For those who haven’t been following iOS 5, iMessage is an instant messaging service that works a lot like texting and MMS, but with added features like delivery and read receipts, and without the need for a texting plan from your cellular service provider. It will be available automatically for all iPhones, iPod touches and iPads that can run iOS 5, and you can receive messages at the email address of your choosing.

That means that when I receive a text from another iMessage user, it’ll show up on my iPad, iPhone and iPod touch, so that I can respond with whatever device happens to be closest. The catch is that only iOS users can play; iMessage isn’t cross-platform, and so far doesn’t extend to Apple’s desktop operating system, OS X. But uncovered in Lion’s iChat are two new unused lines of code that suggest we may see that change soon.

Specifically, the code makes reference to “timeDelivered” and “timeRead” fields, yet iChat doesn’t currently support either delivered or read receipts. iMessage, on the other hand, does. With OS X support, you could theoretically receive iMessages on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or Mac, making it even easier to read and respond wherever you happen to be working.

OS X support for iMessage is a logical next step, and one which I pointed out as a notable omission back when the service was first announced. User experience design firm teehan+lax posted an interesting conceptual look at how iMessage on the Mac might work, but simple iChat integration makes even more sense, since the iOS messaging app is based on the same UI to begin with.

FaceTime made the leap from mobile to desktop, and it seems unlikely Apple would have failed to notice the potential in iMessage doing the same. Let’s hope this makes the leap from small to big screen soon, like ideally right around when iOS 5 drops.

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Getting started

Facebook Messenger requires only that you have an active Facebook account to play. That should make things easy for about 750 million of you. If you’re among the rare few smartphone owners who aren’t yet on Facebook, you can also sign up for an account right from the Messenger app, thanks to a link that shoots you to the mobile sign-up page in your device’s browser.

Home screen

Once you’ve signed in, you’ll be taken to a screen displaying a list of your messages. This will pull in any existing conversations you have on Facebook itself, including Facebook Chat conversations and Facebook Messages. You can interact with any of these existing message threads just as you would on the Facebook site. Each message in the list displays the names of conversation participants, a preview of the most recent message received or sent, when the last message was received or sent, and a blue circle if there are unread messages in the conversation thread.

Swiping left on any conversation listed on the home screen will bring up a button that allows you to archive it. Archived messages can still be viewed from the Facebook website, under Messages, by scrolling to the bottom of your inbox and hitting the View: Archived link.

Creating new messages and replying to existing ones

From the home screen, tapping the new message icon in the upper right corner (the one that looks like a pen writing on a square of paper) will bring up a new message creation screen. Here, you’ll asked to specify recipients in the “To:” field. Just start typing on the device keyboard to begin bringing up potential recipients from your on-device address book, or from your list of Facebook friends. A little phone icon next to a person’s name indicates that they have a mobile number available, which means your message will be sent to them via SMS if they don’t have the Facebook Messenger app installed. If a recipient receives a message from the app via SMS, they can simply reply to that text to contribute to the thread.

Once you’ve chosen your recipients, or if you’re replying, once you’ve tapped a conversation listed on the home screen, tapping the text entry field just above the keyboard will let you enter your message. The little arrow at the right of that same field indicates location sharing. Just tap it to either enable or disable sharing your location information with the message recipients. Tap the camera icon to the left of the text field to either take a picture, or choose one from your device’s library to include in the message.

Changing universal settings

From the home screen, tap the gear icon in the upper left corner to access settings that apply to all conversations. You can choose to mute new message alerts here for either one hour, or until the next morning at 8 AM. You can’t turn entirely off alerts for all conversations from here, but you can effectively do that by turning off Notifications for the Facebook Messenger app entirely in the iOS Settings application.

In the Facebook Messenger general settings, you can also access the online Help database for the app, as well as view a screen instructing you how to turn location services on and off for the app in general. Finally, you can log out of your account from this screen.

Changing individual conversation settings

For each conversation thread, you can set specific settings that won’t affect the behavior of others. To do this, simply tap on any conversation from the home screen, and then tap the gear icon in the upper right corner of the conversation screen.

If you’re working with a conversation between only two people, you’ll be presented with a screen that lets you change the alerts for this particular conversation. You can choose to turn alerts completely off, as well as mute them for one hour or until the next morning. If you’re looking at a group conversation, you’ll also have the option to change the conversation name here, which makes it easier to keep track of what’s being discussed in each thread.

From the conversation settings screen, tap at the bottom to view the people involved in the conversation, or the map icon to view the locations of participants, if they’re sharing that info. On the People screen, you can see a list of everyone taking part in the conversation, and either create a group conversation if you’re looking at one with just two participants, or add additional people if there are more than two people involved. On the Map screen, tapping map pins will tell you who checked in there, and how long ago they checked in.

