Mixed Marriage: Android & iOS7 Users

Cats & Dogs living together... MASS HYSTERIA!!!

So fellas, I got a good one for you. If you choose to use this little nugget of tech talk for good or bad, that's on you. Also as a side note, I'll warn you that I haven't researched this too much, but enough to know it's a documented problem impacting many Americans in a mixed marriage where one spouse has an iOS device and the other has an Android. One of those Americans is me. My wife likes the simplicity of iOS devices and all the other moms have them. Me, well, I like Google. My stuff is with them and I subscribe to just about every product they have (except for Glass because $1500 for a pair of non-prescription glasses is dumb). Also as a side note, our AppleID is under my Gmail account... but I digress...

The Issue:
Android devices cannot receive text messages from iOS7 devices (iOS7 devices can still receive from Android). Yep you read that correctly and you can see the potential for disaster. Also, as a small business owner this concerns me as my customers sometimes will just text me an order and I could be missing those orders.

Imagine if you will (dream sequence)*....
Android Dad: Hey honey can I go to Happy Hour after work?
iOS7 Mom: Tonight is bad, Sally has a soccer game, Jimmy has tutor, and someone needs to stay home with the baby....
(text never received by Android Dad)
Android Dad: Honey I haven't heard back from you on this. I'll assume no news is good news and I'll be home by 8pm
iOS7 Mom: Didn't you get my last message?!?! tonight is bad. I need you home!
(text never received by Android Dad and Android Dad proceeds to Happy Hour)
iOS7 Mom: WHERE ARE YOU?
(text never received by Android Dad and Android Dad still at Happy Hour balling hard)
iOS7 Mom: WHERE ARE YOU? SALLY IS STUCK AT SCHOOL!!!
(text never received by Android Dad but Android Dad decides to leave Happy Hour early and get in good graces with iOS7 Mom)
Android Dad: On my way home... early. See how much I love you?
iOS7 Mom: F-U
(you can see how this is going to end when Android Dad gets home)

So, guys there you have it. It's real, it's out there, and I am sure there's some poor Android Dad that is reading this in the proverbial doghouse... on his Android.

*any names or descriptions in this dream sequence were purely unintentional. And no, this hasn't happened to me and my wife

The Solution:
I've been reading about 6 or 7 different forums on this and the solution isn't very clear. Of course I am reading Android forums and all of them hate Apple. So reading through that is a bit troubling. I'm not sure where the "fault" lies on this, but I just know there's 2 Behemoth companies that probably won't be racing to help find a solution. However, the solution that I am trying to make work is the following from forums.androidcentral.com:

1. Apple ID is stored in two places: App Store and iMessage separately, log out of both on ALL iOS devices in settings>app store and settings>iMessage.
2. log in to https://appleid.apple.com and change your AppleID to a NEW email address
3. remove your cell phone number from the apple ID
4. log back into all iOS devices using new AppleID and deselect the cell phone number and old appleID email address. check the new email address (New AppleID)
5. Once you do this on all devices your texting will resume to normal. Remember iMessage can be used with email address or phone number that why it is important to get rid of all devices. Leaving just one will screw it up. 
6. Once all devices are logged into the app store and iMessage under the new AppleID texting should resume normally.

I will follow up with everyone on this and let you know if it works.

What can you do to help?

Seriously if you hate either one of these companies, post your comments on a different blog. What you can do, is share this post with people you know. As texting has become an integral part of the way we communicate with others (right or wrong), this issue should be addressed and it could help resolve a ton of problems for Mixed Marriages and Businesses.

Check Yourself

There is a battle going on for your business. Its starts by letting the world know where you are and how great it is there.

As I browse the Android Market and its hundreds of thousands of apps I see more and more of them out there focused on creating a real-life game out of people's daily routines. The social check-in is the big thing right now. Some use it for discounts, some to get badges, and some who believe the world revolves around themselves and think we actually care where they are. There's even  a TV show in the works about it.

So while the Social Behavior and the psychology of why people like to share location information is an interesting topic, it involves waaay more research than I am willing to do for free. So, what I'd like to do is review the 2 biggest Apps out there for telling the world where you are: Foursquare & SCVNGR.

Both have an extensive user base, both offer free stuff & discounts, & both want you to check in somewhere. However, when you break down their version of the "game" its a little different.

Foursquare

The "old man" when it comes to socially checking in at places. Foursquare's game is straight forward: check-in and leave tips for others. If you check in frequently to a particular location, you can become "Mayor". Some businesses reward their mayor for his/her patronage by offering special incentives that all other "non Mayors" can't get. This creates a huge competition for these coveted spots and it is thought to drive business for those locations. Foursquare also has a Badge System. So the more you check in, you become more eligible for badges. There are badges out there for everything: Going to work, Going to the Gym, Staying out late, Voting, etc). You name it, there's probably a badge for it. This is also a great way to invoke participation from the user base. Businesses can also create badges to drum up business and rewards. Apple, Sports Authority, & RadioShack are just a few that have done this. Is it working for these businesses? I don't know. This is where the "I need money for my research time" comes in. I can tell you with very little research that its working for Foursquare and they are growing like crazy. They are hiring in their NYC &  San Francisco offices. You can find me at http://foursquare.com/runsheprun. I am always willing to add friends.

SCVNGR

SCVNGR is a bit newer to the game, but is roping in clients like crazy also (GameStop, Journeys, & The New England Patriots to name a few). So what sets SCVNGR apart? Users still check-in to a location, they can still receive badges & cool stuff for completing certain check-ins. That's about where the similarities stop. SCVNGR uses a point system for users to accumulate points and play against friends. Its more of a healthy competition between Friends than Foursquare. SCVNGR also (in my opinion) is more based on the "social" aspect of the Social Check-in rewarding users more points if they check-in simultaneously with other users, take a picture or complete some other task at a venue. SCVNGR also has developed "Treks" which are a series of locations remotely close to one another in which a user must complete a challenge at a venue in order to complete that leg of the Trek. So not only do you rack up Points you also rack up completed Treks to brag about. Where SCVNGR has really found a niche is College Campuses. This is a great idea to get lazy college kids to class and become more active on Campus. I surely would have been more active at college if I got points (imaginary or real) for attending class. You can find me at http://scvngr.com/runsheprun. I will score more points than you.

What about (insert app I haven't downloaded here)?

As mentioned prior, I'm not getting paid for this review and have to devote some time to Family & Work.  There are some other Apps out there that are worth mentioning that do this similar thing but I haven't had the time or willingness to try out. So here's a quick "Thanks for Playing" list:

Gowalla - Based out of Austin, TX. this app seems to be big at Colleges also but seems to favor the large Coastal Cities instead of the bubbling metropolis of St. Louis.

Facebook - Yes the giant has added a Locations feature to their site along with txt, email, and a whole bunch of other stuff. I like Facebook for what it is: A way for me to post links and make funny comments on peoples pictures. Thats it. I don't want to live in Facebook.

Brightkite - I will be honest. I don't know much about this app. It looks to incorporate some qualities of all of the above, but alas I have no funding and no bias.

Who Cares?

This over-sharing of one's self might be a little too much for some people to handle or really even care about for that matter. However, its nice to keep your daily routine somewhat on its toes if you can potentially rewarded for just living your life. I for one really strive on encouragement and these types companies do a good job at keeping me active and trying new stuff.

Ok, so thats my rundown on the social check-in and my humble opinion on the 2 big players (read: downloaded on my phone).

Did I miss anything? Want to tell me about how great some other Apps are? I want to hear about it.