Ping! is an instant messenger exclusively for iPhone users

By Zee
September 29, 2009

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Ping! is an instant messenger exclusively for iPhone users If you’ve ever been a blackberry user, you’ll get the gist of this immediately, think Blackberry Messenger but for the iPhone.

Ping! is a instant messaging client for the iPhone that looks and feels like the built in iPhone SMS client. It aims to provide free iPhone to iPhone (and iPod touch on wifi) messaging.

Once you’ve download the (currently free) app and selected a username, you can invite/find friends and family you know own an iPhone or iPod touch, and you’re ready to go.

Once you’ve started a conversation, the application works just like the SMS client except it’s free, instant and works internationally at no extra cost (aside from your international roaming costs that is). Whenever you receive a message you’ll receive a push notification and you can respond just as you would with SMS.

The UI is clean and simple, there are a few odd bugs here and there but it is the very first release so expect them to be cleared up soon.

Still not convinced? Here’s a demo from the guys iPhoneXpert. If you are, download the app here.

Thanks Mrinal. [Gizmodo via GearLive]

Tags: iphone, ping Source: Gearlive

Justineverett
Ping is great don't get me wrong, I use it and love it but...... It's no blackberry messenger, not yet atleast. No read reciept means you really have no for sure response that the person got it. This has happened to me several times after a friend emailed me saying he had responded to me yet I had recieved nothing. Also, you cannot send pics or voicenotes or files through it, if ping ever does that then we can compare apples to apples.

Ouriel Ohayon
is that really free? i mean BBM is 100% free, does not even use the data from your cell operator. is this the case here? when i send a ping does it take data from your cell operator?

Zee
To be honest i assumed it would count as data towards your operator. But i'd like to see that clarified...will dig.

Ouriel Ohayon
i would be curious about that indeed. i don t believe this is really free. i don t see how they could. BBM can because they really built their alternative data network which is why it is so successful

Saving SMS feeds to pay finally data fees is not really interesting (except on wifi but then it is not really convenient since it does not have the ubiquitous free proposition)

alvin
BBM its not free. You're paying every month for your Blackberry Internet Service which costs money too.

Some people have no idea what they're talking about.

ddub
the free part is no extra text or roaming cost when your out of the country.

Thibault Milan
It's totaly free if you are on wifi , but in other way it use your data plan ...

BTW this apps contain very bad BUGS and apple validate them ... if you're iphone not running in english, there is no label, no text, just buttons without anything ... not very professional

Patrick de Laive
Does it work for iPhone 2G? I'm having troubles opening the app. I downloaded it, but get a "Connecting, please wait" message for over 5 minutes now.

embee
I'm on 3G and it I'm getting the same message Patrick. Boo :/

Kev Archie
And me!!!! (2g)

Jesse
same here in Bangkok, Thailand... (2G with 3.0 Firmware)

j
This was also happening to me earlier. However, I had to manually enable all notifications, and then it immediately worked. Go to Settings --> Notifications --> Ping should be listed as an application that you click to enable notifications.

Zee
From reports i've received...if you're on 2g and/or have a unlocked iPhone it doesn't currently work

Thundervf
No porque un compañero tiene 2g jailbrekeado, desbloqueado y le corre perfecto, son a algunos

Laura
i get that too... does yours actually work after a while? because mines not... maybe i'll take it to the apple store to see whats wrong

neveo
i had the connecting please wait, gave the fone a shake to refresh & everything is running fine now :o)

dlc
its not a proprietary app, the makers could just make an app for blackberry and it could communicate with any blackberry. They could do the same with android phones too... Devs should get on that instead of just trying to keep on the iphone.
BBM uses data, but it doesnt count towards your data usage on your plan.

Zee
Nice, please come back and let us know once you have an OS X version working too

jyotipurba
Just Curious I know BBP you can see who is typing a message and who read the ping and who hasnt does this app have it yet?

Stef
I'm in the video! Haha and I almost got deleted! StefanieG was all up in it xD. Anyway, this app is very very cool, may have few bugs but I'm sure it'll get fixed soon. It's super quick, easy, and free! For now at least. Get it asap, it's worth it. :)

QueenB
My friend can't receive any pings but I can receive them from him. He has an unlocked 3G iPhone running on the 3.1 software.

Anyone know what the problem is the solution? Thanks!

