IMessage Blue text are being billed?

[Blackbearfan]

Has anyone had the situation where IMessage text to another IOs5 phone is being billed as text?  I thought these where not billable and did not use minutes or text.  Must it be connected via wifi only for freebies or can we do it on 3G?

[Tidbits]

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Blackbearfan wrote:

Has anyone had the situation where IMessage text to another IOs5 phone is being billed as text?  I thought these where not billable and did not use minutes or text.  Must it be connected via wifi only for freebies or can we do it on 3G?

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Yes and no. 

They should be free almost ALL the time.  If for some reason you can't connect to the iMessages servers you will be charged text.  There is an option in Messages to turn that off(in settings menu). 

However if you send multiple imessages and one of them is NOT registered with imessanger then it will always fall on the lowest for all recipients.  That means everyone you sent to will be text messages.

This is a iOS issue which people have brought to the attention to Apple.

[Blackbearfan]

Thank you Tidbits.  Quick followup...turned off Send as SMS...but can send over 3G just if the IMessage server doesn't connect then message won't go???  You don't necessarily have to be on WiFi?

[Tidbits · Accepted solution]

3G or wifi it doesn't matter which you are connected to.  If iMessanger is down for some reason or you can't connect to it, and you have the option of sending a text off it will give you a message "cannot deliver" or something in those regards.  You can try again later.

[Blaggr]

My iMessage are all being billed as SMS. I have contacted Verizon, but no response yet. I assume many others are experiencing this. Has anyone received a response from Verizon about this?

[JoeNe]

I have not communicated with VZW, but mine are not being billed as texts.  My text count is way, way down from where it was prior to iOS5.

[mbkerk]

Do iMessages sent to an iOS5 device on a different carrier (AT&T) get billed as SMS? I am getting billed for them (or they are counting against my allotment) at this point.

[Tidbits]

Ok guys...  There's a FEW things Apple needs to fix...  It has NOTHING to do with Verizon...

   The person receiving the text MUST be registered with iMessages, and you BOTH need to be connected to the iMessage network.  If you receive a text, or send one while not on the network it will COUNT as SMS.  You can turn this option off in the settings for Messages.

  Some things you MOST people don't know...  Currently if you send bulk iMessages and one of them is NOT registered or connected then ALL of them will count towards SMS.  So if you are going to send bulk make sure they are ALL one type.

It doesn't matter what iPhone version or carrier you are with.  They ALL do it this way.

[kaebfly]

Maybe I paid attention to all of the info related to the use of iMessage but I was aware that any group message sent that included any non-iMessage enabled devices OR if the system was down when you attempted to send your message it would be sent as an sms message unless you turned the "send as sms" feature off. If you send a bulk message it is simple to tell if any of your receipients will affect your message from being sent as an iMessage. If even one of them shows as green then you will be sending them all as sms messages. Maybe Apple will find a way to get around this in the future, but even if they don't it's not much different than the messaging system that Apple seems to have gotten their inspiration from in some degree...the BlackBerry Messenger. Only difference is the iMessage system automatically detects if your message is going to another iOS 5 device with iMessage enabled  versus BBM, which requires that you have the BBM pin for your contacts in order to use the messaging system. Unless BBM haas changed recently, you can't start a message in the BBM app and have your messages  use sms if you wish to include non-BBM users (except to send a request to join BBM which was always a little odd since it allowed you to send a request to anyone...including people that don't have a BBM yet if they didn't have a BBM they couldn't join the system). It would be nice for those that have text limits if the iMessage system would at least warn you prior to sending the intended iMessage that the system is unable to complete the message as an iMessage and ask if you want to send it as an SMS or wait instead of the little notification after the message is sent (and the sent message bubble is green) that says "Sent as a Text Message", but at least there is the option to turn that feature off so it would just fail rather than switch to SMS. I have personally only had 2 messages switch to SMS and then whatever reason caused that was gone quickly and the remainder of the conversation remained in iMessage. So at least for me, the iMessage system hasn't had any real downtime.

So basically:

1. pay attention to your group messages if you send them. Any green receipients show up then your entire message will be SMS.
2. Turn off the "send as SMS" feature if you want to avoid any iMessage switching over to SMS unexpectedly.
3. If any one you know for a fact has an iMessage capable device but still shows up on green when you start a message to them contact them and ask them to turn on the iMessage feature or update their iOS if they haven't already so you both can use the system.
4. Send suggestions to Apple if you have any ideas that can improve the system. Despite the speed that Apple tends to take in showing that they listened if enough people request it there is a higher possibility that a future iOS update will include changes to the iMessage system (or anything else that is buggy for that matter).

