Some iPhone 3.0 users were surprised recently when instant messages addressed to other people showed up on their handsets.
Since push notifications were publicized as a major feature in the new software update, some people were left scratching their heads when the supposed ?bug? surfaced. But was it really broken?
Not exactly. Here's the scoop: At activation, iPhones create individual keys that are used to identify devices for pushed messages. The trouble happens when a user attempts to unlock the handset. Unlocking tools tend to reuse keys, which means multiple cell phones end up being tagged with the same identifying information.
The result? Joe's phone thinks it is Jackie's, so he gets her gal pals? messages about the latest clearance sales and dish about last night's blind date.
When the news broke that users were getting errant, misdirected IMs, a lot of misunderstanding customers skewered Apple for the alleged #FAIL. But, it turns out, they only had themselves to blame.
I haven't unlocked my iPhone, but even if I didn't own one at all, I?d still find this kind of horrifying. I won't always know if my intended recipients have used these tools, and the thought of my private messages landing all over the place is freaky. And it will definitely make me think twice before shooting my mouth (or fingers) off.
I guess the old tech adage holds up: Never email ? or IM ? anything you wouldn't want out in the open. Because with this glitch, it just might be.
[via Engadget Mobile]
