Why Am I Not Getting Any Text Messages After Switching From iPhone To Android?

So, you decided to come over to the dark side…

We are glad to have you.  Not only have you taken the grand leap of switching operating systems, but now you are unfortunately second guessing your decision due to the sheer frustration resulting from not receiving all of your text messages.  Do not fret, because once we put a digital band-aid onto your SMS blunder, you will be back on track.

Explaining said “digital band-aid” as referenced above…

You may have noticed (of course you have, that’s why you are here) that you are not receiving any text messages from any of your friends/colleagues that have iPhones, because they are being sent as iMessages.  iMessage is Apple’s proprietary messaging technology that sends messages over data, and when an iPhone sends an iMessage, it goes through Apple’s servers and then gets delivered to the intended device.

Problems arise when an iPhone tries to send an iMessage to a non-iOS phone.  One fix is to contact every person who owns an iPhone and is texting you and tell them to turn off iMessage from Settings > Messages > iMessage, but do you really want to have to do this?  I think not.

• The best way to avoid this problem from the get go is to go into your phone’s settings and disable iMessage BEFORE you switch phones — otherwise other iPhones will continue delivering messages to your iMessage account and not to your actual phone.  You can test this before making the switch by making sure texts are coming in GREEN and not BLUE.  This is not always possible.  For example, lets say you forgot to do so before you traded your phone in, or it just broke and there is no way for you to power on your device to do that.. (you are obviously here, because you’re probably in this boat)

• You need to completely shut down iMessage and have your phone number disconnected from every piece of Apple Software that you own including iCloud.  FYI iCloud can actually take up to 45 days to clear their servers of your phone number. Those dirty scoundrels!

This fix has worked for many:

1. Reset your Apple ID password, and make sure to NOT log back in on your devices.
2. Send a text to 48369 with the word STOP

Some other things you can try are if you have your old iOS device and it is turned on and connected to your WiFi in your home (if iMessage is turned on) texts will be delivered to this device and not make it to your new Android one.  Step #1 in the fix above addresses this problem as well.

It may take up to 12 hours before you start receiving these intended texts from iPhone users on your new Android device.

If there are a select few people who you must absolutely receive texts from before having the time to do the previous steps, call them and tell them to delete any prior conversations that they have with you in their phone.  Also, you can tell them to delete you as a contact and then re-add you.  Also when sending a message the sender can hit the little i next to the message and then select send as SMS.  These steps will most likely not be necessary if you do steps #1 and #2 above, but are a good remedy in the meantime.

Apple has since created a help page, which also has a lot of useful information that can help get you back to your texting frenzy.

Has anyone noticed any other major problems when making the switch from iPhone to Android or vice versa?  Please feel free to comment below.

 

Where Are the Water Damage Indicators On My Phone?

Photo originally from harvestcellular.net

Summer is just around the corner, and do you know what that means…Significantly more water-damaged mobile phones.

This is going to be a cliffs notes version of dealing with water damage.

First off, if you get your phone wet, the first thing you need to do is to act as quickly as possible.  If you are lucky, your phone may still be salvageable.  Sometimes, this may mean to literally take the back off of your phone (may not be applicable to your device) and take the battery out if it is removable as well as any other removable parts (SIM/SD).  Wipe off the battery and the device, and if your liquid indicators have not been touched by the water, make sure to avoid wiping any moisture onto them, because it is quite possible that if those indicators remain unscathed, “it didn’t happen.”  Just sayin’  Next, try to blow out any moisture from your ports and speakers.  By this I do not mean with a blow dryer, because chances are you may not have one on you.  You literally need to feverishly reenact your 6th birthday party.  Those candles didn’t know what hit them did they?  And remember…

DO NOT TURN YOUR DEVICE ON

NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU WANT TO SEE IF IT IS WORKING.

It needs to be completely dry to prevent any electrical shorts from occurring.  If people actually did the above steps correctly in addition to leaving their devices alone for a day or so (this includes charging as well), and not let their impatience get the best of them, they would not have to resort to activating their mom’s old LG Revere to use whist waiting for an insurance replacement.  Disclaimer: I have nothing against the LG Revere = ) Tis’ only a comedic reference.

