back to article Google to axe TXT reminders for Calendar events

Google has emailed users of its Calendar service to advise them that “Starting on June 27th, 2015, SMS notifications from Google Calendar will no longer be sent.” The Chocolate Factory's reasoning for the cessation of TXT reminders is that “SMS notifications launched before smartphones were available. Now, in a world with …

  1. PushF12
    Unhappy

    I still miss GOOG-411

    Google is large enough to have peering agreements with all major carriers, which means they pay nearly zero for SMS. The electricity to run the servers and networks costs more.

    The undertaker is just digging a new hole in the Google Product Graveyard.

    1. Mark 85

      Re: I still miss GOOG-411

      There's probably more expense than SMS costs.. in-house support costs might be a factor. You know manager or two, staff, office space, etc. Then again, Google is known for killing off things they seem to become bored with or interfere with up and coming products and ideas.

    2. Tom Samplonius

      Re: I still miss GOOG-411

      "Google is large enough to have peering agreements with all major carriers..."

      For IP yes, but the transport has never been the problem with SMS. It's the transaction processing, and fact that all of the mobile operators use various clearing houses to exchange SMS with each other. And those clearing houses don't make money by giving messages away for free. And while you could theoretically connect direct to every mobile operator and bypass the clearing houses, adding additional SMS gateway connections to each mobile operator's existing switching software, is typically very expensive in licensing and/or hardware, so they prefer to let the clearing houses handle everything.

  2. Tromos

    I'm sorry. Were you using that?

    See above for the new company slogan. Much more fitting than the old "Don't be evil" one.

  3. Whitter
    Unhappy

    SMS messages on Android

    It has been clear for years that the Android smartphone developers don't use and therefor care not a fig for SMS messages. The UI is absolutely awful. For example, yesterday I wanted to phone the person who just texted me. So: exit the message interface; go to contacts; type in their details (it was a pre-known number) then phone.

    1. qwertyuiop
      WTF?

      Re: SMS messages on Android

      What version of Android are you on? It certainly sounds a lots less functional than the one I use!

      I just looked at my message log and picked one at random. When I "clicked" (touched?) to open it not only was the message displayed but at the top of the screen was a handy little telephone icon which enables me to call that person.

      Seems pretty functional to me! (I'm on a Samsung S4 running Android "KitKat" (4.4.2).)

      1. Whitter
        Thumb Up

        Re: SMS messages on Android

        Ah: very true.

        Thanks folks!

        I was endlessly finger-poking the actual message etc.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: SMS messages on Android

          And people say it is iPhone owners who are clueless.

          1. Gene Cash Silver badge

            Re: SMS messages on Android

            Well the iPhone owners probably have not had to deal with Apple foisting a completely different app (from an SMS app to Hangouts) with a completely different UI to manage texts.

            This is on top of changing the calendar app enough that it's impossible to tell which month you're scrolling through when you're trying to tell someone "yes, I'm available mid-July"

            Then there's the disappearing functionality from Maps, like zoom buttons.

            I've used Android since the Droid/Milestone, hate Apple, but I am SERIOUSLY considering an iPhone now.

    2. Archaon
      FAIL

      Re: SMS messages on Android

      It has been clear for years that the Android smartphone developers don't use and therefor care not a fig for SMS messages. The UI is absolutely awful. For example, yesterday I wanted to phone the person who just texted me. So: exit the message interface; go to contacts; type in their details (it was a pre-known number) then phone.

      No. Even an old version like 2.2 allowed you to do that from the messages screen. Android 4 has at least 2 ways of doing it, either from an individual message or from the person's name at the top of the screen..

      1. Dabooka
        Stop

        Re: SMS messages on Android

        Sod Android, I'm fairly certain my trusty 6150 from the turn of the century allowed me to call from the SMS Received screen? Or have I dreamt that?

  4. Michael Habel

    Good point about the 2FA. I'm almost always finding myself having to deal with this.. Most of the time it just works.. Others... I have to wait ages to get sent a Code. As to Calender events... I find that the Android "Alert" System (where I have it set to chime 24h + 2h before an event seems to do the trick for me. It also sets of a second alarm for my Google Mail, when it posts those same alerts there. (Android / Google TV). So although I had, and presumably still have the use of TXT reminders... I have never used 'em, and I'll doubt I'll be morning their loss.

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