[BigMcGuire]

Guys ... guys ... I too have had this problem. And I figured out that Verizon IS COUNTING iMessages as SMS. Here is how it works... iMessage uses your Verizon Number as a possible recipient for iMessage. You can also use your Apple ID as well. But by default it is configured to use your Verizon Number. And yes, each message is BLUE indicating it is an iMessage. But if you check your VerizonWireless.com usage - it will count as SMS.

My wife, I changed her Verizon iMessage settings to accept iMessages from her Apple ID as well as her Verizon cellphone number. I did the same for my phone. And to test this out - I started sending iMessages to her Apple ID instead of her Verizon cellphone and ....... VIOLA ... Verizon SMS usage count is not going up anymore.

And how do I know this? My wife is basically the only one I SMS. And we both have iPhone 4s'. Yes, we also have unlimited SMS but it was bothering me that Verizon was counting our iMessages. Now that we both use our Apple IDs to send iMessages --- the SMS Usage count has stayed the same.

I think this is kinda dirty on Verizon's part but whatever.....

[kaebfly]

I use my number for iMessage and my text count is actually lower than it was prior to iMessage. The people I use iMessage with are not VZW customers (except for my mother)...so it makes me wonder this...if you iMessage another VZW customer and you are both using your number for iMessage will VZW's system see the messages as m2m since VZW system doesn't seem to identify iMessages on their text count breakdowns. In that case...wouldn't those messages fall under m2m messages anyway and still show as "free" if you have a texting plan? (at least for me, if I text another VZW customer it counts as mobile-to-mobile texting which is unlimited...although technically all of my texting is unlimited since I have an unlimited plan. I can just view my text as seperated by texts sent to other VZW customers versus those sent to everyone else)

IF that is what is going on, and you don't want to have to switch your iMessage address to your Apple ID then wouldn't turning off the feature that allows iMessages to be sent as SMS stop VZW from seeing those messages as SMS? I honestly don't know if any of this is actually the case. I just know that for me, my iMessages do not appear to be being billed as SMS. For those that have limited texting plans or no texting plan at all and are being billed for SMS (either by iMessages counting against your allotment or actual charges per message) then I would push for Verizon to clearly explain in writing how iMessages are being handled. By this, I mean requesting that a letter be mailed to you clearly stating the terms and conditions of using the iMessage feature. If a rep tells you that this can not be done ask to have your call escalated to a supervisor on duty and let them know you will wait on the line until one is available to speak to you. If you request information be sent to you in writing most companies will do so and in some cases, they may actually be required to do just that. If VZW is doing this to some people (I say this because in my case I do not see this going on with my 2 accounts...so either I am extremely lucky or I'm not alone) it would seem to be a dirty little billing secret that someone needs to clear up.

Just went through my billing again just to make sure and no messages that I sent to others with iMessage, including those sent to my mother (another VZW customer) is being billed as SMS. The numbers of the people I iMessage do not show up on the pages of SMS messages I went through and I reconciled it with the messages/dates/times I sent messages via iMessage that are still on my phone. Everyone I have used iMessage with are using iPhones and the messages are being sent and received from their phone numbers. I know for sure that both my and my mother's settings are set to use our phone numbers for iMessaging and not our Apple ID's. So for anyone that IS being charged for iMessages but can clearly can see on their device that the message was sent and received as an iMessage and not converted to SMS due to the system being down or something...I am really at a loss as to why that would be happening.

[BigMcGuire]

@ kaebfy - you are 100% correct. When I use iMessage with my sister who has an iPhone 4S on AT&T it does not show up as SMS. Only when I iMessage my Wife who uses an iPhone 4S on Verizon with me (that is until we changed our iMessage IDs to our Apple IDs)

We have unlimited texts so it didn't matter but say we dropped our unlimited SMS plan? Then would we be billed? Maybe not but it still showed up as using SMS even though we were clearly using iMessage (blue) between ourselves.

[rcschnoor]

Why is this dirty on Verizon's part?

iMessage is advertised as being "free", i.e. not being charged SMS rates, between people with APPLE ID's on iOS 5. Therefore if you send a message to something "other" than an APPLE ID, you should expect to be charged SMS rates.

[kaebfly]

Well...maybe I misread it, but I don't recall seeing that it was free only if you use your Apple ID. It is free between iPhones and other iOS 5 devices that may not actually have a phone number and has to use an Apple ID (such as an iPod Touch and a iPad), but I don't recall ever seeing that SMS rates will may apply to those not using the Apple ID. I did see that carrier data rates may apply, but no mention (to the best of my knowledge) that SMS rates might.

[rcschnoor]

kaebfly wrote:

Well...maybe I misread it, but I don't recall seeing that it was free only if you use your Apple ID.

