Help Dumb Question: SMS v. Google Talk

[EchoBravo]

Since getting G1s, my wife and I chat via Google Talk instead of text messaging through T-Mo SMS. Does it matter? Does every gTalk chat sent count as one of our 400 monthly SMS messages or is gTalk -- as I thought -- straight up data when using chat?

 

[justjimjpc]

Since getting G1s, my wife and I chat via Google Talk instead of text messaging through T-Mo SMS. Does it matter? Does every gTalk chat sent count as one of our 400 monthly SMS messages or is gTalk -- as I thought -- straight up data when using chat?

I am not sure how quickly the data is updated ... but you can send #674# on your phone to get you text msg count ....

check that out and let us know ....

 

[decodergrizzly]

Since getting G1s, my wife and I chat via Google Talk instead of text messaging through T-Mo SMS. Does it matter? Does every gTalk chat sent count as one of our 400 monthly SMS messages or is gTalk -- as I thought -- straight up data when using chat?

Google Talk on the G1 is free, meaning it doesn't count towards your text messages, the other IM services however, do. It says so on the manual somewhere...

 

[ChilledMatt]

Google Talk on the G1 is free, meaning it doesn't count towards your text messages, the other IM services however, do. It says so on the manual somewhere...

Surely all IM messages are just data on the internet. don't see how they could count as SMS.

 

[decodergrizzly]

Surely all IM messages are just data on the internet. don't see how they could count as SMS.

That's what i thought too, but somehow Tmobile is able to detect when an IM is being sent from the phone, Google might've designed the apps with that in mind, maybe thats why they're so different from the Gtalk app (read: awful). I would contact them and find out for sure, but again, it's in the manual somewhere

 

[justjimjpc]

My test with Yahoo IM definately shows that IMs are counted as msgs ... lucky for me I have unlimited ...

 

[Neurothustra]

I will call T-Mo to get a straight answer but this doesn't make sense. SMS using a specific service to deliver the carrier, whereas IM uses the data services to call to specific ports on an IP. Until I get a solid answer this is very difficult for me to believe, particularly since I've used IMs over data service with other phones (Wing) and did not have to pay additional SMS charges.

 

[incudie]

I spoke to someone at Tmobile and they said that Gtalk messages also count as text messages (thus a $400 bill...)...

 

[ChilledMatt]

I spoke to someone at Tmobile and they said that Gtalk messages also count as text messages (thus a $400 bill...)...

That is completely outrageous!

 

[punkzanyj]

From what I understand the AIM and Yahoo chat services us SMS Protocols to deliver the IMs. SMS protocols are much more stable and reliable than data, thus that's why they use them. GoogleTalk, however, does not.

So it's not that the phone is ticking off IMs and putting them in a pile to charge you for, it's that AIM and Yahoo! services on the G1 use SMS to send the IMs.

Note that GoogleTalk does NOT use SMS. This was listed on the phone features when it was released. No update has made any changes to this.

There are some apps on the Market for IM that use data-only.

 

[benmarvin]

I think the confusion is coming from the fact that Tmobile has an IM application that I had on my Blackberry that does, in fact, use SMS for IM conversations. Probably one of their tricks to get people to upgrade to an unlimited plan. But on the G1 it's all data.
I know, because I was late on the bill once and couldn't send SMS, but Wifi still worked and I could IM all day long. Anyone at T-Mobile trying to tell you that each Gtalk message counts as a text message is full of crap.

 

[justjimjpc]

I think the confusion is coming from the fact that Tmobile has an IM application that I had on my Blackberry that does, in fact, use SMS for IM conversations. Probably one of their tricks to get people to upgrade to an unlimited plan. But on the G1 it's all data.
I know, because I was late on the bill once and couldn't send SMS, but Wifi still worked and I could IM all day long. Anyone at T-Mobile trying to tell you that each Gtalk message counts as a text message is full of crap.

Glad I have unlimited ... because Yahoo IM does tickoff the SMS message counter ... so some people that IM on Yahoo could be surprised with excess messages...

 

[Protagonistics]

I just checked my Tmobile billing to see about this- and I see AIM conversations and regular SMS's being counted against my 400 messages per month (which is criminal to begin with, it costs them nothing to transmit these things, but I digress). I have been GChatting extensively in between these AIM and SMS's. GCHAT DOES NOT COUNT AGAINST YOUR TEXT MESSAGING LIMITS!

Unless they're hiding them from the bill... I am confident that Gchat is free.

Love my Android.
Cheers!

 

[punkzanyj]

I just checked my Tmobile billing to see about this- and I see AIM conversations and regular SMS's being counted against my 400 messages per month (which is criminal to begin with, it costs them nothing to transmit these things, but I digress).

It DOES cost them something. Your IMs are being routed using SMS protocols, in essence, they are being sent via SMS. The Gtalk IM uses a different protocol to communicate with the Google servers.

It's really quite simple, Gtalk is the only IM that uses data, the rest use SMS. Though they may be part of the same default program, they use different methods to communicate with their respective servers.

 

[ChilledMatt]

But why? Why don't they have all IMs using data instead of SMS?

 

[LukiSpuki]

They are using outdated, prehistoric apps. IM used to be set as SMS ages ago, and nobody changed it ... If it's not broken (read: If we can charge extra for it) don't fix it.

 

[edgeman4]

There are several IM apps that combine all of your IM services into one (Meebo is one example). Meebo uses data not SMS, and lets you use any of the chat services, including Yahoo, who might or might not be using SMS to send your IMs. Doesn't matter because Meebo is using data, and won't count against your messages, same as Gtalk. I basically just use Gtalk now because everyone I know has an Android phone, but Meebo is very useful if you have friends on different services.