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Mac 101: How to add images to an iMessage
Adding images to an iMessage on your iPhone is easy to do as there is a "camera" icon right next to the message composition field. On the Mac, though, this option is not readily apparent, leaving many desktop users scratching their head when they want to add a simple image to a message they are writing. Though it is not intuitive, Messages for Mac does allow you to attach on image to an outgoing message. There are two basic ways -- one uses the Finder, while the other uses the sharing feature that is available in most apps. Using the Finder If you haven't started writing a new message, you can select the image in Finder and right-click on it to bring up the contextual menu. Select "Share > Messages" from the contextual menu to create a new message. This opens a small dialog box directly over the Finder window that allows you to enter the recipient information and a text note before sending the image. If you already have a message in progress, then you will need to follow the steps below: Position the Finder window and the Messages window side-by-side on your screen. This makes it easy to drag the image from one window to another. Select an image file in the finder. (This also works in iPhoto if you have that app open) Drag the file to the text entry field in Messages. You will see a "+" icon as you add the image. You can add text directly after the image or use Option-Return to add some line returns between the image and your text. Using the "Share" feature in third-party apps Many OS X apps that work with images, such as Preview or Acorn, allow you to select an image and then choose the Share option either from the main menu bar or from the contextual menu. When you share an image from a third-party app, Messages launches a small dialog box where you can enter the recipient information as well as add some text before sending it along.
Google Glass now displays your iPhone's text messages
On the heels of last week's KitKat update, Google Glass nabbed up two more notable improvements today. First, iOS users can now have their text messages displayed on Glass, after a quick toggle of the Bluetooth settings. Here's the catch: "due to some limitations with iOS," you wont be able to reply to those messages directly from the headset. There's also a new Calendar Glassware that situates an agenda to the left of the home screen. Tapping a card in that timeline will allow you edit title, time, location and even RSVP. If you'd rather just skip those festivities altogether, you can delete events or hide them from view. Both of the new features are said to be rolling out to early adopters "in the next few days," so keep your eyes peeled.
Confide is like Snapchat for business, but without pictures
The written word has a nasty habit of sticking around, surfacing in hacked email accounts, accidental forwards and the on untrustworthy lips of your peers. That's why former AOL executive Jon Brod created Confide, an iOS texting app that erases sensitive messages as soon as they're read. It's designed to make private texts as fleeting as a whispered secret, retained only in the memory of the person you confided in; hence the name. To protect itself against the iPhone's screenshot function, the app only reveals a few words at a time, blocking the rest out with an orange sensor bar until the user's finger glides across the screen. Unlike Snapchat, however, the app doesn't seem to support picture sharing. The app is live on the App Store now, you know, in case you needed a fresh way to share office gossip.
Add a paragraph using Mac Messages without sending the message
If you are used to Messages in iOS, you may have a problem using Messages on your Mac. Creating a new paragraph in a message on an iPhone or iPad is easy: Press the return key and you've got a new paragraph. That certainly makes for a nice organized and easy-to-read message. Try the same thing using Messages on your Mac and the return key sends the message -- there's no consistency in the way the app operates on the different platforms at all. There is a workaround though: Instead of pressing return on your Mac keyboard, press the alt/option key + the return key. Bingo -- a new paragraph appears. It's not as intuitive as the iOS way, but you won't send messages inadvertently, or end up sending messages with long paragraphs. Using the alt/option key will be a little frustrating at first, but after a while you'll get used to it. Apple has posted all sorts of other keyboard shortcuts here. And now you know...