Stan
I'm having the same problem, only I'm running Ping! on an iPod Touch 2G, on 3.1.1 firmware.

if anyone has a solution please let me know :)

Anonimo
I’m having troubles too opening the app. I downloaded it, but get a “Connecting, please wait”

Pasquale
This doesnt work with iphone 2g cause push doesnt work with it, if its unlocked or jailbroken!

No1One
Hey TechBoy London

I followed you steps in order to remove “Connecting, please wait” since I have jailbreak for my iphone...

I seen something "suspicious" inside one of the files so I didn't install it yet ...

What does this mean which I found it in file called nimble / inject:
---------
Nimble - Stealing your certs since 2009
Copyrighted by the iPhone Dev Team, all rights reserved.
*****Don't worry, we know this hack sucks.******* Inspired by the YouTube hack made by jailbreakers lost now to memory,
Nimble was conceived by an industrious hacker named CPICH.
-----------

Can you explain that??

Anonymous
Turn on your Notification in Settings and it will work!

No1One
Here how PING works on ANY Iphones even jailbreaked...

-You Need to have SBSettings Installed(the sliding menu)
- So open SBSettings...then go to MORE | Set Toggles | PUSH ON
- Now download PING (if u have it remove it and install it again)
- first time you open PING it will promt you for PUSH..so say OK ...all done

Anonymous
where is sb settings from ? what is it

Sri73
I dont see, push in my toggle section in sbsettings..can you elaborate as to how to get it..

td
i don't see "push" in my toggle section either.

Anonymous
i dont see SBSettings.. where is it??

Wei
The free AOL IM app lets you IM ANY phone number in your contact list and send it as free SMS. Wouldn't that be better than being only able to send to people who have the app and are only on iPhones or iPod Touches?

Mike
This app is great, there are a few small bugs, but given that it's the first release, I think it's very impressive. I have been waiting for something like this for a while. Can't wait to see how it develops and evolves over time...it can only get better.

ignacio
Connecting. Please Wait. I need help, I have a 2G, original (locked with AT&T) and this app is not working for me. I have changed the settings and Ping Notifications are on. It still does not work. CONNECTING. PLEASE WAIT happens for more than 5 minutes and the app does not load. Help Please

JF
Could this "Connecting. Please Wait" just be a server busy thing. I still haven't gotten past it, but my daughter has on her Ipod. I have a Iphone (1st gen) on wifi.

Mandy
oh my, just tried sending a message to my friend using PING but it says: 'an error occurred while trying to send a message' HELP!

Alfredo
I am also having problem connect - wouldnt ppl think that they should have this working before letting it out of the bag... I have WIFI and i am on T-mobile network.. look not to connect..

G/W
No bugs for me, it works like a dream. Been messaging my friends all day.
And I'm on wifi most of the time. When I'm on 3G, I can deal with the minimal amounts of data usage it takes.
Considering the developers aren't affiliated with apple and can't offer free data, I'd say they did a dam good job. I don't see a bug in sight.

BooksandCovers
Ok.. so when you get a new iphone... You LOSE your ping ID.

You have to start aaaall over again!

There is no way of getting your friend list back.. RUBBISH!!

Caty
I'm having the same problem "connecting... Please wait" for how long? it's not even using the connection.

any ideas guys on how to solve it?

andyg
is there ne way of getting a new id

reggie
The app doesn't work on my iphone 2G (os 3.1)..is it because of the push? cause i've been looking but there's no push setting on my 2G

Jwei
I travel overseas often and like to clarify if it uses any data when im not connected to wifi. Im not sure how the charges are overseas and it might be more expensive than a normal sms? someone pls help!

jimbo
Another one here with a Ping connection problem. I wasn't getting push so thought to restore my iPod Touch. Reinstalled everything ok, but now once I turn on Ping!, it says "Conecting. Please wait" till it kills itself. Have tried turning off Notifications and back on, and also the "shake to refresh" tip but still nothing.

Any help would be excellent!

jimbo
Ok, I think my problem was because my home wifi wasn't setup properly and push notifications wasn't working. I've since got push working and Ping! logs in just fine.

Problem solved.

:)

Anonymous
where is push?

dsfa
that's right. I have got the same problem that the first guy to have a telephoe had.

i see it odd it will become popular, despite its greatness and how much i like the idea, as long as it is only avalaible between iphones.

please gentelman and ladys, make it broader and you will revolutionize the web.