That’s pretty much all you need to know to get started using Facebook Messenger. Some have been heralding it as a threat to iMessage, but considering that iMessage will be built-in to all iPhones once iOS 5 arrives, and will work automatically when users go to send text messages, they aren’t really all that competitive in my opinion. I, for one, intend to use both. Anyone else planning on making Facebook’s offering a permanent part of their device setup?

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AT&T is taking a staggered approach to the activation of this long-awaited iPhone OS 3.0 feature, probably in an effort to minimize the effects of the rollout. If my own experience is any indication, the vast majority of network strain resulting from MMS will occur when users first activate it, after which most will probably only touch it sporadically.

Judging by this staggered introduction, AT&T’s primary concern with the MMS rollout is to minimize the impact to its network, which is already suffering under the strain of so many iPhone users, and which has already caused some to jump ship in search of better quality and consistency.

If you’re one of the lucky people to benefit from early activation, you should see a new “Cellular Data Network” menu item in the General > Network settings page, and a small camera icon will appear in the lower left-hand corner of your Messages app, which will allow you direct access to either the device’s camera or your pictures folders.

Oddly, the reports seem to indicate no correlation at all between carrier bundle or software version installed on their device, or their physical location, and the activation of MMS. When Apple originally introduced MMS in iPhone 3.0, here in Canada a carrier settings update was required before the service would work or the icon would even appear. AT&T’s activation suggests that no change on the user’s end of things is actually required to get things up and running, which isn’t what AT&T spokesman Brad Mays originally seemed to suggest:

The service will be enabled with a software update on the launch date. Customers can obtain the update from iTunes, just like all other iPhone updates.

Once activated, iPhone 3.0 users will be able to send photos, videos, audio, address book contact info and Maps locations via the Messaging app on their devices. By default, an MMS opt out is attached to all AT&T iPhone owners’ accounts, which must be removed prior to MMS functioning. If you’re experiencing problems, contact AT&T to make sure this has been lifted on your account.

Let us know if you’ve received MMS activation yet, where you are, and how you find the service so far (any noticeable network effects, for example).

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The iPhone’s lack of any MMS capabilities was said to be on account of the versatile and full featured email support. If it’s so simple to send photos via email, why pay extra to send them via MMS?

While that is a valid argument to a certain extent, the two services remain predominantly different; e-mail is unlikely to be picked up by a regular phone user ‘on the go’ and isn’t tailored in the same manner for quickly sending and receiving photo snapshots.

Enter iPhoneMMS. This service is currently a web application for the iPhone allowing you to access and send O2 media messages through a more appealing interface. For the last few days I have been using a preview of the latest edition, a native iPhone application which has recently launched.

The app allows you to send and receive MMS messages in a far more user-friendly way than through the O2 website. It brings MMS functionality closer to a real, integrated solution.

International Support

For sending messages, international support is planned and under development. Unfortunately, the ability to receive messages relies on support from the network operator in question and no other international network offers the same functionality as O2 at this stage. Depending upon the success of the app in the UK, the developers may seek the assistance of AT&T to extend support to the U.S.

Setting Up

Once installed, you’ll see the red iPhoneMMS icon in your iPhone menu. I was pleasantly surprised to see the similar design to existing Phone and Text icons — albeit in a brighter red color. It makes the app feel like an official edition to support MMS sending and receiving.

To set your phone up to access your messages through the app, you need to receive a MMS and note the PIN code provided to you by O2. You then enter your mobile number and that PIN into the application to access your account.

Receiving Messages

When you receive an MMS, a notification is usually provided in the form of a text message from your network operator. You can open the iPhoneMMS application, login, and browse all previously received messages.

Sending Messages

Sending a new message is very similar to composing an email. You enter a telephone number, subject line and can take a new photo or attach an existing one.

Costs & Pricing

The iPhoneMMS app is free through the App Store and there are no recurring costs — you pay only for the messages you use. At present, each message costs one credit. You receive one credit for free when registering, after which they can be purchased via PayPal in blocks of 10 or more. They are priced at around £0.35 each.

Plans are in place to lower this price in the future through discussion with the MMS team at O2. An agreement with the network operator could lead to:

• Instant notification of MMS (no need to use your mobile number / pin to login)
• Sending messages will be charged by O2 through your standard bill
• Messages will be charged at the normal O2 rates

I feel that this would go a long way towards making the app more useful, encouraging casual users to dabble in sending media messages rather than those who are happy to pre-pay with a credit system.

iPhoneMMS is currently freely available through the UK iTunes App Store. I’m interested to see that the app has been readily accepted — I imagine its submission to the App Store sparked a debate at Apple surrounding plans to support or endorse this feature in the native iPhone software itself.

Who’s Behind the App?