Easy fix for pesky iOS 7 Messages bug
It's always "fun" to experience an issue just before a fix for it appears in our TUAW newsroom. In this case, I was receiving iMessages from my wife, but she wasn't seeing mine. Fearing that the worst had happened and I had been run over by a truck (while sitting at my desk), she called me. It turns out that a lot of people are running into this Messages app bug with iOS 7, where iMessages aren't being reliably sent out. Fortunately, there's a quick and easy fix for this issue -- just restart your iPhone or other iOS device. In case you're new to the iPhone / iPad world and don't know how to shut down and then power up your device, it's easy. Just push down on the power button on top of your iPhone or iPad for about five seconds. A red stripe appears across the display saying "slide to power off." Swipe to the right on that stripe to shut down your device. Make sure that the screen goes completely black (no spinning "rotor"), and then press the power button again for about a second to turn the device back on. Now you should see all iMessages that weren't successfully sent, and should also be able to send new ones to your BFF.
Chatology for Mac lets you easily search Message histories
Flexibits has released Chatology for Mac (US$19.99), which lets you search your Messages chat history with great ease and success. Its looks will make it familiar to just about anyone who's used a Mac within the last ten years and and its integration with Messages is just lovely. Say goodbye to Apple's chat search. Looks Chatology is similar to iTunes, iPhoto and others as it has a list on the left and related details on the right. Again, it will be super familiar to most Mac owners, so you'll be up and running in no time. Click any name on the right to view the associated chat logs in clear, legible text. Conversations, images and links are a mere click away. Finally, you can opt to see your conversations as balloons or boxes (I prefer balloons). %Gallery-191695% Use Chatology finds the chat logs stored on your Mac at launch and displays each conversation according to the person on the other end. Click any name in the leftmost column to see your full history with that person in the center column, sorted by date. You'll also see the conversation's start time and duration. You can refine your history by viewing logs from today, within the last seven days, the last 30 or within the last year. Once you've selected a particular history to scour, you can view the full conversation, just images or just links. While testing this app, I was able to find two images I remembered seeing in chat but failed to drag out. It was crazy easy to find them: I just pulled up the conversation, clicked "images" and there it was. There's a search box, too. Simply type in the term you're after and there it is. Here's what I love about Chatology. There's a preference to enable Messages integration. When enabled, you'll be brought right to Chatology when you hit Command-F in Messages. It's like launching über-search mode. Finally, you can export any conversation as a plain text file, use Quick Look to view images and delete a chat log, all from the app. Conclusion Those who have lots of conversations in chat, especially those that might include desirable reference information, will do well to install Chatology. Likewise, it's a good choice for users who are not satisfied with the search feature in Messages. Chatology for Mac is available now for US$19.99 from the Flexibits Store. It requires Mac OS X 10.7.5 or later. Please note that Chatology for Mac will only be available from the Flexibits Store. It will not available from the Mac App Store. Unfortunately, Apple's policies won't allow an app like Chatology on the Mac App Store. Pick it up now and get searching.
iMessage bug may be truncating last word of specific phrases
The Verge directs our attention to an extremely curious bug in iMessage which works to erase the last word of certain sent messages. The end result is that some messages appear truncated to both the sender and the recipient. For example, two phrases which bring the issue to light include "I could be the next Obama " -- with an empty space following the 'a' -- and "The best prize is a surprise". While a thread on Apple's support forums claims that the issue only manifests when a message is sent from iMessage on a Mac to an iPhone, I was able to replicate the bug using iPhones exclusively. So just what, exactly, is going on here? Well, a user on a MacRumors forum writes that the bug rears its bizarre head when the cumulative width of the characters used in a message is at a certain length. You can test it out, and even if you change "I could be the next Odama " as the phrase it still gets deleted. The problem is that the message app, thinks the phrase will fit in a one line bubble, but it actually puts the last word on a hidden second line. It works with these two phrases because they are the exact width needed, and it is not based on character count, but character width. For example, "l" is skinner than a "w". So rest easy, folks. Apple, it would appear, does think you can be the next Obama and certainly wants you to know what the best prize is.