By the way, if you have some time to spare, then read about one of my personal experiences with water damage, I’m sure you’ll get a good laugh.  I promise.

Then, there’s also putting it in rice.  I have mixed feelings on this, as it does help to extract any moisture within the device a lot faster, please make sure to remove any grains before handing your precious phone over to a store rep and sticking to your story of  “Oh I don’t know what happened” when they ask you if you had pilaf for dinner recently.  They know.  Evidence can be damning.  If you must do it, this may be a better option.

Now, if you are planning on pleading the 5th and sticking to your story, you will need to know whether or not your liquid indicators will pass the test.  For an android phone, you can usually find it under the battery.  If your battery is not removable, all you have to do is perform a google search to find the location. There are far too many to list here in this post.

There are 2 types of indicators that are used

1. Plain white colored ones that turn red/pink

2. White ones with red patterns.  (Many people see the pattern below and assume that is shows damage, but that is not true.  (When these stickers are exposed to water the pattern will bleed).

FYI, Blackberry batteries also have liquid indicators on them, so if your phone indicators pass the test, one may benefit from losing your battery for the time being.

If you do a quick search for your specific device’s liquid indicator, I have heard through the grapevine that you can find replacement stickers online for very cheap.

Over the years, the iPhone’s liquid indicators have migrated.  The 3G, 3GS, 4, and 4S have indicators placed in both the headphone jack and on the bottom of the dock-connector housing/charging port. The iPhone 5 (and all current models) feature a single water damage indicator on the inside of the nano SIM card slot, which is located on the right side of the phone.  It definitely helps to use a flashlight to see them clearly.

Remember, if any of these indicators show liquid damage, the device will NOT be covered by the manufacturer’s warranty.

Well, I hope that if you are reading this and have not experienced dropping your phone in the toilet quite just yet, should it occur, you now posses the knowledge to act hastily and save it from an untimely watery demise.  On the contrary, if you have found yourself on the not-so-lucky flip side, there was still some pretty valuable information expressed.  Do you not agree?  ::wink wink::

Photo originally from osxdaily.com

 

I Should Have Worn Matching Socks.

It’s 6:25 PM, and I’m sitting in a hospital bed, slightly cold but very happy that I have my “phablet” with me to help pass the time.

I’ve been feeling like general crappola the last couple of weeks, and then today I felt so incredibly sick that I had to leave work and come straight here for a barrage of tests.  I’d post a pic of my IV, but I wouldn’t want to chase away my squeamish readers.

Getting back to the socks…

As I sit here, I can’t help but think, “So this is why my mom always told me to wear matching socks and to never leave the house without underwear.”  At least I got the latter part right. Plus, the socks are at least in the same color family (See Photo Above) A yin and yang if you will.

Lesson learned.

In related news, I should probably tie my humor and boredom into something tech related.  So how’s this for you…

There’s a cool app called Patient Journal available from the iTunes Store.

(Yes folks, hell hath frozen over…I am posting about something non-Android related.)  Maybe I hit my head too.

This app just might make your next hospital stay a tad more comfortable and maybe even safer.  One benefit is that it’s a great way to keep track of all medication given and procedures performed.

Now, I shall go and peruse the Google Play Store to find its Android equivalent.

Gosh it’s cold in here. Brrrrrr!

P.S. I had some hospital selfies that I was tempted to post, but I didn’t want to make BuzzFeed’s next “Worst Types of Selfies” list.

Related articles

• sock matching algorithm (cs.stackexchange.com)

You Cannot Create An Apple ID Because You Do Not Meet The Minimum Age Requirement

When creating an Apple ID, if you make the unfortunate mistake of entering your birth year wrong or actually being under the age of 13 (and not fibbing about it), then be prepared to see this error message:

“You Cannot Create An Apple ID Because You Do Not Meet The Minimum Age Requirement.”

You try again and again, and then go as far as changing your birth year to 1920, and apparently (or so it seems) the ripe old age of 93 is too young to download and get one’s candy crush saga fix on.  What gives?!

How to fix or get around this issue in the following scenarios:

If you turned 13 today

Make yourself 1 day older, and tomorrow you can change it back to your real day.  Apple doesn’t seem to like 13th birthdays…probably the result of some repressed adolescent trauma of sorts.

