number or email address. Then the message is sent to the contact either as a normal text message (rates apply) or iMessage.
My objective is not to show you how to initiate the set up for iMessage but rather show you how to make changes to those settings to allow iMessage to work across all of your devices instantly. So I apologize if I assume you have already set your iPhone up for iMessage.
I had both of my devices activated and both were capable of sending messages but I could never figure out why I never received the same message on all my devices as advertised.
First off, make sure you have activated iMessage on your iOS devices using your Apple ID. So as mentioned earlier I assume you have completed this task on your iPhone but go ahead and activate this for your iPad. This should now allow you to send messages from both devices and receive messages. This step actually ties your devices to the same Apple ID so they are compatible.
Next is a very important step and should allow you get one step closer to your goal. Go to your settings app then tap on messages, on this screen locate “Receive At” and tap on it. On the top of the screen should be your Apple ID but the next set of data fields are where we need to focus our attention. If you are changing the settings on the iPhone, then the first line should have your phone number. Now you need to add an email address or confirm what is there is correct. Make sure this is the email address that you want associated with iMessage (if sharing Apple ID with spouse for itune purchases then you probably do not want to use the email address that is associated with Apple ID). Now when you make this change on your iPad or any other iOS device, make sure you use the same email address on all devices. When you go through this step for the iPad and you tap on “Receive At” the only item listed should be the same email address. This step will keep your conversations in sync on all of your devices.
Finally, I believe this to be the MOST important step. On the “Receive At” screen you have a data field called “Caller ID” tap on it. You have two options on your iPhone:
(1) your cell number, or (2) the email address you entered earlier. The purpose of this article is to show you how to sync your conversations on all of your iOS devices so that they instantly appear at the same time, no matter who generates the conversation, you or your contact. So with that said, you need to select the email address as your “Caller ID”. Now make the same change on your iPad for “Caller ID”.
You might ask why do I want to change the Caller ID to something other than my phone number. Well this step is the KEY to making this app work beautifully. I will try to explain but then I will give an example below as to how this works and why its important.
The iPad does not have a phone number so when you generate an iMessage from your iPhone with the Caller ID set as “phone” then your contact will respond to your phone only, thus causing the iMessage not to be received on your iPad. But if you have the Caller ID set as your email address then when your contact responds to your message it sends to all devices associated with that email address. So whats important is that you start generating “new” iMessage threads to your friends after your make these changes. That way they will automatically start using that contact as their “go to” contact for your without even knowing its your email address rather than your phone number. But this is not a full proof method as some of your friends may generate an iMessage directly to your phone number, so its important to share your email address with your close friends and ask them to add it to their contacts. Also it is important to be aware of what contact you are using for your self when generating a new iMessage thread, be sure its generating from your email contact.
I hope this sheds some light on how this application works and allows you to experience the most from your iOS devices.
-- Clint Hardeman
Friday, January 20, 2012
March 10, 1876: 'Mr. Watson, Come Here ...
We have reached and interesting point in technological history. It may not be as big as say the invention of the phone, but how we, as a society adapt to this shift will have ever changing ramifications.
Device Choice. From smartphones, to tablets to ultra-small laptops to laptops. The number and diversity of devices we are capable of carrying home, traveling with and bringing to work are exploding. For example, laptop prices have plummeted over the last few years. Most people can purchase their own machine for around $500. If you want an Apple machine, then you'll be looking at something over $1000. Still in the disposable income range of most cubicle dwellers. Tablets are even cheaper. Smartphones are already in the hands of virtually every employee.
This is creating issues for employers. Should employers continue to purchase devices that will be used for work? Should employers allow devices to be brought to work? Should devices be liberally allowed on the network? I remember turning down a programming position once because the company would not allow employees access to the internet. None. Zero. That was a few years ago. But today, that thought is crazy. Every software developer expects internet access to be part of the deal. It is an important tool for technical people to be able to search blogs and forums for answers and directions. Like many other professions will technologist are soon going to be expected to provide their tools. The next hurdle will be not access to information sources, but the devices we use to access those sources. As devices become a commodity, and how we use them crosses between personal and business, does it make sense for workers to purchase their own and use them in a corporate setting? Some companies give workers a computer allowance and the workers can take the machine with them if they quit, presumably if they work at the company for longer than a few months. Other companies give their employees money for technology, which can be exciting for technical people that might want to upgrade their devices regularly.
There are definite security and data concerns, but it's possible to get around those issues. There are also employer liabilities for data residing on the devices. Companies can create policies to address these issues and allow employees to work with the tools they are familiar with. I struggled to purchase a $1500-2000 computer. I saw it as an investment in my career. The Fact is, these days, we have even more devices, and while IT departments struggle to secure them, that doesn't stop people from using them, or wanting them. These sound like simple corporate policy questions, but they are in fact, changes to the fabric of our society. Overstatement? Maybe a little, but think about the next generation of devices. They will be smaller and more powerful with a lot more storage. History tells us that is always true. They will be cheaper. But what has always been true, but always gets overlooked is the unexpected factor. A short thought experiment. Let's say I needed a phone, a camera, a voice recorder, a computer and a clock/alarm. Not very long ago, that would would have required a wheelbarrow. Today, it would require a pocket for my smartphone. I remember the discussion of convergence, but nobody expected the amazing things our smartphones and tablets do today. The next generation will have the same unexpected leap. Todays employers need to think ahead and base their corporate policies on people having access to more capabilities on smaller devices. Imagine in the next few years if the laptop is replaced by your phone. Would you employer provide the new phone? Would that be good for you? What if you worked for more than one company? Would you carry a personal phone/computer, plus 2 company phones/computers? Because of the development of a crop of new devices, I can see a new and very different relationship developing between employers and employees.
The classic definition of "employee" and "employer" is fast changing. Companies with the 1950's idea of lifetime employees are as rare as employees who look for lifetime employers. This trend, combined with the explosion in personal mobile computing devices create a perfect storm for the very idea of how, where and even why we work to be radically altered. In a perfect world vacuum, people would create value in some way and the highest bidder would receive that value. Companies would search for the people or groups capable of creating the products and services that best fit their needs. Part of the value proposition for both the company buying and the individual selling would be access to devices and tools needed to do the work. It's not a perfect analogy, but think of hiring a plumber. Would you hire a plumber that required you to provide tools?
In a few short years, employers will be forced to craft employee agreements, hiring policies and marketing plans that take into account a vast array of devices with amazing capabilities. These changes will fundamentally change the relationship between companies and the people who work for them. How companies evolve and the opportunities created by the process will be interesting. Successful companies and successful individuals will be the ones that can best navigate this issue. Like watching a baseball team progress through the season, it will be great entertainment watching which companies will adjust. These adjustments will foster new ways of arranging work and workers. This will create new devices to meet new challenges. The invention of the telephone did not allow us to speak, but to speak to people in ways never thought of before. The evolution of the telephone is an ongoing story that will change the very idea of work. The new devices will not allow us to do anything we could not do before, they will allow us to do them in new and revolutionary ways.
- Lance Rose
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