Orange Libon adds picture messaging to iOS app
Libon is a messaging app backed by the European cell provider Orange that's making its way over to Android today, offering free calls, messaging and visual voicemail to smartphones on that side of the platform fence. But there's important news for us iOS users as well, as the app has also added free picture and audio messaging to our version, along with a push-to-talk feature. You can find the app for free on the App Store now. Orange makes money on this one using in-app purchases, which can add premium options like extra message storage, customization options or translations of your voicemails to text or to MP3 via email. These apps have gained a nice following with their free features. Libon, WhatsApp and others have created their own messaging ecosystems unrelated to what service you're using to power your phone. You'd think that with the iPhone so ubiquitous, Apple would have unified messaging as much as possible, and iMessage was their best try so far at doing just that. But these various services are still flourishing inside of the App Store itself.
Project Amy integrates App.net private messages, Apple's Messages
If you use App.net and Apple's Messages on OS X, you're going to want to take a look at Project Amy. The project is the brainchild of Steve Streza and was released at the App.net hackathon that took place last night. It allows users to integrate App.net private messaging with Messages on OS X. MacStories has taken a look at Project Amy and delves a little deeper into how it works: Project Amy is a clever experiment that showcases the App.net API and Apple's IMServicePlugin.framework: using only public APIs and no proxies (unlike Steve's first App.net project). Project Amy adds App.net as a native account in Messages, allowing you to have private conversations with other App.net users inside Messages. Once installed, you can simply login with your App.net credentials to have the account listed alongside AIM in the bottom-left corner of Messages; choose Window > Buddies (or hit CMD+1) to show a list of users that you can send private messages to (they will be displayed as online with their full names rather than usernames). Interested users can download Project Amy here. Just keep in mind that at this time the project is still in alpha. Users should also not that Project Amy only works with Messages on OS X and not on iOS.
Facebook for Android update touts speedier photo viewing, ability to send voice messages
While the recently announced Graph Search has taken most Facebook-related headlines of late, let's not forget Zuckerberg himself said that mobile applications are undoubtedly one of the company's main focus areas. And although today's Android update isn't nearly as major as the one from last month, something tells us "likers" and "pokers" alike will still appreciate the new tidbits -- which include an option to share stories to Groups, Pages and Timeline, faster viewing / opening of photos, as well as a feature (relatively known, mind you) that allows for the sending of voice messages to friends straight from the app. Those eager to grab the update now should hit the Google Play link below, where the latest Android treats from the social network giant are only a mere click away.
If Messages on OS X 'can't connect,' check your serial number
Messages recently stopped working on my iMac. Suddenly it said that it could not connect. More specifically, I could not use Apple's iMessage service. I could use AIM or Google Talk, but iMessage was the service that I wanted to use. (Note: When I refer to 'Messages' I mean the actual application on my Mac. When I refer to 'iMessage' I mean the service which Apple provides which lets you send instant messages to Macs and iOS devices.) I tried a few things that I could think of: I checked to make sure that my proxy wasn't blocking anything that could be relevant; I made sure there was nothing in /etc/hosts that could be interfering; I created a new user account on my iMac. Nothing made any difference. At the same time, other iCloud services were working just fine, including calendar and contact syncing, so I assumed that it wasn't iCloud related. I could use the same Wi-Fi network to connect to iMessage using my MacBook Air. It seemed like it had to be something connected to my iMac specifically...but what? I decided to reinstall OS X on my iMac for other reasons not related to this problem, and the first thing I tried was connecting to iMessage. No joy. So if it wasn't related to my Wi-Fi network and it wasn't related to my installation of OS X... what else was left? Hardware? The idea that the problem could be hardware-related seemed odd to me, but I had done my best to eliminate all other factors, so the one which remained must be the truth. It was then that I remembered an odd little detail about my iMac: it has no serial number. No, my iMac didn't "fall off the back of a truck." I bought it directly from Apple, and even bought AppleCare for it, which was a good thing because I had to have the hard drive and the logic board replaced. Some time after the logic board was replaced, I realized that the serial number was listed as 'Not Available' in the System Information (which used to be called 