Drink Beer and Geek Out

Sent from my iPhone??

Does your phone still show “Sent from my xyz device”? Does it bother you that other people want you to know what device they are using? Do you find it pretentious?

I was recently amazed to find out that seeing “Sent from my iPhone” actually annoyed people! Comments I have found by searching Google range from a slight annoyance to outright hatred for the owner of the phone!

Why is this bothersome?  It appears that people who are annoyed by this simple little message feel like you are trying to show them up.  They feel that by leaving that little message that you are bragging that you have something they don’t.

My first question is: This is 2010.  Anyone can own a smartphone, just get one for almost free on your next upgrade renewal with your carrier.  Why exactly don’t YOU have a smartphone?

It also turns out that some feel this simple message is not relevant to the conversation and therefore is comment SPAM.

Why “Sent from my iPhone” is a GOOD idea

When I get an email from someone that says “sry runn l8t b there in 1 min”, I am not surprised to see “Sent from my iPhone” or “Sent from my BB Bold” below it.  It tells me they were on a mobile device!  It tells me why they used misspelled words, and lousy punctuation (in other words SMS Language).  I personally find this to be valuable information and far from SPAM or bragging in text.

When I know that an email is being sent from a mobile phone, I find short and to the point emails to be perfectly fine, rather than blunt.  I also find it helpful because I know responding to my email was important enough that you took the time to do it from your mobile device, rather than waiting for your return to an office or home computer to respond.

What do you guys think?

Update: Put together a quick how to remove “Sent from my iPhone”.

7 comments

  1. David Murray /

    I agree. I like the fact that the default signature on my iPhone says “send from my iPhone” because I want people to know that I’m out and about somewhere, so I can’t be writing a long elaborate email and may not even be able to talk on the phone.

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  2. lisa /

    Hi, I feel it should say, sent by iPhone not
    : sent by my iPhone get one you know you want to:
    so that it is clear that message is from the phone not the sender.

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  3. If you want to make the point that you’re replying from a mobile device just say “Sent from my mobile/cell phone” at the end of your signature, it doesn’t matter what specific device you’re using, it’s just free advertising that looks cheap. These days most people have either an Android, Apple or BB device, so I don’t think is pretentious anymore, it just looks like you haven’t taken the time to properly configure/customise the software.

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  4. Yes it is pretentious! It is not an “out and about” issue – it could say “sent from my cellphone”. It is not a smartphone issue – or mine would say sent from my Galaxy II. It is pretentious because there is a universal dislike of the attitude (not the person) of the pretentious iPhone users. The ones who see it as a status symbol and thinks the sun shines out of Apple’s behind. What I find hilarious, is not only are these enslaved sheep willing to take being tied into iTunes, the many shortcomings of their phone and the fact that nobody in business will take you seriously. They are willing to leave the pretentious email tags switched on, which amounts to pretty much being the same as writing it yourself. For the record, the Android platform blows them out of the water in almost every area possible, and nearly a year after launch the Galaxy II is still the best smartphone on the market, undisputed by industry experts. Get a life iLosers!

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  5. TrixieRix /

    Oliver, what I find hilarious is that you’re this passionate about a phone and it’s company. I like what I like and I assume others do too. I bought my 1st Apple product in 2006 and never looked back. Buy what you like and let others do the same. It doesn’t mean anything.

    Sent from my iPhone or iMac or iPod or MacBook…choose one.

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