There’s been a lot of talk the past few days since the launch of the iPhone 3.0 software about the lack of Push Notification apps in the App Store. Well, today brings a big one: AOL Instant Messenger (AIM).
Instant messaging apps are perhaps the perfect use for Push Notification, which allows you to use such services without requiring that they be open at all time. In our test of the pre-release beta version of the AIM app with Push, the messages were sent almost instantaneously. In testing it out right now, it looks to be just as fast.
When you first fire up this new version of AIM, it asks you if you’d like to receive Push notifications. You can change this at any time in the settings. And you can also choose if you’d like the notifications to be brief (only say that you have a new IM), feature the sender’s name only, be normal size, or full size.
You can also set how you’d like Push messages to show up on your phone for each app in the device’s settings. You can have it pop up a message, play a sound, badge your icon or do any combination of those.
And Push works with both the free [iTunes link] and paid version [iTunes link] of the app. The $2.99 paid version removes all advertising.
Push is great for services like IM, but it doesn’t resolve the lack of iPhone background support for all apps. With Push you still can’t listen to Pandora while doing something else on the web, for example. I still believe it’s only a matter of time before we see some sort of third-party background task support as well.
Update: While users are reporting that they aren’t receiving notifications to update their apps yet, if you use the links above, it is the latest version with Push.
Cool, although I hope they have “logout” now with the beta I kept getting push notifications while I was logged in on my computer, etc…
There was/is a “logout” with the beta.
I see it now under “My info” seems like it should be on the main buddy bar or something.
haha, they should make it more easier…
it really sucks that they have an ad supported version, it should be unrestricted like the BlackBerry…they gotta add more clients like Win Live messenger…gtalk etc.
when you login on your computer, doesn’t it tell you that your logged in in multiple locations and prompt you to log of all other clients?
I want Skype Goddammit….Skype! I can’t believe AOL have beaten them to the punch…
You are soooo right!!!
What do you mean you ‘can’t believe AOL have beaten them to the punch’? It took them a year to deliver an iPhone app in the first place and their Mac version is still BETA and buggy!
right . i am with you .
My AIM doesn’t appear to be showing up as due for an update. Can anyone confirm this is actually in the App Store w/ Push Notifications?
I can confirm it. I’m using it right now. Update not being pushed yet, but manually download it at the links above.
Thank you, MG. Since the iTunes Store page also mentioned no update, I did not think that the “Get App” button would have an update program file. Much appreciated, sir.
No prob.
I’m not seeing it either, nor is there a mention of its release at http://iblog.aol.com, the official AOL iPhone blog.
Yep, it’s there, just use the links in the post.
wicked
Yes, this is just an amazing innovation from Apple to invent push notifications.
I love how Instant Messaging (gtalk) works on the pre. I’m always logged in, so I get a message at desktop & phone. But if i reply from desktop, then the phone stops getting notifications for that conversation.
Also, its a perfect use of the notification tray. I can see i got a message, but it doesn’t interrupt what I’m doing.
Reading news about apps that are just getting push notifications, and with weird hacked together multitasking support makes me think I am underestimating how great the Pre is.
Now if only we could get some more apps…
Message prioritazation is more a feature of the Jabber protocol than gtalk on the Pre.
i got the update from the updates section in the app store on my iphone!
BTW, BeejiveIM (w Push Notifications) has also just been released — for those of us looking for a decent multimessenger app…
Yup! Much better than AIM. Here come the push apps!
Nice.
yeah but does it do skype. seems like nobody has skype in a multi im client
“With Push you still can listen to Pandora while doing something else on the web, for example. ”
Is this supposed to be “can’t”?
yes, thx.
Yo, does TC not send replies when people comment on your comment? (i know no one has commented here btw, but other times i never seem to get any notification messages…i’m forced to come back and check…)
Rockin! It works great!
That is amazing, good for you! What year is it again? 1997?
Not working for me with the free app linked in the article. The version listed is 2.0.2.4 which is what I have on my iPhone.
The version number on the iTunes page is incorrect. If you force iTunes to download it again it grabs the new version.