If you are under 13 (and planning on lying about it thus landing yourself on Santa’s naughty list this year) or if you actually are over 13 and just messed up on entering your birth year due to your monstrous thumbs hitting the wrong key

• You can wait 24 hours and try again.
• Go to settings, then safari, then clear history, cookies, and cache. Then re-register for your new itunes/apple user account.
• Try creating the account from a different device (for example a friend’s phone or another computer).  Remember you don’t have to create it in the actual app store application under “create new account.”  You can also open a browser tab and search for “apple id” and then choose to create a new account this way as well.  It doesn’t have to be from an iDevice.

So, now that I have just showed children under the age of 13 how to trick the system, I’m gonna try and lay my head down on my pillow tonight and sleep soundly.  Tomorrow I better help an old lady or two cross the street to balance the scale.  Sweet Dreams.

Related articles

• Apple’s two-step ID now rolling out to a worldwide release (apple4ladies.com)

Staying Connected While Traveling & Avoiding Roaming Rates

Picture from http://crave.cnet.co.uk/mobiles/roaming-charges-drop-as-bill-cap-covers-trips-outside-eu-50007920/

Remember when you would leave your cellphone home (or at least keep it powered off) when you journeyed off to some remote tropical island off the coast of…ahhhh does it even matter?  As long as there’s a steel drum band and an endless supply of exotic frozen drinks with tiny, colorful, paper umbrellas, I’m so there, and I’m gonna go out on a limb here and assume that you would be too.  However, nowadays, I would bet that you would be a tad more reluctant to deal with the separation anxiety that comes along with not staying connected while you are away.  After all, our entire lives are on our mobile devices.  They are our cameras, calendars, personal assistants, calculators, diaries…you get the idea.  Today, choosing the phone that will pretty much be your everything for the next 2 years is almost as important as buying a new car, and people do not want to be separated from it, not even for a week.

It is for this reason, that I am writing this post.  You don’t have to leave it behind…but at what cost.  The last thing you want to come home to is a phone bill that is to the moon an beyond, and this can be a possibility.  There are, however, ways that you can have your cake and eat it too, all for very cheap or practically nothing.  I know this, because I have done it, and you can do it too.   This past October, I spent a week in Aruba, made tons of phone calls, sent and received a bunch of text messages and actively engaged in more forms of social media than you can count on one hand…after all, it’s always fun to post photos from your trip…thus reminding everyone back home that you are in paradise yet they, themselves, must wake up in 5 hours for work, and the only thing that they have to even remotely look forward to is a mug of burned coffee that has been sitting out too long.  Although, I would never…ever do something like that, because I’m a sweetie pie = )

Well, if you are anything like me, you must stay connected at all costs.  Well not literally…because by “at all costs,” i mean at the lowest cost possible.  Read on..

1.  Before you even step foot on the plane or arrive at your destination, the first thing you need to do is go into your phone’s settings and make sure Data Roaming is NOT enabled.  Then you want to make sure that your data (also knows as mobile network) is OFF.  This will disable your devices data connection, which is super important with smartphones.  In fact, it is the Holy Grail of roaming, reason being, if your data happens to be turned on you may have a boatload of apps running in the background, whose sole purpose in life happens to be making you want to drive off a bridge upon the receipt of your next wireless bill.  Data roaming charges are what will cost you the big $$$.  So disable it.  Your phone will still be able to make/receive calls/texts.

I like to take it one step further and…

2.  Also put my phone into Airplane Mode.  This will disable ALL connections.  You will not be able to use the phones call or texting feature in addition to any sort of data.  Essentially at this point, you have an MP3 player/camera/PDA.  “This is no fun!” you say.  Agreed.  Well here is where it gets magical…

3.  WiFi is you new best friend.  While leaving your phone programmed with the settings above, turn your wifi ON and connect to a network.  Most hotels and coffee shops offer free wifi, and in the event that it is not free, the rates will most likely be a lot cheaper than your provider’s roaming rates.  Once you are connected to wifi, you can use as much data as your want without being charged (Just make sure you see the little wifi symbol, which looks something like this and is located towards the top notification bar on your device.