'System Profiler' in earlier versions of OS X.) I did some checking and found that this was something which was supposed to be done by the guy who installed the new logic board, but he had apparently forgotten to do it. I was also told that there was nothing that I could do to fix it. It never caused any problems, so I had never worried about it before. In fact, I had been able to use iMessage through the Messages on my iMac until recently. It seemed improbable, but I was out of guesses as to what else might be the cause. I asked on Twitter and got a few suggestions, but none of them panned out. Someone else even said that they had been able to use Messages on a Mac without a serial number, but it had been awhile since they had done it. With no other options available, I had no other choice but to check with an Apple Authorized Service Provider. Fortunately, since I still have my original box, he was able to find the original serial number. After running some sort of "Apple Authorized Service Provider"-only software on it, my iMac had its old serial number back. Neither one of us had much hope that this would make a difference, but after rebooting the iMac and logging in, Messages was immediately able to connect to the iMessage service, and it works perfectly. Don't ask me why. The facts are these: My iMac was able to use iMessages, and then it wasn't. I tried everything I could over several weeks to fix it, and nothing did. When the serial number was restored, iMessages immediately started working again. I can think of some possible reasons why this happened, but none of them are anything more than guessing. Is this a new 'feature' of the iMessage protocol or the Messages.app that it will only work on Macs with serial numbers? If so, is this Apple's way of cracking down on OS X installations on non-Apple hardware? Is it possible that iMessage was never supposed to work on Macs without a valid number and they've just started enforcing it now? All of those seem unlikely to me. After all, why would Apple allow me use the rest of iCloud except for iMessage? If they were making such a check, I would hope that they would have made it more clear, showing an error message that was more descriptive than "Couldn't connect." Is this a bug? Did I hit some sort of an edge-case that Apple had not tested for? That seems possible. I would not be surprised if Apple made some change on the server side of the iMessage service which triggered this, or Apple fixed an unrelated bug and had this side effect. In any case, iMessage did not work, and now it does. It seems clear that the fix was getting the serial number restored. I share this information because while there may not be many Mac users out there who found themselves with Macs without serial numbers, we are out there. Even just mentioning this on Twitter led me to discover someone in the same situation. If you're one of them, getting this fixed will mean finding an Apple Authorized Service Provider or Apple Store who can fix it for you. Be sure to bring whatever paperwork to show ownership, and any repair receipts you might have. (Apple Stores should be able to pull up your service record for repairs done under AppleCare.)
Under FTC proposal Messages would need to support 911
A new proposal from the FTC would require Apple's Messages tool for iOS and OS X to support texts to 911 call centers. In the United States AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile have all agreed to allow users to contact the 911 emergency line via text message by May 15, 2014 under the regulatory body's call to create "Next Generation 911." The ability to allow users to contact 911 via text message in addition to voice calls offers an additional contact layer for people requiring emergency services. The text option is particularly beneficial for hearing-impaired users or in situations like a home break-in where the user might not be able to speak without giving their location away. The proposal released today would require "over the top" text messaging services to be compatible with 911 as well. Messages falls into the category of "over the top" messaging services as it works using IP-based protocols. From the FTC's proposal: Today's Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking anticipates that all wireless carriers, as well as providers of "over the top" text messaging that use IP-based or SMS protocols to deliver text messages to destinations identified by a telephone number, will be required to deploy text-to-911 and to provide "bounce back" messages where text-to-911 is not yet available. While more than 90 percent of smartphone users currently use SMS as their form of text messaging, we are taking forward-looking action given the growth of Internet-based text messaging. The Further Notice also tees up for resolution key issues including standards deployment and service deployment, location accuracy, cost recovery, carrier liability. Currently the FTC's recommendations are just that -- recommendations -- and not something that is required by law. However, as text message use declines in favor of Messages, Skype texts and Facebook Messenger, one could reasonably expect that all such IP-based services be legally required to connect to 911 one day.