This service is entirely owned and operated by two private individuals:

• Ross McKillop: A web developer and consultant who became frustrated at the lack of MMS on the iPhone (and others asking about it!) so decided to do something about it.
• Ed Lea: A talented iPhone developer behind many other excellent apps on the AppStore including TV Plus, which held the #1 spot in the Top 50 Apps for a number of weeks.

Conclusion

This app seems to be a great start for supporting MMS on the iPhone. I’m aware that UK-only support is limiting for many readers of TheAppleBlog, but the system provides a concept which could be expanded to the U.S. — either by the existing developers, or a different team based in America.

There’s still some way for the app to go before being fully integrated into your O2 bill and providing seamless MMS support. Initial impressions are good, however and it will certainly be worth investigating if you’re based in, or frequently travel to, the UK.

What are your thoughts on MMS support? Is it a service which you miss the support for on the iPhone, or have you adjusted to life without it just fine? I’d be interested to hear how many of you would welcome an app such as this.

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At first, I mistakenly inferred from the app description that it supports only Wi-Fi connections. Not so. For voice chat and VoIP functions, you must have a Wi-Fi connection, probably to comply with carrier-imposed limitations, but for text chat, 3G and EDGE are fine. Like Palringo, Nimbuzz! requires you to sign up for a master account, but the process is relatively painless. You can do it from within the application, and the only information required is your desired username, password, and a valid email address. Nimbuzz! uses the account to store your saved services, so you can sign in to the PC and web versions with a single login and access all your IM networks.

The interface is clean and fresh, with different icons for your contacts depending on which service they are from. You can add services from the “Communities” tab at the bottom of the screen, and also switch from your contacts list, to chats in progress, to your message inbox/sent and your settings. The “Messages” tab shows you your Nimbuzz! emails, which can be sent to and from Nimbuzz! contacts, and which stand in for offline messaging, as far as I can tell.

Touching a contact name brings up a screen from which you can call, initiate a chat with, or email that person depending upon what is supported by the service to which they belong. This screen also displays their email, nickname and status.

Chats and VoIP worked fine in Nimbuzz!, on par with Palringo and Fring in terms of speed and quality. Nimbuzz! is not a newcomer to the space, so I expected no less from them. Unfortunately, a deal-breaker for me is the lack of persistent connectivity. You are signed out of your services the moment you exit the app. It doesn’t even have the short delay Palringo offers, let alone Beejive’s 8-hour login duration. It is nice to see the polish and usability of Palringo with the VoIP features of Fring, but if you depend on IM for business and are away from a computer for much of the day, it can’t replace Beejive.

For casual users and as a VoIP/voice chat supplement to an always-on client, Nimbuzz! is a great choice. Overall, the interfaces are clean, responsive, and well-designed and the app in general has a slick, professional feel. Kudos to Nimbuzz! for not rushing out of the gates and sparing us another bug-riddled IM client for the iPhone. Try it yourself here for free.

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Multimedia messaging (MMS) is within reach for iPhone users, or at least that’s what Mobispine AB is saying via press release today.

The Stockholm-based mobile services company currently provides white lable RSS reader and Desktop SMS and MMS solutions to companies looking to get their own branded mobile service. Today they announced that they are now offering yet another brandable service: MMS capability for the Apple iPhone.

The lack of MMS has long been one of the most glaring omissions in the iPhone’s feature set, and is available on much less advanced handsets from all major manufacturers. Third-party applications like Flutter have attempted to bring workaround solutions to the platform, but to limited success and with awkward restrictions on how messages are sent and received.

Mobispine’s solution is targeted at providers, not individual consumers. Essentially, it would add backend support for sending and receiving MMS from a carrier-branded MMS interface. This conveniently avoids the need for Apple buy-in, since individual operators would be the ones making the decision as to whether or not they will offer the service.

Apple still needs to OK the service implementation through the App Store approval process, however, since it would operate through a custom-branded native iPhone app. On the end-user side, iPhone owners will be able to create MMS messages from within the application, and attach photos saved to the iPhone’s hard drive, or new pictures taken with the iPhone’s camera. MMS messages will also be received via the Mobispine app, not in the iPhone’s built in SMS application. According to the press release, MMS messaging to and from all capable handsets will be possible, so non-iPhone users will not require any special software or have to visit any external links.

Since the decision to pursue the service is up to operators, it’ll be interesting to see who bites. Likely candidates are markets where more than one provider offers the iPhone, or where existing sales numbers indicate that the market appears saturated, and to get more customers requires offering some perceived value-add to justify an iPhone purchase. There’s also a possibility that carriers could charge for the additional service.

iPhone users: Is MMS important to you? Would you like to see your carrier implement this solution, or would you rather wait for an official Apple MMS service, if one comes at all? Would you pay for the MMS service if your carrier decides to charge a fee?

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