How to fix Text Message Forwarding issues on iOS 8.1

Trying to set up SMS sharing from your iPhone to an iPad or Mac and running into issues? Give this fix a try.

• by Jason Cipriani 
   @MrCippy
• October 24, 2014 11:44 AM PDT

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We already covered how to set up Text Message Forwarding from your iPhone to another iOS device or Mac, but there was a key troubleshooting element we unknowingly left out of the guide.

As mentioned in the original story, you need to have iMessage enabled on your iPhone in order to enable text message forwarding. More importantly, however, you need to have an email address enabled in iMessage settings during the setup process, as discovered by MacRumors. If not, you're likely to run into an issue where the activation code never appears on your iPad or Mac.

If you attempt to enable text message forwarding but the activation code never shows up, here's what you need to do:

• Launch the Settings app on your iPhone.
• Scroll down to the Messages option and tap on it.
• Tap on Send & Receive.
• Enable an email address by tapping on it. A check mark will be placed next to it once it's active.

Now, back out of the Send & Receive section and request another activation code be sent to one of your devices. Easy, right?

The MacRumors report goes on to say you can go back and disable the email address after all of your devices are set up and everything will remain working.

Sprint's 'iPhone for Life' plan to offer annual upgrade

print is not standing still, continuing to tinker with its plans as it seeks to win over new customers.

Sprint is trying to attract more iPhone customers.CNET

The latest: an adjustment to its widely touted "iPhone for Life" plan, now offering customers the ability to sign up for a version of the plan that lets them swap in a new iPhone every year. The original plan called for customers to pay as little as $20 a month to lease a new iPhone 6, which could be turned in for a new model after two years.

The new plan now allows for annual upgrades and starts at $30 a month. It will also make the iPhone 5S available for lease. Both options take effect on November 14. In addition to the cost of the iPhone itself, customers need to sign up for a $50 plan for unlimited talk, text and data.

It's just the latest offer from the suddenly active Sprint, which under new CEO Marcelo Claure has been relentless in rolling out new plans and promotions. The original iPhone for Life plan was intended to let Sprint stand out in a period where it typically suffered higher subscriber losses as customers looking for an iPhone switched to a rival carrier. With the annual upgrade option, Sprint is upping the ante.

Sprint has been particularly aggressive because it continues to bleed subscribers. Its network is widely perceived to lag far behind its competitors in both speed and coverage, due largely to the slow process of upgrading its infrastructure. Sprint touts its Sprint Spark, which combines multiple bands of spectrum for a faster connection, as its answer to the competition, but it is only available in limited markets.

The new option comes just two days after Sprint introduced a low-end family data plan that offers 1 gigabyte of data for $20. Last week, it vowed to double the data on high-end family plans offered by AT&T -- a response to AT&T doubling the amount of data it was willing to offer.

While a customer choosing a base 16GB iPhone 6 model will pay $30 a month under the new program, the fee rises to $40 a month for a 128GB iPhone 6. A top-of-the-line 128 GB iPhone 6 Plus costs $45 a month.

Sprint claims its plan saves customers $444.96 over a comparable T-Mobile plan, $570 over AT&T and $667.44 over Verizon. Unlike the rival plans, Sprint customers under iPhone for Life don't own their iPhones. At the end of the lease period, customers can continue to pay the lease on a month-to-month basis, purchase the smartphone or turn it back in.

In addition, the iPhone 5S 32GB will be available for $21 per month and the iPhone 5S 64GB for $24 per month.