Messages beta for OS X Lion users ends December 14
Apple is notifying Lion users that the beta version of the Messages app will expire on December 14th. The app debuted as a free beta download for Lion users and was incorporated into OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion when the latest version of OS X was released earlier this year. An email sent to Lion owners that was published by Cult of Mac says that customers must upgrade to Mountain Lion if they wish to continue to use the Messages app. The Mountain Lion upgrade costs $20 and is available from the Mac App Store. With Messages, Reminders and Notification Center, OS X Mountain Lion is a worthwhile upgrade for customers whose Macs are compatible. You can view a copy of Apple's email below. [Via Engadget and Cult of Mac]
Apple pulling the plug on Messages beta for OS X Lion on December 14th
Apple is notifying OS X Lion users that the platform's preview of Messages will end on December 14th. Originally available as a free beta download for Lion 10.7, Messages went on to become an official feature of Mountain Lion 10.8. Obtained by Cult of Mac, the email from Apple advises that in order to continue using Messages, you'll need to upgrade to Mountain Lion. While it's saddening to have pay for an app that you're accustomed to having for free, keep in mind that this was only a preview. Besides, the upgrade to Mountain Lion is $20 and if you can afford any of Apple's products, we're pretty sure that this expense won't be too much of a stretch. Be sure to take a look at the email in question after the break, because it could be lurking somewhere in your junk mail folder.
Messages compacts MP3 audio
TUAW reader Ryan B wrote us over the weekend, asking if we could confirm a behavior he'd observed when transferring files over iMessage. "A friend and I noticed today that when you send .mp3 files through iMessage on Mac, the quality of the MP3 is downgraded." He adds, "This appears to only happen with .mp3 files as .m4p's are unaltered when received." Until now, I'd assumed that whatever data you sent using Messages arrived in basically the same form you sent it in. Apparently not. We ran a few tests and this is what we found: most files arrive bit-for-bit identical compared to the files that were sent. But sure enough, MP3 files were downgraded considerably. The 5.12 MB stereo 228 kbps file I bought from Amazon was downgraded to 1.4 MB mono 62.4 kbps on receipt after transfer through Messages. Why is this happening? We're honestly not sure and I'd rather not speculate. We've reached out to Apple for comment but do not expect a reply. The gallery that follows shows our results. %Gallery-170697%
Facebook Messages gets retooled layout, improved search
It looks like those who rely more on Facebook Messages than email these days will have a bit of adjusting to do. The company has just announced a new look for that key component of the social network, one that now sports a side-by-side layout and support for multiple inline images -- not to mention emoticons. It's also promising a number of other improvements that are less immediately evident, including the ability to search by a sender's name or keyword directly from the main messages view, and a number of new keyboard shortcuts.
