If you sell your old iMessage capable phone or iPad, beware!

S

Stuart Truman

Lifer
 The Cotswolds
A friend sold her iPhone 4S after upgrading to a 5. She wiped her phone and off it went. Shortly after the new person started using it she got a pop up on her iPad that her email address had been added to a phone name she didn't recognise. Yep, her old phone had plugged back in to her iMessage account. The new owner confirmed she was seeing her iMessages!

My first thought was she'd made a mistake and not wiped it properly but after a bit of research online, it's a known problem.

This is a security flaw of epic proportions, be aware of it!

http://arstechnica.com/apple/2011/1...ssages-may-still-be-going-to-the-wrong-place/
 
Apple isn't alone in having a problem, and this isn't an "Apple bashing" thread. Just that I know a lot of people on here were upgrading and likely to pass on their old devices or sell them. Imagine the potential embarrassment!

I'm amazed and a bit concerned it hasn't got out widely and been fixed. Apple uses one appleid so potentially this opens the door to anything you have in iCloud.
 
Good post Stuart .... Hope they sort it out before the 5s is released ;)


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
I experienced this with my ipad for a while.

I had been getting my imessages to both my iphone and ipad.

Restored it to 5.1x whenever that came out but forgot my itunes account password so never linked it to my account.

Imessages still came to my ipad :lol:

I had it that was for a few months... Then one day they just stopped coming through.

Infact linked it to my account again and i still cant get the messages to go to both devices again :roll:
 
aquazi said:
I experienced this with my ipad for a while.

I had been getting my imessages to both my iphone and ipad.

Restored it to 5.1x whenever that came out but forgot my itunes account password so never linked it to my account.

Imessages still came to my ipad :lol:

I had it that was for a few months... Then one day they just stopped coming through.

Infact linked it to my account again and i still cant get the messages to go to both devices again :roll:
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That's a different, but related issue. Go to settings, messages, send & receive and you'll see the accounts iMessage uses listed as well as your apple ID
 
If you change your apple id password though the old device then asks the new owner for it and if they don't have then they won't get your iMessages etc. They'll have to out their own ID in plus password. Problem solved. No??
 
theprophecy said:
just another reason to hate apple products
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Compared to the millions of reasons why I hate Microsoft and its flawed platform :)

I sold both my 4S's to friends, i'll let them know.
 
this story blew up in November 2011 and then died a death around Feb 2012 - not just on the link you provided, but on other threads as well.

given that iOS 5.1 came out on March 7th 2012, the problem may well have been fixed in that release. i've not really seen anything from Apple confirming that the problem existed in the first place which is not unusual when it's a minor security type issue. similarly, there's nothing to say it's definitely been fixed.

not saying the problem doesn't exist, but I would suspect that it's not a problem any more.
 
BlackOut said:
If you change your apple id password though the old device then asks the new owner for it and if they don't have then they won't get your iMessages etc. They'll have to out their own ID in plus password. Problem solved. No??
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Nope. Until you log out from the device and log in again it won't ask for a new password.

jakethecatuk said:
this story blew up in November 2011 and then died a death around Feb 2012 - not just on the link you provided, but on other threads as well.

given that iOS 5.1 came out on March 7th 2012, the problem may well have been fixed in that release. I've not really seen anything from Apple confirming that the problem existed in the first place which is not unusual when it's a minor security type issue. similarly, there's nothing to say it's definitely been fixed.

not saying the problem doesn't exist, but I would suspect that it's not a problem any more.
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The problem exists, isn't fixed, and was on an up to date 4S. Part of my point was that I'm amazed it's not been more publicised and it's not minor if people can get at your messages! How would you like someone to be anonymously reading your texts and potentially accessing your iCloud content?
 
How would you like someone to be anonymously reading your texts and potentially accessing your iCloud content?
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Wouldn't happen as I don't use iMessage (it's a pile of shite) and I don't use iCloud (I don't trust any provider of cloud based storage services).

Not going to get into a long drawn out debate on this one as you've obviously got a bug up your ar$e on this and regardless of what is said, you will not accept any rational argument, explanation or opinion.
 
jakethecatuk said:
Wouldn't happen as I don't use iMessage (it's a pile of shite) and I don't use iCloud (I don't trust any provider of cloud based storage services).

Not going to get into a long drawn out debate on this one as you've obviously got a bug up your ar$e on this and regardless of what is said, you will not accept any rational argument, explanation or opinion.
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WTF? :o That's fairly rude by anyone's standards. I posted this because it's a real flaw and happened to a friend last night who asked me about a strange message that popped up on her iPad. I did a bit of research online and finding it's a known problem I thought I'd share here as other people are upgrading and selling or passing on their iphones. The fact that there's a problem isn't under debate, it's well documented. If posting about a real problem that might potentially harm others is having "a bug up my ar$e", guilty as charged.

What's rationale about saying because the online threads went quiet it's fixed. If the broken springs thread doesn't get updated in a while it doesn't mean some metallurgical fairy has magically fixed them all and they won't break any more. The only one expressing an opinion is you, about iMessage or iCloud and cloud based services being shite. It's a shame you feel the need to start a slanging match in a thread intended to avoid others falling foul of a bug with their phones. Ho hum.
 
Stuart Truman said:
WTF? :o That's fairly rude by anyone's standards.
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Yeah I'd have to agree there, the threads don't have to always turn into anti-Apple ones.

Not sure this bug has been fixed :idunno:
 
Stuart Truman said:
jakethecatuk said:
Wouldn't happen as I don't use iMessage (it's a pile of shite) and I don't use iCloud (I don't trust any provider of cloud based storage services).

Not going to get into a long drawn out debate on this one as you've obviously got a bug up your ar$e on this and regardless of what is said, you will not accept any rational argument, explanation or opinion.
Click to expand...

WTF? :o That's fairly rude by anyone's standards.
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+1 .... bit of an extreme reaction there, jake!

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
Stuart... Thanks for this post.

Will change my Apple password when I give my 3GS to my son.

J
 
Looks like Apple want to share your data with everyone :thumbsdown:

While Google want to make sure you cant even access it :thumbsdown:

Oh technology, what would we do without you :)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-19784413
 
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