With the arrival of iOS 5, Apple has introduced iMessage which if you did not knew is a new capability of an iOS-running device’s Messages application that is capable of sending text, video and picture messages to other iPhones without having to count against the messaging plan offered by the carrier which can turn out to be quite pricey. The good news is that iMessage will work with any device that runs on iOS 5 so those of you who are using an iPod Touch or an iPad can benefit from this new feature. Even though right from the start iMessage is very useful, we are going to provide some tips which will make the feature even more handy.
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You should know that this new iMessage can indicate you when the recipient of the message has read it. Keep in mind that this option – which is called Read Receipts - is turned off by default. If you want to turn this feature on, you will have to fire up the Settings app and after that scroll down until you can find Messages. Tap on it and then the only thing left to do is to slide Send Read Receipts to the On position. After activating it, you will be notified when the recipient has read your message.
Also in the Settings menu you will find somewhere lower in the list a button called Receive At. If you tap on this button you will be able to set all of the e-mail addresses that you have at which you would prefer to receive these iMessages. You will be asked to confirm all of the e-mail address that you write and you will have to select the link inside in order to prove that you are the owner of that e-mail address that you have just entered. This is a great method so that those who want to reach you will still be able to do this through iMessage so all of the messages that you receive will arrive in the same location. You will also notice a Caller ID function which you can use for dictating from where the iMessage will appear as being sent. If you are using an iPhone, it can be from your phone number or it can be from an e-mail that you have connected you iMessage account with. Obviously, your iPad does not have a phone number, but it’s still able to show the messages that were sent to and from an e-mail address linked to iMessage.
We should mention that when you are writing a new iMessage to your family or friends, you’ll have to make sure that you use their e-mails rather than their phone numbers whenever you can. By using an e-mail for your iMessage Caller ID, you can be certain that all of the messages are 100% synchronized on all of your devices that are running on Apple’s iOS. If you haven’t tried iMessage before, you might want to give it a go as it is a convenient way of staying in touch with your friends and family, and at the same time it can save you some money.