Mountain Lion 101: Messages
Although Messages has been available as beta software since February of 2012, it's now part of OS X Mountain Lion. This app replaces the old iChat app, providing a consolidated way to send messages not only to other Messages users, but also to friends with accounts on AIM, Yahoo!, Google Talk, and Jabber. Let's take a quick look at Messages and how it works within Mountain Lion. One great feature of Messages is that if you send your messages to an iOS device also running the app, your texts, pictures, and audio/video clips are sent as part of your mobile carrier data plan. This has had the effect of making it possible to send unlimited text messages without an SMS/text plan. I canceled my SMS/text plan with AT&T back in February when the beta became available, as the vast majority of my messages are sent to people who are on up-to-date iPhones. That saved me US$20 a month. Your conversations are also synced between devices. Let's say I'm in a conversation with someone on my Mac, but then want to go for a walk. I can grab my iPhone, fire up Messages, and be right in the thick of the conversation immediately. There's a video button at the top of the conversation in progress -- tapping that button launches a FaceTime session in the FaceTime app. That seems kind of awkward, having to open two applications to start a FaceTime session, but it works. 28 standard smileys are available with a click to adorn your messages, and as we've mentioned earlier here on TUAW, it's easy to use Messages to send files between Macs or devices. The image below visualizes sending a short movie from my Mac to my iPhone. The size limit for files or other attachments seems to be somewhere above 100 MB. What's my favorite mix of Mountain Lion features so far? Using Dictation to write and send off quick, snappy replies to my wife, who uses Messages on her iPhone as a way to keep tabs on me and give me more things to do... I'm fairly pleased with the way that Messages makes it simple for me to converse with iPhone and iPad users without needing to pick up my phone to send the message. How do you feel about iChat's replacement? Leave your comments below. #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }
Mozilla giving Thunderbird the (effective) axe, leaving its fate to the community
Mozilla's Thunderbird mail client just hasn't enjoyed the same level of stardom as its Firefox cousin. Their developer must be feeling this discrepancy more than most, as the company has confirmed plans to take the organization out of active Thunderbird development. The shift is officially being spun as an adaptation that lets the Foundation center its energy on Firefox OS and the usual browser plans, but when Mozilla proper will only be handling bug fixes and security updates for a client that's "not a priority," we'd say it's putting Thunderbird on ice. Accordingly, leaked details from TechCrunch show Mozilla moving some of the team out of the project at some point; any new features will have to come from the community, which suggests the future upgrade schedule will be more than a bit unpredictable. The writing is on the wall soon enough that existing owners could have food for thought well before a final strategy is due in early September.
Getting Ready for Mountain Lion: Messages
In this series, Erica Sadun and I have talked about many of the ways that you can prepare for the upcoming release of OS X Mountain Lion and about some of the new features that are to debut with the new OS. One of those features, Messages, has been available in beta form in Lion since February. Unfortunately, mention of the beta was quietly pulled from the Apple website in the last few weeks -- but you can still try to download and install it via direct download. Messages is designed to let you send and receive instant messages without the need for a text message account from your cellular carrier. The idea is that you should be able to send and receive texts on any device, whether it's an iPhone, iPad or Mac. While Messages is available on iOS as iMessages, the feature won't be built into OS X until next month. Messages replaces iChat on your Mac, adding the iMessage capability but keeping other IM accounts like AIM. During the beta, I've been quite happy with the app and use it daily to chat with my wife on her iPhone while she's at work. If I leave the house with my iPhone, I can continue the chat on that device. Erica and I did some tests using Messages to send photos, videos, contact info and attachments between different devices, and it's very handy for exactly that type of cross-device transfer. I love how you can see when a message has been delivered, and three dots tell you when someone's in the process of replying. The Messages beta will probably cease to operate as soon as Mountain Lion ships in a few weeks, so be sure to upgrade to Mountain Lion as soon as you can if you're hooked on Messages. For many new Mac owners, your move to Mountain Lion represents your first major upgrade. To help users prepare to make the jump, Steve Sande and Erica Sadun wrote Getting Ready for Mountain Lion, an Amazon/iBooks eBook. It's aimed at first-time upgraders and people looking for hints and tips about smoothing the transition. We're sharing some of our tips on TUAW in a series of posts about the 10.8 upgrade. OS X Mountain Lion will be offered for sale in July 2012 for $19.99. #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; } #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }
Messages in Mountain Lion brings conversations to your Mac
Messages has been in beta for a bit, but today Apple showed off what's coming in Mountain Lion, and I think it finally fixes a huge problem with our devices: conversation fragmentation. You may start a conversation on your iPhone, but then continue on your Mac later. In applications like Skype, or web services like Campfire, these persist across devices. With Mountain Lion, your conversations in Messages will transfer across Macs and iOS devices. It's about time! I hope Apple provides some mechanism for allowing/disallowing conversations, however. As a parent who often allows his kids to play with my first generation iPad, it would be a bit silly to have them join in my work conversations.
