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“It’s time for Apple to fix texting”

android.com

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Re: “It’s time for Apple to fix texting”

#801

Post by [deleted] »

kelnos wrote: post #116
altairprime wrote: post #59

Most businesses, consumers, and developers universally continue to ignore the primary reason that iMessage is a closed platform, rather than an app on every platform as iTunes is: Apple is using device serial numbers for anti-spam, supported by a fully-authenticated hardware and software stack that does not allow user modification. This permits Apple to simply “console ban” any Apple device that spams on iMessage. Th…

I'd rather live in a world with spam than a world where corporations get to decide what I run on my devices, and cripple a bunch of critical applications if I decide I want to, y'know, actually do whatever I want with the hardware I own. I'm not unsympathetic to Apple's difficulties and goals here (assuming this spam problem is actually the reason, though I'm skeptical that there aren't also self-serving reasons that…

[deleted]

Re: “It’s time for Apple to fix texting”

#802

Post by f311a »

altairprime wrote: post #598
pxeboot wrote: post #594

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Apple is using device serial numbers for anti-spam, supported by a fully-authenticated hardware and software stack that does not allow user modification. This can't be true. It is trivial to get iMessage working in a macOS VM with randomly generated hardware IDs.

If it was as simple as that, we would all endlessly be plagued by iMessage spam. It isn’t.

Well, I had like four spam messages from the same people (but different Apple IDs) in the past few months.

Re: “It’s time for Apple to fix texting”

#803

Post by gravytron »

kelnos wrote: post #116
altairprime wrote: post #59

Most businesses, consumers, and developers universally continue to ignore the primary reason that iMessage is a closed platform, rather than an app on every platform as iTunes is: Apple is using device serial numbers for anti-spam, supported by a fully-authenticated hardware and software stack that does not allow user modification. This permits Apple to simply “console ban” any Apple device that spams on iMessage. Th…

I'd rather live in a world with spam than a world where corporations get to decide what I run on my devices, and cripple a bunch of critical applications if I decide I want to, y'know, actually do whatever I want with the hardware I own. I'm not unsympathetic to Apple's difficulties and goals here (assuming this spam problem is actually the reason, though I'm skeptical that there aren't also self-serving reasons that…

> I'd rather live in a world with spam than a world where corporations get to decide what I run on my devices,

Why do you present this as a binary choice?

Why do I need to suffer at the whims of your wants and needs? Why are you so hellbent on advertising your opinion in this binary manner? Don’t like iMessage? Use something else. Nobody is stopping you. Why do you feel compelled to bring the conversation back to this weirdly obsessed and diluted dilemma where you see a first party solution and start kicking and screaming incessantly

Re: “It’s time for Apple to fix texting”

#804

Post by raxxorraxor »

simonjgreen wrote: post #367

SMS to me is solely the channel for machines to force a bad MFA implementation on me and couriers to tell me something is on the way/nearly there/delivered. All person to person comms, without exception, iPhone or Android users, is via WhatsApp. Anecdata from UK.

I think the argument about SMS being insecure is very real but exaggerated. We send password reset with capability URLs through non encrypted mail. Sure, the channel is most likely encrypted but anyone at mail service providers could easily take over a massive amount of accounts. Although the user would notice at least.

Sure, there are tools to intercept SMS without the user noticing, but as a second factor an attacker still doesn't have access to other factors.

The successor RCS has the problem that users cannot reset the password. If you are compromised you need to urgently contact your ISP.

Re: “It’s time for Apple to fix texting”

#805

Post by blitzar »

gumby wrote: post #777
kelnos wrote: post #615

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Perhaps you're missing the point though? Maybe your friends simply don't care enough to switch. Right, I mean, that's exactly the point. I can't force someone else to install a messaging app I'd prefer to use. But if we had an actually-good, cross-platform messaging standard that was implemented in the default, stock messaging app of both Android and iOS, I would not have to depend on my friends caring or not. I co…

> But if we had an actually-good, cross-platform messaging standard that was implemented in the default, stock messaging app… For billions of people that default is WhatsApp and installing it is as much a part of setting up your phone as is plugging in a SIM.

> that default is WhatsApp and installing it is as much a part of setting up your phone as is plugging in a SIM

You missed out the bit where you sign your soul over to Mark Zuckerberg.

Re: “It’s time for Apple to fix texting”

#806

Post by gravytron »

So we’re just going start kicking and screaming because iOS users have a different experience than android users? Can anyone here help me understand why Android feels entitled to dictate non Android users’ experience? This seems like a cultural failure within Android that is a byproduct of their inability to satisfy their users. They have completely run out of cards and all that they have left is low budget low effort marketing like this - or is that actually all that they ever had, to begin with after all? Haha.

Maybe focus on delivering a meaningful experience for your users and pull your nose out of the tail end of the iPhone?

Re: “It’s time for Apple to fix texting”

#807

Post by raxxorraxor »

bentcorner wrote: post #350
radicaldreamer wrote: post #270

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because it doesn’t affect everyone and aesthetics are not equal to accessibility? I do agree that the green bubbles aren’t great looking but thats what they chose for iOS even prior to iMessage existing.

> Because it doesn’t affect everyone and aesthetics are not equal to accessibility? The thing with accessibility is that it does affect everyone. If you get woken up by a call and open iMessage in the middle of the night, being able to read the message accurately while blinking away eye gunk matters. Better contrast helps you read your text message if your phone is on a table across from you lying flat. There's going…

I would happily use the eye gunk excuse for everyone contacting me at night. I probably find that word more funny because I just learned it and I am not a native speaker.

I still believe this is an issue. Colorblind or not, everyone probably has had difficulties reading their phone in direct sunlight. But these are seriously not insurmountable technical problems at all and the excuse is pretty weak.

Re: “It’s time for Apple to fix texting”

#809

Post by blep_ »

inkyoto wrote: post #764
kelnos wrote: post #639

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> That is a personal choice, and I choose to not have spam on my phone. The problem here is that we are talking about a (possible, hypothetical) measure that blocks spam, but requires phones to be 100% locked down and unmodified from the factory. I categorically refuse to accept that sort of thing. If you will accept that, then you are a part of the problem. In reality, though, there are plenty of ways to combat spam…

> The problem here is […] I categorically refuse to accept that sort of thing. It is a perceived problem specifically for you (and, based on the arguments presented so far, it appears to solely based on the personal dislike rather than on objective grounds). If you refuse to accept it, that is solely your personal choice, and I, for one, have no objections to you being able to exercise freedoms to make your own choic…

I think the thing you're missing is that the spam countermeasure we're talking about relies on the sender's phone being locked down, not the recipient's. If spammers can get around this by just using non-locked-down phones, the whole thing is pointless. It only works if you require everyone's phone to be locked down.

Re: “It’s time for Apple to fix texting”

#810

Post by neop1x »

rootusrootus wrote: post #158
frumper wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I definitely get iMessage spam

If you're 100% sure it's iMessage and not SMS, report it to Apple. They can ban that account.

How would you prove the account is sending spam? By sending them screenshots? Will they believe you? This could be used to ban a neighbor I don't like. Or does Apple spy all conversations so they can check themselves? :P
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