So while you are on that wifi connection, check your email to your heart’s content, and while you’re at it browse as many web pages as it takes until your eyes glaze over.  It won’t matter,because it isn’t going to cost you anything.  Hmmm, but what about calls and texts, you may wonder.  It gets better.  There are apps that you can download that will allow you call and text over wifi  = No Roaming Rates.  YIPPEE!!!

The app that I use religiously is called Viber.  Learn it, Live it, Love it.  It is oh so Ahhhhhhhhhmazing.  The call quality is actually quite good, although this is dependent on how strong your wifi connection is.  Once you download the app, it will take you through the set up process.  After you log in with your mobile number, you will have the option to make free phone calls and messages  Here’s the catch.  The person that you are communicating with must have this app as well.  As long as this is all set up before you leave on your trip, it should be smooth sailing.

Of course, if you ever find yourself in a situation where you absolutely MUST contact someone and have no way of connecting to wifi, you can always momentarily turn airplane mode off and pay the roaming rates associated with your provider’s per minute/per message amount.  This also holds true for data roaming, and by this I mean turning your data/mobile network on briefly if you need to use it.  After you are done, you can turn the data off again and toggle your device back into airplane mode.  If you foresee yourself needing to use data and there existing the possibility of not being able to connect to WiFi, it would be in your favor to contact your service provider before you leave to inquire about global data packages.  These may be pricey, but it is much better to have it than to deal with pay-as-you-go rates.

There you have it.  The best of both worlds…A complete and utterly serene tropical paradise alongside your means to stay connected to your every day life.  Now, the only question is, what are you going to do with all the $$$ that you DIDN’T spend on roaming rates?

Related articles

• 5 ways to avoid excessive roaming charges (cbc.ca)
• How to Cut Mobile Phone Costs When Traveling Abroad (community.ally.com)
• Airplane Mode: What Does It Do And Why? (channelvoyager.com)
• One way to avoid hefty roaming charges when you travel (tripilator.com)

Go Daddy Email Server Settings

Setting up your personal/business email on your smartphone for your Go Daddy hosted website doesn’t have to be as complex as you may think it is.  It’s actually pretty simple if you follow these steps:

1.  When asked for account type choose “Other.”

2.  Choose POP  is setting up as a POP account.  If it is an IMAP, the instructions for this type of account will be further below.  If you are unsure you can pick one at random with the tried and true technique of “eenie meenie miney moe” (completely joking) In all seriousness, if you are unsure, choose POP.

Incoming Server Settings

pop.secureserver.net

Username: Full Email Address

Password: Your Email Account Password

Security: With SSL = 995 Without SSL = 110

Outgoing Server Settings

smtpout.secureserver.net

Username: Full Email Address

Password: Your Email Account Password

Security: With SSL = 465 Without SSL = Either 25, 80 or 3535

* For IMAP, username and password information are the same, but the incoming server will be imap.secureserver.net and the port is 143.  The outgoing setting remains the same as above and security is set to none.  In both cases, I have had the most success with using port 80 as well.  Also for both types, you will want to check the box saying Require Sign-in.

Related articles

• YAHOO Email Server Settings (IMAP) (bombshelltech.wordpress.com)
• AOL Email Server Settings (bombshelltech.wordpress.com)

AOL Email Server Settings

 

You’ve got mail!

Hmmm…well…perhaps you do, actually you are pretty darn sure you do, but where is it?!  Right about now you’re thinking, “Why is my mailbox empty?  It was working an hour ago!”

If you have found yourself in this situation when trying to check your AOL mail on your smartphone, then this post is for you.  Read on…

Most, if not all smartphones will give you the option to set up an AOL account through the native email app on your device.  I actually prefer to bypass this option and do the legwork myself.  Let me explain.

1.  When asked what type of account you would like to add, choose “Other.”

2.  After entering your email address and password, choose Manual Setup.

3.  If given the option, choose IMAP.

Use the following server settings:

Incoming Server Settings

imap.aol.com

Username = Email Address

Security = SSL (Put a check mark next to this option)

Port = 993

Outgoing Server Settings

smtp.aol.com

Username = Email Address

Security = SSL

The outgoing server requires authentication, so make sure to put a check next to that and type your password if it not there already.

