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Aug 12, 2007 | By iPhoneChris | Tags: , , |  Comments 120
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Update: The SMS Preview privacy issue is now resolved as of the iPhone 3.0 software update.

In my original iPhone review, I complained about having little privacy on the iPhone when receiving incoming text messages.

When you receive an SMS message on your iPhone, a preview of the message content pops up on the screen, and you can choose to either view it or ignore it. While this “SMS Preview” feature may be very convenient, it could be troublesome if a friend or family member is playing with your cool new gadget and a message you’d rather have remained private pops up on your screen — ouch!

iPhone SMS Preview

Well today I was browsing through the iPhone Settings menu, and I came across a “Show SMS Preview” ON/OFF button. The only problem is, the option to turn off SMS Preview is available only when you set a Passcode Lock for your iPhone via Settings >> General >> Passcode Lock.

Since I’d rather not have to deal with entering a password every time I want to use my phone, I set the Require Passcode field to “After 1 hour,” so that I’ll only have to enter it at most once an hour. Really, though, I rarely go 60 minutes without using my iPhone for something, so I’m hardly ever prompted for a Passcode.

Now when I receive a text message, the iPhone displays the name of the sender and “Text Message,” rather than an excerpt of the message content.

iPhone Text Message

I’m glad to have discovered this option, but I would really like to be able to turn off SMS Previews on the iPhone without having to set a Passcode Lock. What about you?

New: Has SMS Preview gotten you into trouble? Share your awkward or embarrassing stories here.

Update: A third-party app called Caterpillar solves iPhone’s SMS privacy issue. Click to read my review of the Caterpillar app’s Privacy feature.

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120 Comments

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  1. xdjneo xdjneo says:

    Settings>Messages and the setting to turn off preview is there, no need to use the passcode if you dont want to deal with it

  2. Assassin_Trojan Assassin_Trojan says:

    hi fellas!
    i got this problem that i dunno how to solve.
    D issue is my iphone 3G fw3.0 doesnt display names on my messages..
    as in, messages pops up with no names rather it pops up with numbers like +76352 blah blah blah instead of the real names in my contact..pls i need help ASAP
    Thanx

  3. henry henry says:

    Since the private text messages are only a small part of all the messages you are using , treat them differently . Use the new PrivateTIP application for iphones on app store , with this application you are hiding the text message in an innocent photo from photo library , you can then store back the photo with hidden text to photo library , you can send the photo with hidden text by email to a friend . The text can be extracted only by the application which is protected by password . Read more on http://www.adj-soft.com .

  4. Regina Regina says:

    THANKS FOR THE HELP!!!

    Apple definitely needs to solve this issue.
    In the meantime, congrats for finding the solution Chris!!

  5. Doug Doug says:

    No, it’s not perfect. You still get a push notification on your phone as soon as a text message appears. So if you’re showing someone photos on your phone, for example, you’ll get an alert that you have a text from so-and-so which you are given the option of either ignoring or viewing. Either way, you have been interrupted. I’m just amazed that his still hasn’t been provided as an option to turn of if you desire.

  6. Bobby Bobby says:

    Don’t know if I’ve missed something but you can do this on the 3.0 software. It’s just they’ve moved it to under, settings>messages. Works perfect.

  7. Tobias Tobias says:

    Has this been reversed for ver 3.1? I have just got on board with an iPhone and the option does not appear?

  8. Ewik Ewik says:

    Just put your phone in AIRPLANE MODE when people are around. The phone can still be played with curious people and you can guarantee no naughty texts or calls will come in. Works as a temp fix at least… Just turn off airplane mode every so often to see what you missed when you are in the bathroom or something. :D

  9. Balls Balls says:

    Thnx For da help U rox.

  10. Jeevan | GFO Jeevan | GFO says:

    Damn this option isnt available in 2.0

  11. MBiehn MBiehn says:

    Hey “private”! Read all the posts first before adding your comments. The subject has been discussed already and it is not only about cheating but also about professional data beeing exposed, about your boss reading your wife’s sms that’s says she wants to give you a blowjob when you come back home and other stuff like this. The reasons could be many and if the only reason for you is cheating on somebody then probably you have a big problem being honest. Consider this and stop posting duplicates.

  12. Doug Doug says:

    Seriously? My iPhone isn’t the catalyst of the openess in my relationships with those in my life. However, I have conversations with people that I would prefer to keep private from time-to-time. As well, pop-up interrupts my work frequently when I’m using my iPhone to show a client a sneek-peek at my portfolio. I would much prefer not having to have people interrupting a conversation I’m having with their texts. And, what if that text is coming from a prospective client’s competition? How does that go unexplained? I wonder if I should be curious about my wife’s iPhone as well? You bring up a good point, maybe SHE has something to hide as well? Or is it only men that cheat in your world?

  13. private private says:

    I have an issue with all you people that need to lock your phones and “secretly” text what did you all do before these “wonderful features” ?? …. You have trust issues and should not be with the people you are with if you need to lock your phones.
    What are you hiding ?? and if you women out there have husbands/bf locking their phones … you should wonder why ????

  14. senduc senduc says:

    diana is a loser. she doesn’t even have a boyfriend. she’s pretending, it’s all in her head. she doesn’t even have an iphone. diana is actually a man. he/she is crazy in the head.

  15. Johnny Johnny says:

    This whole privacy thing is a major issue, Apple are clearly not listening to their customers.
    They have a fantastic product but need to take a closer look at Nokia and the additional phone settings they offer.

  16. pryanka pryanka says:

    i have d original version of the iphone and suddenly i noticed tat i can send messages and it sucessfully reaches the person i send it to but i cant recieve their reply.. i cant get their reply …plz help me out i am totally confused what do i do?

  17. Selvi Selvi says:

    I have 3Gs. I was playing with my txts and noticed there is an “edit” button on the top. If you push edit button, you can erase some txt and leave the others, so you dont have to keep the whole conversation…

  18. James James says:

    damn… today my gf spot my ex sending me an sms. now i have 2 ex. :(

  19. Jason Jason says:

    I’ve read all these posts, and need a solution because I have a girlfriend (only 1!), and a 7 year old son who I like to let use my new iphone for the games… BUT:

    My god, who’d want to be married to or dating Diane or UNKNOWN.. I mean they’d always be checking if you’re cheating! You’d never get to use your phone because they’d always be on it in your messages…

  20. Renee Renee says:

    Hi. Im Renee im doing a project on iPhone’s . got any infoo for me (:

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