If you’ve got an iPhone 5s, or any other kind of iPhone, you’re likely not thinking of switching to an Android, or other non-iPhone device. If you do switch, though, Apple just released a fix that handles one of the most annoying issues you would have faced by moving away from the iPhone.
The new iPhone service fix has to do with iMessage, which as the Inquisitr explains , is the free text and media messaging service that Apple builds into its iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touch. While you’re using an iPhone 5s, iPad, MacBook, or other Apple device, iMessage is great. Since it routes messages to and from your phone number through Apple’s own servers, iMessage doesn’t count against any text messaging limits that you might have on your wireless plan. It’s also remarkably secure, and your messages will pop up on any of your Apple devices.
If you try to move away from the iPhone, though, that’s when the trouble starts. Up until now, even after you switched away from Apple’s popular device, your messages would still be routed through Apple’s servers. Without an iPhone to receive those messages, there would be tons of lost messages, late replies, and worse.
It has been a big complaint among many consumers that ditched their iPhones for Android and Windows Phone devices for some time, and Apple has finally come up with a solution to the problem.
A new page on Apple’s website now shows those who’ve left the iPhone clique how they can deregister iMessage and free their text messages from Apple’s servers. The process works even if you’ve already gotten rid of your old iPhone, but it’s definitely easier if you’ve still have your device.
If you’ve still got your iPhone, it’s just a matter of popping into Settings, going to the Messages menu, and hitting the switch to deactivate iMessage. If you no longer have your iPhone, you can enter the phone number that was attached to your iPhone into a field on Apple’s website . Apple will then send a 6-digit confirmation number to your phone, and your number will be removed from Apple’s servers once you enter that confirmation code on Apple’s deregistration page.
So if you are one of the comparative few that is switching away from the iPhone – no, really, studies show people are more likely to switch to the iPhone than from it – you can finally abandon ship secure in the knowledge that your text messages can come along with you.
[Lead image via DeviantArtist WH4Y.]