Port = 465

 

 

Related articles

• YAHOO Email Server Settings (IMAP) (bombshelltech.wordpress.com)
• Gmail and IMAP – Why You Should Care (raventools.com)

 

Help! My iPhone Will Not Turn On!

Image via CrunchBase

 

If I had a penny every time I heard someone say this, I would have about a couple hundred pennies = ) Not exactly a small fortune, yet it amazes me how many people have no idea how to fix this issue.  When purchasing an iPhone, customers should really be told about the infamous “Soft Reset” that an iPhone will require from time to time.  It will surely save a lot of people a lot of unnecessary aggravation and worry as well as a trip to their local wireless store.

 

Symptom: iPhone will not power on.  It is not responding when pressing the power key.  Assuming the device, in fact, is not actually damaged in any way (physical/liquid) and the battery has somewhat of a charge to it, the following steps will work.

 

1.  Press the HOME key and keep holding…

 

2.  While still holding, press the POWER button.

 

3.  Now Continue Holding both of these together for about 15 seconds.  I kinda chose that number out of thin air.  In fact, it’s a complete guess…Just keep holding both until you see the Apple Logo.  Then, you can let both go.  This should not take longer than 30 seconds actually.  So, if it doesn’t happen, then:

 

A.  Your phone needs to be placed on a charger for about 15 minutes before trying this again.

 

or

 

B.  There is something else going on.  (Possible broken phone)

 

 

So, if you find yourself in this position, Do not fret, as this need for a “soft reset” is normal.  As long as your phone responds after completing the above steps, your phone is NOT defective in any way.  It is not a lemon.  I repeat, it is not a lemon.

 

Related articles

• Apple: Reset your iPhone before hitting the Genius Bar (reviews.cnet.com)
• 9 iPhone 5 Cases Available TODAY – Get em’ while you can! (epicagear.com)

 

Remember to Backup Your Contacts!

Photo borrowed from http://blog.ntelos.com/how-to-find-a-lost-phone/

What would you do if you pulled up your contact list and it was blank? The years and years of contacts have mysteriously vanished.  If this thought isn’t enough to give you an anxiety attack, I don’t know what is, but it doesn’t have to be this way.  Sure, if you have an iPhone, maybe you have iCloud, or if you are an Android user you hopefully have them backed up with Google or maybe even your service providers backup options.

Let’s ask one important question though…What if these fail?  After all, things like this can happen, and this possibility combined with some really awful luck can make for a really, really bad day.  That being said, it is ALWAYS a good idea to NOT have all your eggs in one basket…err backup option.

Enter iDriveContacts, also known as your digital knight in shining armor.  ::Royal trumpet fanfare::

This app is available to iPhone, Android and Blackberry users.  It is free, although I would say it is worth it’s weight in gold if you ever have the unfortunate event of ever needing to actually use one of the backups that you create with it.

After downloading the app and launching it for the first time, you will be required to create an iDrive account.

1. Use an email address that you plan on having access to until your last days on earth (in case you ever need to reset your password).

2.  Create a password.

3.  Click the grey SignUp/Sign In button in the middle of the screen.

You will have to wait a minute or so while your account is being created.  If you hit Backup, do not be alarmed if it says your address book is empty.  Give it a second and then try and press the backup button again.  It will work.

After the Backup in progress screen is finished loading, you will have just saved copy of your CURRENT contact list from TODAY’S date.  (This app does not automatically back up, and you will have to launch it periodically to create new backups)

If you are using this to RESTORE contacts, after downloading and signing into the app with the original account that you created (here’s where that email address will come in handy if you have forgotten your password), click on Restore and it will take you to a screen that looks like this.  Simply, click on Restore Contacts and pick the latest saved file.

There are many apps available with the ability to backup your contact list, but the reason I am recommending this one is because I use it almost every day and have never had it fail me once.  I should probably knock on wood now huh?  Regardless of the way that you choose to backup your contact list, just make sure that you have a “Plan B” for your “Plan A.”  So, in the event of a catastrophic address book deletion, you can put the Xanax down, click a button and say Voila! Thus, avoiding disaster in a matter of minutes.  ::Pats self on back::