As luck usually has it this post will go live and sometime shortly thereafter it’ll be invalidated. I still have to ask the question though because I think it’s on a lot of people’s minds. I certainly don’t want to be that guy who cries wolf.
Where are the instant messaging apps with Push Notifications?
Push Notifications were the marquee feature of iPhone OS 3.0. They were delayed over six months so Apple could “get it right.” A chat app should’ve been the first out the gate because they’re the apps which will benefit the most from this service. Instead it was Tap Tap Revenge?
I’m primarily asking this question because I know the chat apps are ready. BeejiveIM and IM+, two premier and expensive chat apps both advertise in their App Store descriptions that they’ve submitted to Apple their 3.0 Push Notification updates. In addition, AIM put a solid beta in developer’s hands days ago and Mobile Crunch reported that BeejiveIM 3.0 should have been up in iTunes as early as 12 hours ago. Both Beejive and AIM have demonstrated working Push Notifications.
So where are they?
The coolness factor of receiving a Push Notification is off the charts. It’s awesome to have an app that’s closed actually send you something. It sent my geek circuits into overload. I myself have seen them work several times in many of the free apps from our Applist. Maybe that coolness factor blinded me to the fact that a couple came up missing.
One notification never came up with Textfree Lite and one with Star Defense. But that’s just me – I’ve sent or received a total of maybe 12 messages. I was initially willing to dismiss the missing Push Notifications as something I did wrong but now I’m starting to get suspicious. Maybe they really did just disappear into AT&T or Apple’s servers.
That would easily explain why Apple has yet to release the push capable instant messaging apps – someone doesn’t thing Push Notifications are ready for the scale BeejiveIM, IM+ and other chat apps will introduce once they start populating millions of phones.
If just 1 in 25 messages disappears into the ether this will be marked as an epic failure on the part of either AT&T, Apple’s or both. If 1 in 10 disappear we’ll be seeing lawsuits.
In any case, it’s the only explanation I can think of for why we’re at the end of day 2 of iPhone OS 3.0 and there are still no instant messaging apps using Push Notifications. Someone at Apple or AT&T is worried about the scale. In less than eight hours Apple and AT&T will be dealing with the third coming of the iPhone and the inevitable strain a half million more devices are going to be put on their wireless network.
Maybe after that we’ll see instant messaging apps? Or maybe Beejive will hit by the time you read this.
I don’t want to make an issue out of nothing (like less than a dozen missing Push Notificaitons), so let me know in the comments if you’ve had a Push Notification disappear on you.
Very interesting article, another piece of speculation was an Apple-branded iChat push application coming out, which they wanted to precede any third-party push app, but I believe it would have needed WWDC-style fanfare, not just a silent release.
Odd the AIM app that was beta tested by many developers for load testing hasn’t shipped out yet though. Given that the poor results on push notifications aren’t limited to just AT&T, I’d have to believe it is Apple’s serverfarm that would be letting down the team.
Got this reply from beejive support
“Hi,
We have already submitted the update for 3.0 with push notifications to Apple more than a week ago. It should be released by the end of this week.
Thank You! “
Actually, I believe push notifications are handled by the app, not Apple or AT&T’s servers (come on, since when has Apple given something for free?).
The story about how Tap Tap Revenge 2 got its Push notifications seem to indicate it works that way (you can read it here: http://tapulous.com/blog/2009/06/push-notification-support/), that is, the app has to have servers to handle all the pushy pushy stuff.
Still, it’s interesting to see how Tap Tap 2, which has a massive userbase, is working great, so I don’t think Beejive would have many problems. Maybe it’s the typical and unexplicable delays Apple sometimes some of the apps.
You’re certainly partially right, there’s still a requirement for some serious bandwidth on the host’s side (I’d love to see what Beejive’s setup is like, given that they’ve maintained consistent connections for a long time through their demi-push email method on the iPhone).
However, no apps have the ability to maintain a consistent connection with the iPhone. Instead, the iPhone maintains a connection with Apple’s push servers, which then send and receive information from other applications’ servers. Unless the application was incredibly popular, it’s Apple’s servers that take the stress.
I think you nailed it…something is not right!
Agreed. I will eat my hat if there aren’t problems with push. Beejive themselves, on their blog and twitter, seem quite quiet about it all. Their flat-batting response is that it’ll be available at the end of the week, but their silence does seem to indicate they know something we don’t!
I’ll be amazed if Push works flawlessly. For example: if you “close” a notification and choose not to View it, will there be a list of “unviewed” notifications in the client? It’ll take a good six months, and perhaps an update iPhone firmware, to really see it working to its potential.
I’ve yet to receive any push notifications on my 2g running 3.0. I have the AP app and Zillow installed and the push settings activated, but nothing over 36 hours after the initial install.
Anyone else having similar problems? I’m hoping it changes when my 3gs is delivered today.
Push isn’t even working for TextFree. After seeing that I have my doubts about ATT reconsidering this Push thing which makes their text plans meaningless and utterly worthless.
i have only received push notices using the heyway app, there’s simply no way that the problem isn’t with aplpe here, the developers have had enough time to make the necessary changes, it’s apple holding this up and it looks poor.
would not be surprised if this is swept under the carpet and the subject changed very quickly….ooh look a compass app.
Ive noticed one thing with my push notifications. It’s super slow!! My HeyWAY takes like hours before I get a notification after my friend sent a request to my phone.
I never get one… i tried heyway (but i’m the only one i know that installed it). i tried AP mobile (ap news) i put english – usa, but no notifications.
im+ and beejive they don’t have one yet
i think that they are testing out with small number of lucky ones. maybe after the great traffic for 3.0 downloads, and 3gs activations maybe they could trottle up notifications (i hope soon… i waited for them 1 year, and now that all is ok they’re missing). Before this, i was considerating changing my 3g for a 3gs, but now i’ll keep mine since we could try out os 3.0.
I’ve had some disappearing push…
From what Beejive have said, this appears to be the longest they have ever had to wait for App Store approval for an update. Something is up.
I still am yet to have a PN. I have even sent it to my iPhone from An iPod Touch right next to it. Still am yet to receive one
. It could be apple prioritizing there Push Servers to get the rest of it up and running smoothly.
Ive tried out the IM+ with push notification and must admit that it works only now and then.. the push that is. Very dissapointing..