sms bubbles, making them work for iMessage and text message

GOBLINTIM · Feb 26, 2014

Ok heres a fun one, i custom shh into my iPhone 4s on 6.1.3, i made my own background in sms messaging, and made small little heads for me sending, and a different on for receiving, i actually found calvin and hobbes fore the heads, not the ones form a theme, i made mine. well it worked awesome, a green balloon with calvins head and a red one for hobbes, now today it changed, if it says iMessage in the message bar, both heads are hobbes and have blue balloons, if it says text message in the message bar, my messages are in a green balloon with calving head, and the receiving messages are in blue with hobbes head. is there a way to make them the same no matter what I'm on, i message or text message? i found where my custom ones are, they are called balloon_1.png, balloon_1@2x.png, balloon_2.png, etc... i had to make a few to replace them, but now i have the theme i made and theres another sms folder with different icons, called, icon-small@2x.png, icon20@2x.png and icon50@2x.png and of course the main springboard icon that i already made, icon@2x.png. any idea which ones to change to make them all equal so its the same in both iMessages and text message?

Mickey330 · Feb 27, 2014

I know there are different names for the balloons when you are using iMessages or SMS. However, off the top of my head, I don't remember what they are, sorry (I am on iOS 7.0.6).

So, since you talk about a jail broken iPhone, I've taken the liberty of moving your post over to the Hacking section. Hopefully, someone there will be able to help. Good luck and thanks for your understanding.

Marilyn

willerz2 · Feb 27, 2014

There's an older thread below that is somewhat relevant. Unfortunately I don't have my test devices on me to check, but the iMessages bubbles should be in the chatkit.framework directory. I'll check for you to confirm the exact directories and entity names when I get home later today. A bit has changed from iOS 6 to 7, and iOS 7 has a spoonfed version for messages.app that unfortunately doesn't work on older devices.

http://www.iphoneforums.net/forum/jailbreak-applications-tweaks-70/changing-sms-bubbles-54237/

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

GOBLINTIM · Feb 27, 2014

In my post, i did say i changed the bubbles perfecty, but ll of a sudden, the phone updated in messages, now it says iMessage sometimes and nothing -meaning its like it was back in the day. it seems if i text someone with an iPhone it says message, if i text anyone else it workes just like i made it, calvin and hobbes talking to each other in a green and blue bubble, but if its to an iMessage its hobbes talking too hobbes in blue bubbles. the ones i made i put in the mobile/sms folder, but theres a new chat section i can't remember until i go back in but i saved theicon-small@2x.png, icon20@2x.png and icon50@2x.png, and those are just different size blue balloons. i did read somewhere on an apple site that it said, if you are on iMessage the balloons are blue but if your on regular text, depending on your plan, the balloons will be green and blue and rates might apply.

willerz2 · Feb 28, 2014

iOS 6 doesn't fair entirely well with Messages customization outside of simple button color changes. Images used for the background are a bit buggy because it covers a large base in terms of bubble expanding rather than having a defined dimension as you have more characters/lines in your message. Revert it back to the stock ones, and use Winterboard to theme it over manual theming, that way, you'd have more room to work with by just placing a ton of combinations or pre-made templates/dimensions, etc, and toggling them one by one and see how they work.

GOBLINTIM · Feb 28, 2014

well everything works perfectly what i did, not a single problem , i am just asking if the 2nd folder that was created for iMessages i guess where bubbles for both sending and receiving are blue what are they called so i can just make the sending one (the one if I'm texting) so it can be like it is on regular texting. i have no buggy problems at all, it is because now theres 2 types of sms folders 1 for iMessage, and 1 for text, .

willerz2 · Mar 1, 2014

It's a little confusing now. The icon images shouldn't be pertinent to the bubble message itself though, since there aren't any icons to theme in the Chatkit.framework. Balloon_1@2x.png would be regular message (SMS) being sent, Balloon_2@2x.png would be iMessages being sent. Balloon_Blue@2x.png is for iMessages being sent outbound. So the icon images would be for your springboard, so they won't enter the equation with the balloon themeing. (the @2x.png changes should also be made for the @2x~iphone.png extensions as well)

....if it says iMessage in the message bar, both heads are hobbes and have blue balloons, if it says text message in the message bar, my messages are in a green balloon with calving head, and the receiving messages are in blue with hobbes head. is there a way to make them the same no matter what I'm on, i message or text message?

This is the somewhat confusing part since it's not differentiated the specific combination that you're looking for.

Receiving messages will always call on the properties of Balloon_2@2x.png and Balloon_2@2x~iphone.png. The only difference would be the label of whether it's a Text or an iMessage. The background and other properties are the same. Differentiating your sent messages comes from Balloon_1@2x.png and Balloon_1@2x~iphone.png, as well as Balloon_Blue@2x.png and Balloon_Blue@2x~iphone.png. If you want the outbound messages balloons to be the same, have the same image saved for Balloon_1@2x.png and Balloon_Blue@2x.png, as well as Balloon_1@2x~iphone.png and Balloon_Blue@2x~iphone.png, backgrounds as well if you'd like.

Receiving bubbles: Balloon_2@2x.png || Balloon_2@2x~iphone.png

Outbound Text/SMS bubbles: Balloon_1@2x.png || Balloon_1@2x~iphone.png

Outbound iMessages bubbles: Balloon_Blue@2x.png || Balloon_Blue@2x~iphone.png

GOBLINTIM · Mar 1, 2014

the balloon pngs are there and work in the text messages if the person that texts me does not have an iPhone, (any phone other than an iPhone,) but if someone texts me with another iPhone, then the balloons are both the blue balloons. please check this link out about the differences. this is why I'm wondering about the other folder with these -icon-small@2x.png, icon20@2x.png and icon50@2x.png, this link might help explain, http://www.ianswerguy.com/imessage-difference/

willerz2 · Mar 1, 2014

I wasn't aware that iOS 6 differentiated the inbound message balloon, as it usually appears grey, but the will differentiate itself with a Text Message at the corner, or the entry field will show iMessages. It shouldn't from past experience.

GOBLINTIM · Mar 1, 2014

so is there a way to make them all the same, i can rename the ones if it will work but i don';t know which ones to rename for the outgoing in iMessage ? all works perfecty otherwise.

GOBLINTIM · Mar 1, 2014

the folder with these -icon-small@2x.png, icon20@2x.png and icon50@2x.png, this folder is called private/var/stash/applications,mobilesms , the ones with the ones i made is, private/var/stash/themes.ou4WNl/halloween SMS Theme.theme/folders/chatkit.framework this is where i made my SMS background and where the ballon icons are i made. also the send button.green is in there, no send button blue, witch is what it turns when its a iMessage . i just want them to be the same in both iMessage and text message, it look funny in iMessage to see hobbes talking to hobbes and both in blue balloons, supposed to be calvin with a green balloon talking to hobbes in a blue one. so how can i make them the same?

GOBLINTIM · Mar 2, 2014

Ok i got it figured out, after looking at you post earlier, for some reason i made the Balloon_Blue@2x.png the same as the other Balloon2 and Balloon_blue , those worked fine on my 1st gen original iPhone, but the new ones use the @2x, so i changed one to the one i made for outgoing and now i got it. just thought it was weird that once i did an update of p0sixspwn i got my sending of pics to work, my voice mail notifications to work and then the iMessage thing started. Well its all set now, thanks for that post it helped out when i looked at all the png's i made.