iPhone SMS Bug

Here’s a funny one! If you receive a text message from some service that sends its name in the sender/originator field, the iPhone doesn’t show you the message content, yes sometimes it does not even show you the full name.

Why, you ask? It would appear that the SMS app is not able to properly interpret messages with a message header flag that denotes that the originator field is alpha-numeric rather than numeric.

Why did Apple do that? Probably because they did not know any better. See, in the US it is regulation that any message sent to someone must show the originating number or short-code, whereas here in Europe this regulation does not exist and it is quite customary for banks, content provider, etc. to have their service/company name in the originator.

So what now? I would assume that Apple will fix this in a software update. For some reason though I doubt that this will already be in place for the iPhone launch in the UK on O2. But who knows, Apple still have one week and the Apple support forums are filled with these problem reports. Interesting though, isn’t it? Apple support forums filled with such reports even though the iPhone is only officially available on AT&T in the US where this problem should not arise.
I’d say two options, either people just don’t give a damn and happily disclose that they have an unlocked iPhone or, less likely, some SMS services in the US don’t really play by the book.