Here is my confirmation. It pushed on iTunes to me. HOWEVER, my friend in NZ got the new app but didn’t get push. It seems they are staggering the release.
http://twitpic.com/85e8o
BeejiveIM update is here. Looks like Apple was waiting a bit before unleashing the flood of Push notifications…
it is?
Yes.
And the target market is…. Geriatrics with iPhones who love blizzards of pop-ups and demand identities with lots of numerals in them?
I hate—okay, dislike—the AIM app. However, they deal with the Push notifications pretty well.
What I have been doing for a while (I had the developer preview) is use AIM to keep me logged in and send me Push notifications. However, I use BeeJive to actually communicated. It actually works pretty well. I just write and chat in BeeJive always receive the push notifcations from AIM. Whenever I get a push notification, I just go and open BeeJive.
Anyway, hopefully this solutions doesn’t have to be of any use to anyone because I REALLY want BeeJive’s update to be accepted.
Woops… I didn’t notice that BeeJive was out. It didn’t automatically appear in my updates. I had to restart my phone but I got it now!!!
Awesome.
What are push notification????? I am sorry I am a Pre user so we just multi-task everything so we don’t have to use antiquated back door methods that stop everything we are doing. We have clean notification bars that minimize themselves. Anyways I will stop boring you with the details. I hope to see the Apple mobile OS in 2009 soon I think it is still stuck in 2006
I could be wrong but I don’t think the Pre magically knows when new messages are waiting on a server. So either your battery life is going to be horrible as it constantly checks everything you are interested in or you don’t have push notifications.
PUSH!!
This video explains it:
http://www.yout...h?v=25BlzbPU0FQ
“Location Undetermined” – location sharing is not working for me…
It’s about time…although I just read another article that said there was a delay on the push notification. I hope this is false
One thing that has been really annoying me is that if you turn on “push” for the phone, but are at your computer… you get messages on both the computer and on the phone. Pretty annoying.
Anyone know how to fix this?
That’s how AIM has always worked. The solution is to sign out on the device where you do not want to receive messages.
The only problem I see with using AIM is that most people outside of America don’t particularly use it. I’m hoping Skype picks up a little more around my area, because Skype on iPhone is such a glorious thing to behold.
Awesome! Maybe i’ll actually start using AIM again. It’s pretty worthless on the phone without the push notification.
It took me awhile to figure out how to turn the notification sound off. If you close the AIM app and go to Settings->Notifications->AIM it’s in there. In case anyone else was annoyed by this, too!
The update is not that good.
1. The vibrate on each message is really annoying and there is no way to turn it off.
2. No landscape keyboard?
3. 1-2 second delay when sending a message and keys keep freezing.
using a iPhone 3G
Also clicking on contacts crashes the program.
No freezing here with my 3gs.
Is anyone else finding they still *sometimes* get IMs on their phone (and the resulting push) even while set to away in the app, which supposedly prevents that? Sometimes all I can do to make IMs stop hitting my phone is to sign out, which is somewhat inconvenient.
I thought to test the push system but overall review seems not good so far.
What?!?! No picture of Salt n Peppa to accompany the story?
BTW, The app store notifications of the new version of AOL IM are now live.
WTF is “Salt n Peppa”
oh man, rly? Are we that old that the newbies don’t know salt n peppa or are you kidding? Push it? Ring a bell?
Wow, right when you thought AIM couldnt get no better! Imagine that!
Riffler
http://www.anon-tools.tk
When I first tested it there was a delay of about 25-40 seconds between sending and push but now it seems much faster only 3 seconds.
Pretty cool its just a shame the actual client sucks, I really wish Apple would just make iChat for the iPhone (or maybe the Adium for iPhone
)
Just wait for Meebo to release their app, I have high hopes that they’ll release the best IM client ever.
אני מאושרת!!!
and again, im happy!
What is the % next to the battery. How do I get that?!
It’s an option in the Settings app on 3GS phones.
Yes, what’s up with the % next to the battery??
When i’m on AIM on my computer, any IM that i receive gets to too my computer AND my iphone. How do make it so that when I’m on the computer, it doesn’t get sent to my Iphone?
Yeah, how can I make IM’s be sent only to my computer when I’m using my computer, and sent to my phone when I’m not signed on on my computer?