Harold recently bought a Samsung A01 budget Android phone. He had issues with text messaging. He discovered that Google was using the internet to send texts, not SMS, and that's why it wasn't working right. So he went back to the Android text messaging app.
Linda wants to know how to backup her iPhone text messages and print them out? Leo says to go into the settings on the iPhone and look to see that messages are being stored on iCloud. She can email messages, saved by conversation. Tap and hold, copy and then paste into an email message. She can also print messages directly from a Mac. Leo also recommends eCamm Phone View.
Doctor Mom is self quarantining right now to remain safe. As a grandma and a doctor, she wants to stay healthy. But she's also currently on an emergency preparedness list due to being a retired medical professional. She wants to create a message chain. Leo says there's a thing called NIXLE that enables you to send group messages for emergencies. But she wants to do it in a manner that prevents group replies flooding people as well. Google Forms could be an excellent way to do it, but the responses have to be checked constantly.
Dale has problems with his text messages: He doesn't get the entire long message, and it's all chopped up out of order. Leo says it's the carrier that is limiting, or "truncating" his SMS text message to 160 characters, chopping it up, and sending it out in multiple bursts. It's an issue with Sprint, unfortunately. If he can start using a messaging app and convince everyone in the family to do the same, he won't have this issue.
Joey wants to know if the new Net Neutrality bill will pass. Leo says probably not. The Senate is controlled by one party that isn't in favour of Net Neutrality and the president wouldn't sign it if it did. Their view is that the government shouldn't regulate the internet. But Leo says that while that's true, it's a good idea to have a check and balance on the internet service providers.
Should you use 2-factor authentication? Leo says yes, but Leo isn't a fan of 2FA over SMS text messaging. It's too easy to spoof, but it's better than nothing.
Jeanine wants to know how to retrieve text messages from an old phone. Leo says that there are several ways to do it. Sometimes they are stored up in the cloud with the carrier. She can ask the technician at the phone store to transfer all the data over. There are also apps that will enable her to do it, including Android apps like SMS Backup and Restore. She can put it on the old phone and it will back up all the messages to the cloud.
Carmine has 2 factor authentication on most of his systems, but some use SMS, and he thinks that's not very secure. Leo says that there will always be a trade-off between security and convenience. But SMS is far easier to crack than independent authentication through an authenticator. Leo says to contact the cellphone company and have them put their additional layer of authentication on her phone.
Chip has trouble texting to radio stations using Google Voice. It keeps getting bounced back. Leo says it's likely because the service that the radio stations use doesn't support it. Until they do, there's not much he can do.
Peter upgraded his iPhone to the latest version of iOS 12, and ever since then, his text messages haven't been sending right away. Leo says the first thing to do is call his carrier. There are two ways messages get sent on an iPhone, however. It's either being sent with iMessage which uses his data, or as an SMS. He's only having this problem with the built-in Messages app, and it's with everyone. Leo thinks it has to do with his wireless carrier.
Karen has a ZTE Android phone and she wants to save her text messages. Leo says there's an app called SMS Backup and Restore and it can save text messages for him. If that doesn't work, she should keep looking in the Google Play store.
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