Eszcy
Why does it not load on my iphone 2g?

Milla
Same problem as Eszcy. Not working with old 2g iphone :(

juanmi
great! i need to update mi software! i have 2.0, and it requires the 3.0 software!

Jorge
Hola

pluke17
Using Ping between my iphone 3G and my wife's 3GS - works a treat. Over wifi it seems totally free. Over mobile network (Telstra - Aust)each Ping chews up a very small 2KB both in sending and receiving, that's 500 Pings to get to 1MB - that's awesome. Forget about wasting 25 cents AU to text, when you can PING.

alvin
to the first few posters saying BBM is free...its not....you pay a monthly fee for the Blackberry Internet Service so you're paying for your BBM as well.

People have no idea what they're talking about sometimes..

Help
Lies! Im using iphone 3os n i didnt even jailbreak, n i cam even use the apps! Stop helping if u dunno anything!

To Alvin
Alvin is an idiot. Yes, you need a data plan to use BBM, but it doesn't take from your KB downloading usage - it's unlimited. From what people are saying about the Ping App for iPhone is that it takes from you KB dowloading usage and if you go over your limit, additionally charges will occur. However, someone has suggested that it doesn't use much.

Alvin doesn't know what he's talking about.

alvin
I know your stupid BIS is unlimited. You have to PAY A FIX Fee every month for the BIS to work so u can use BBM. YES ITS UNLIMITED..and I know that you don't have to explain the schematics of it for me.

And my point is THAT you have to pay for your BIS or BBM..it's not FREE. You pay for it one way or another on your plans.

If you don't even know what I'm saying then don't bother to act smart and try to explain something i wasn't even talking about in the first place....fool.

alvin
DUDE i know that BBM using UNLIMITED DATA..but every month you're PAYING EXTRA FOR THE BLACKBERRY INTERNET SERVICE in your plans..so YOU'RE NOT GETTING IT FOR FREE..duhz.

You are the one who has no idea.

alvin
I'm not even talking about the data downloads I'm talking about having to pay MONEY, U know whats money? things that u give others so others give you a service (in this case, THE BLACKBERRY INTERNET SERVICE) so that you can use their so called "unlimited data" from RIM.

Geesh...read properly before ranting your ass off cause now you're the one who looks like an idiot.

alp
I have an iPhone 3G unlocked with T-mobile service... I have the same message: "connecting please wait"
I downloaded SBSettings and push and everything and It didn't work. Are you guys sure that ping app works on jailbroken iPhones????

Gary Fung
Hi, I'm the developer of Ping! and just wanted to clarify a couple of things to help.

Ping! provides free text messaging between iphones and ipod touch - free referring to no sms (and roaming sms) charges. Because it uses push notifications it uses data(3g or edge) OR wifi - I mention this in the FAQ. It does also require 3.0 software, again because it uses push.

Anyone having trouble connecting should definitely check out the FAQ at www.pingmessaging.com.

Thanks!

Anonymous
Hi Gary Fung,
I had emailed several mails to your support.
But still no news from them at all.
I am using 3gs ver 3.0.1
I download ping with 0.99USD few days ago. My friends iphone are working fine.
After reinstalling again, the application just can be work fine within approximately 2 ~ 5 mins. WHenever i try to reply and the application closed and unable to open again.

Pls help me. .i need your help extremely.

THanks!

To Alvin
I'm sure everyone knows how it works and the costs. You were just trying to be smart, BUT YOU'RE NOT and clearly didn't understand. People saying free are referring to data plan usage ... they assume everyone knows this, but you have to go and post rude and stupid comments.

Keep your stupid thought to yourself.

Barca
You can get Push on 2g phones working by following these instructions:

http://www.simonblog.com/2009/07/09/pushfix-fix...

I have an JB and unlocked 2g phone (3.0 fw).. Ping! connects, I am able to send out messages succesfully, but I cant receive. Dont know how to fix it.

user
to receive, try to clear all the messages in ping, so the "window" is empty.

Barca
no, i just had to reinstall it. works fine now

Alvin
Sorry Everyone for the dumb comment. I didn't understand what you were referring to as free, I'm an i-d-i-o-t. I also let those posts really get under my skin and bother me.

