iMessages: What does color have to do with it?
Most of us use technology with the idea that everything we do online will be there forever. The photos will remain on Facebook and the text messages will remain saved and secure on some server somewhere. But this is not necessarily the case. While you may not need to save any conversations at this point, there may come a time when you have to browse through the texts above to find a conversation that you can use as evidence in an upcoming lawsuit.
How can you tell if the messages you send and receive are automatically saved? When it comes to iPhone conversations, this is what you need to know.
Pay attention to the colors
IPhone messages are sent in two ways. When a message is sent in a blue text bubble, that message is between two iMessage users. When a green text bubble surrounds a message, this indicates that the message was sent via an SMS text message; in other words, the message is not sent between two iPhone users (one person does not have an iPhone). Why should you care about the color surrounding the messages you send?
Blue messages are sent through Apple’s servers. Apple does not retain information on its own servers. To find conversations sent via iMessage, those messages must be backed up via iCloud. ICloud messages are only saved until the next iCloud backup, and then those messages are deleted. If you need to collect information from an iMessage conversation, it is important that you do so immediately; you never know when those messages may disappear forever.
What about green messages?
When messages are not sent through Apple, those messages are saved and stored in accordance with the terms of a cell phone provider. Some providers keep messages longer than others, but some don’t keep messages for a period of time at all. Again, it is essential to ask a provider for all cell phone information as soon as you need it. Whether your messages go through Apple or another company, waiting too long to collect this information will result in text messages that cannot be retrieved.
An increase in lost messages
More and more people are opting for the iPhone over any other type of phone, and this means that cell phone providers won’t have many phone records in the future. While your attorney may collect information from Apple related to a specific date and time, Apple can only provide what the company has saved. In most cases, this information is limited.
What if you use another messaging service like WhatsApp? In general, messaging applications include conversation settings that each user can choose to save or delete. If you think you may need to go back to a message later, be sure to save any messages you have through any type of messaging service (including Skype). This way, you are covered when it comes to finding old messages; Just remember that the colors surrounding the Apple message are important when it comes to retrieving old text information.
If you really want to save a message from an important conversation, the best way to do that is to take a screenshot of that message. Once you have taken a photo of the message, email the image to yourself or someone else who can keep the image safe. The timestamp in your email message will include a date and time, and this can be used as proof that the conversation took place at a specific time.
