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What's App?

I

ITworksLLC

Lurker
I like the concept of iMessage because of the interface - longer messages are allowed, I see when they're typing, we know when it's read... etc.

Is there a multi-platform app that's like this? I just want to have something that when other people have the app then we get those "imessage" features. If they don't, then it's a regular SMS through my phone's SMS plan.

I looked at What's App but it doesn't look like it does that...
 
WhatsApp shows you when the other person is typing and that the message has been delivered. I've been using it for a long while now and really like it. Most of my family have iPhones and I've not had any trouble WhatsApp'ng with them.
 
But what about your friends that DON'T have WhatsApp? Can you use WhatsApp as a unified message box to send and receive "regular old" SMS messages?
 
No, that is it's drawback. Everyone has to have it.
My sister didn't have a text plan so 'made' me get it. It works out nicely for me because I don't have a text plan either, I just use Google Voice but you can't MMS. Now most of my family has it and we use it a lot.
 
I think iMessage is something special that Apple cooked up, so I doubt you'll see a clone any time soon (or ever, if their patent behavior is any indication). If you're willing to buy credits, I think Google Talk works like that (at least from the desktop), IMing people that are signed in, but you also have the option to SMS them as well. The feature is enabled in labs. My only gripe is that Is liken to see it use Google Voice to handle the SMS vs whatever their using now.
 
What does iMessage do that whatsapp doesn't? I'm in the UK and I don't know many people that don't have whatsapp. As far as I know iMessage is just a replica of BBM, which is what whatsapp basically is.

The benefit of whatsapp is that people on different mobile OS's can use it, i.e I have an android phone, wife uses blackberry, friends have iphones, yet we can all sent messages to one another for free.

The other benefits include being able to send contacts, images, audio clips, video clips, map locations (I think) all via whatsapp and still for free.

The main reason why my friends and I use it alot is for group messaging. When we're arranging football, or nights out or just want a group conversation, we just message in the group chat so everyone can see and respond.

You can tell when a message has been delivered on whatsapp, but not read.

You can also tell when the person you're speaking to is typing a message.

Another benefit of whatsapp is that it automatically scans your contact list and adds contact that have whatsapp so that you don't need to manually add people (not sure if you can do this on iMessage or not).
 
repoman123 said:
What does iMessage do that whatsapp doesn't?
Click to expand...

iMessage will convert your IM to SMS automatically if the recipient isn't an iPhone user. If the recipient is, it goes over the internet and saves the usage of SMS. It's "smart" in that regard, whereas the other clients listed in this that are largely IM only.
 
The good thing about Whatsapp is that it works on every mobile platform. On the other hand bbm and iMessage would work only on a blackberry or an iPhone respectively or even on a windows phone. So in that case if family and friends have different phones you can always stay connected. It has been a great app. But I'm not sure, I've heard it has to be paid for after a year.
 
RyanB said:
iMessage will convert your IM to SMS automatically if the recipient isn't an iPhone user. If the recipient is, it goes over the internet and saves the usage of SMS. It's "smart" in that regard, whereas the other clients listed in this that are largely IM only.
Click to expand...

And that's pretty much what aggravates me. I need some type of app that can show me a "unified inbox" between WhatsApp and traditional SMS/MMS. It gets annoying trying to manage messages between the two systems. I wouldn't even use WhatsApp if it weren't for my wife griping about not seeing if I read a message or am typing now that I don't have an iPhone anymore...
 
I don't believe this to be an iMessage clone (no matter how hard I squint), but does this fit the "unified" bill that you're looking for? My Message
 
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