Just trying to look for some attention. Never got much when I was a kid or even now.

alvin
It's alvin again. Posting n posting for some attention. I'll reply to your post and submit the same crap to create a new post ... just to make sure.

Please contact me at eHarmony.com my username is alvinisdumbnlonley. Guys and Girls welcome.

Sylvia
Ping is the BEST ap ever!!!! Love it.

Alex
Just get eBuddy its the same thing less bugs

Juanfer
Hey guys, for all those of you who have unlocked iphones, here is the solution. I finally got it to work and move past the "connecting..please wait" message. http://blogs.warwick.ac.uk/atejumola/entry/how_... I have iphone 3g on 3.0

MZ
Does the iPhone require wifi as well because for some reason my credit decreases when I use it.

MZ
Please reply, thank you :)

gregorylent
have legal unlocked from hong kong, won't load , in india with airtel sim .. should have given the buck to a beggar

Rashid
Hey people don't be fooled by this app it just uses Internet to chat with other people and btw who said the blackberrys messenger is free it uses Internet and counts against your plan and this app works just like any other messenger cuz it's just an app not an improvement in hardware like the blackberry. Don't believe me take out the sim from the blackberry and use the Internet it won't work lol try it. This is a copy of the other 1000 IM out there in the app store and now it cost 0.99 cents not for free!!

Rebeca
Do you know why when i receive a new mesage i try to open the app and it tries to open but quit?...

hassoni
Hey everyone! If you want to talk with ping add my ID and let's start to know eachother! My PING iD IS:

hassoni

Hope to hear from you! :d

frankie
you have got to be kidding me!!! i had the same prob as everyone else, then i saw a comment on shaking it, i shook it when it said "connecting" and bamm!! i was connected!! try it, cant hurt to try!!

liam
do you know how much data each message takes? as in how many KB per maximum sized message etc.

Rebeca
It freeze every time I try to answer a message. I have to reinstall it every time I receive a Message!!! HELP!

East
I have connectiong.. Please wait for over an hour and tried every single thing i could imagine.. still not working?!?!? i have the lite version

johnmiami
please help me to make it work!!!! i have a 3g unlock and jailbroken i phone... i did everything about notifications, but still stays on screen ' connecting please wait'
what could i do ????

Pete
Personally I use 'Yak', it's far more reliable, quicker and solid. It has group chats too and the pending new release has photo messaging and read receipts.

One is professional (Yak) and the other sadly, is not.

cindy
does at&t consider ping! as sms? Cos IM messenging is charged as sms by at&t

G
“connecting please wait” error on 3GS Jailbroken and Unlocked fixed (for me at least).

Uninstalling and reinstalling did not fix it.

SBSettings did not fix it.

Gary Fung confirmed that Ping! will not register "push" correctly on Unlocked devices.

1. Pwnage 3.1.2 with old 4.26.08 firmware
2. Restored iPhone Apps through iTunes
3. Tested Ping! (it works!!!)
3. Installed ultrasn0w
4. Tested Ping! again... still works!

It took me a couple of restores to figure out that ultrasn0w was breaking Ping! by installing it first.

Install Ping and test before unlocking.

G
This is should fix it as well. Requires SSH.

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=179824541...

Michael Williams
You can find Ping! users at the Ping User Directory in Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/pages/PING-User-Directo...

josh
hello and me...josh-13

josh
girls add me....josh-13

Aim
Is it totally free? So if i send a thing from ping from one country to another? is it still free? Or will that cost me money?

Cat
This does not work on wifi.

stefano
Hi there just did the new update and now when I try to go to the contacts it kicks out to my Apps 3GS

Vanessa
This app is awesome and it works perfectly for me. The only problem is that I want to change my ping ID and it takes forever to unregister so I just give up every time. Does anybody know why this happens?

Kayy
Hello Ping! Buddies
Add Me :D SweetKayydra

Anonymous
Hey everyone when I try and connect with ping it always says error connection while connecting to the ping server. what should I do? Thanks

Bplesz
Hey everyone when I try and connect with ping it always says error connection while connecting to the ping server. what should I do? Thanks

tofa07
the app is so stupid apple is wacked they cant b lyk blackmerry

booga123
IT DOESNT WORK ON MY PHONE?
I have been trying and trying to sms my friedn and it doesnt go through?
She cant sms me either.
Very weird. Thanks

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