I didn't say that it was free only if you use your Apple ID, only that it is free between people WITH Apple ID's. Therefore this would lead ME to believe that if you sent a message to something OTHER than an Apple ID, there is at least a possibility for an SMS charge. From what you are reporting, though, it seems that if you send a message to a phone # and it is to a phone with an iPhone on the line, there is no SMS charge.

It just seems to me that if the phone was not on the Verizon network, how would Verizon know if there were an iPhone on that line, another reason which led me to believe that it would only be free if it was to another Apple ID and not a phone #.

[BigMcGuire]

@ rcshnoor - right - exactly - when I iMessage my sister who has an iPhone 4S on AT&T it is blue (meaning iMessage) and doesn't count as an SMS on my bill.

iMessage is configured to use your telephone number as your "ID" even if you have an Apple ID - and it will send SMS to an OS 5 user as an iMessage (free, over data, not SMS). Now if you don't have 3G, WiFi, or any data, then iMessage will send it as an SMS (GREEN).

I'm just saying - Verizon is counting iMessages between Verizon users as SMS even when it is Blue iMessage. I've noticed this on my last 4 bills (doesn't bother me because I have unlimited SMS but what if I didn't?)

[rcschnoor]

Another note to ponder, is that not everyone is experiencing the same phenomenon, as kaebfly has none of her iMessage usage between iOS users showing up as SMS usage.

[kaebfly]

Well I don't think it's Verizon that actually determines it...the software used for iMessage appears to be doing this. Like I said, I checked my account usage and went through each page of the SMS charges and none of my iMessages are showing. I specifically made sure I searched for my mother's number since she is the only VZW iPhone user that I exchange iMessages with and her number does not show...not even as m2m SMS. So it would appear that VZW is not able to see when I am texting her as long as the messages are going through iMessage successfully. I have had 2 failed iMessages occur so far...neither of which were with my mother. Those 2 messages, which were sent as SMS since I have that feature turned on, did show on my SMS usage but that was to be expected since they were sent as SMS and I was aware of that at the time that those failures occurred since the little message showed on the screen that stated the messages had been sent as sms text.

You did bring up something interesting though....if you are trying to send iMessages at a time when you don't have access to 3G or WIFI then it wouldn't be to much of a surprise that the message isn't being sent as an iMessage (since I would think in the scenario you posted the iMessage system isn't being accessed). In THAT case, I can see being charged for SMS because you don't actually have access to the iMessage system...which would explain the message turning green (which is what happens if the system is down or not being accessed). In that case...if you want to avoid that and you often find yourself in that situation it would be best to turn off the SMS feature for iMessages so the messages will just fail until you have access to iMessage again.

[BigMcGuire]

It's dirty because when I use iMessage that's using my Verizon # to send iMessages to another iPhone Verizon # - Verizon counts those as SMS even though they aren't.

Person 1 - iPhone 4S on Verizon

Person 2 - iPhone 4S on Verizon

By default - both phones are set up to use their Verizon Cell Phone Number as their iMessage ID. Verizon counts iMessages (BLUE NOT GREEN) between these two phones as SMS even though it is not an SMS but an iMessage.

Now if Person 1 changes his iMessage ID to his Apple Id (Blah@Blah.com) and Person 2 does the same, Verizon does NOT count iMessages between the two as SMS (still BLUE not GREEN).

Yes, I know that GREEN = SMS and BLUE = iMessage. I'm a software developer and I've been in IT for 15 years.

Edit - it is very possible that even if I didn't have unlimited SMS - that Verizon may be counting these just because they can --- and they won't bill for them. But I just found it weird that Verizon is counting iMessages between Verizon customers as strange - and I assume that if I didn't have unlimited SMS that it would be charged as SMS even though it was an iMessage.

Message was edited by: BigMcGuire

[rcschnoor]

Hey, I am throwing out ideas here. I haven't said this is the way it is, just that it seems to me it COULD be a possibility. It seemed to me that you did not have a definitive answer and were looking for reasons why this could be happening. Since the SMS charges stopped when you changed to the Apple ID, though, it at least would make one wonder, wouldn't  it?

This could also be because a data network wasn't available at the time. Unless you have your iMessage settings such that you will not send as SMS, if a data network is not available at the time it is being sent, it will be sent as an SMS. This could therefore be a result of your phone losing network connectivity. Again, though, this is just another thought. Take it however you would like.

Not sure what that last line is supposed to mean.

[BigMcGuire]

@ rcschnoor - Right, understood 100%. I did not mean to offend or say you were saying something - thanks for your thoughts on this subject - found them helpful.

You are right - I'm not 100% sure myself. All I know is Verizon is counting iMessages between Verizon iPhone users as SMS but my question is, what if I didn't have unlimited SMS - would those iMessages be counted as SMS and charged for?