# iPhone users - turn off "Sent from my iPhone"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 28, 2009, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-users-turn-off-sent-from-my-iphone/522843 "2009-12-28T21:37:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-users-turn-off-sent-from-my-iphone/522843/1 "2009-12-28T21:37:49Z")
I just got an email from a student asking me a question about her grade for the course she took last semester. At the bottom of the message it said, “Sent from my iPhone.” I have other iPhone-using students and friends whose messages say this too, and it drives me to distraction. It screams “look at me, i’m an asshole.” Then i realized that i might be too hard on these folks. It’s possible that you can’t turn this off if you send your message from an iPhone. At the same time, though, that seems rather unlikely to me. So, iPhone owners, can you turn off this annoying message, or does the rest of the world _have_ to be reminded, every time you communicate with them, of which product you are using? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-users-turn-off-sent-from-my-iphone/522843/2 "2009-12-28T21:39:19Z")
You can turn it off, but it’s buried in the settings. Settings -\> Mail, Contacts and Calendars -\> Signature OK, not buried, but not immediately obvious. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-users-turn-off-sent-from-my-iphone/522843/3 "2009-12-28T21:47:38Z")
So, it’s essentially a default signature. Makes sense, i guess. I just searched through my email, and found a few cases where people’s email messages also said things like: “Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry” and “Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T” so it’s not just Apple or iPhone users that are to blame. Personally, i would think that, after you’ve forked over hundreds of dollars for a device, and committed yourself to a two-year, $2,000 contract, the last thing you’d want to do is act as a free advertising conduit for hardware and/or wireless companies. Especially since it’s mainly your friends and work colleagues that you would be spamming. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-users-turn-off-sent-from-my-iphone/522843/4 "2009-12-28T21:50:45Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > So, it’s essentially a default signature. Makes sense, i guess. Yep. And for those of us who work from home but spend a lot of time on the road it’s a way of showing the boss “That 6AM email I sent you was written from the road, not my nice cozy home PC”. -Joe ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-users-turn-off-sent-from-my-iphone/522843/5 "2009-12-28T21:52:44Z")
> [@Merijeek](#): > > Yep. And for those of us who work from home but spend a lot of time on the road it’s a way of showing the boss “That 6AM email I sent you was written from the road, not my nice cozy home PC”. That can backfire the other way. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-users-turn-off-sent-from-my-iphone/522843/6 "2009-12-28T22:00:50Z")
It is the default message signature on the iPhone. I turned the signature off when I first got my iPhone, but I’ve since turned it back on. The message, and similar ones on Blackberries, Androids, etc. signal the recipients of your messages that you’ve typed it on a tiny little keyboard, usually in less-than-optimal conditions, and provide an explanation for why it’s unusually terse or incomplete. A less subtle version that serves the same purpose would be “Don’t whine because this response didn’t address all the points you raised, I’m typing it on a 2-inch keyboard in the subway with someone’s armpit in my face - you should be happy I’m taking the trouble to respond to you outside of my office at all”. “Sent from my mobile device” is an alternative if you’re not happy spreading the Apple/RIM/Google brand around, but then it sounds like you’re a cheapskate who bought some off-brand knockoff you don’t even want to name. ---
**Author:** ![spinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@spinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spinky)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-users-turn-off-sent-from-my-iphone/522843/7 "2009-12-28T22:01:37Z")
I have also seen “Sent from my Windows Mobile device,” although that one’s been waning in popularity (even my Microsoft employee friends have iphones these days). I always interpreted these signatures to have an additional meaning: “If ths massage loks like it was typed wth my thumbs, its bcuz it was.” ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-users-turn-off-sent-from-my-iphone/522843/8 "2009-12-28T22:03:48Z")
> [@Merijeek](#): > > Yep. And for those of us who work from home but spend a lot of time on the road it’s a way of showing the boss “That 6AM email I sent you was written from the road, not my nice cozy home PC”. > > -Joe Of course, given that it’s nothing more than a signature, you could just as easily place “Sent from my iPhone” into the signature box of your computer’s email client, and the boss would see exactly the same thing when he receives your email. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-users-turn-off-sent-from-my-iphone/522843/9 "2009-12-28T22:08:52Z")
> [@Morbo](#): > > That can backfire the other way. 🙂 Not if you’re really careful about it! > [@mhendo](#): > > Of course, given that it’s nothing more than a signature, you could just as easily place “Sent from my iPhone” into the signature box of your computer’s email client, and the boss would see exactly the same thing when he receives your email. Sure. Just be really clear on the spelling or the jig is up! Or it looks like you’re never home, which might look bad when you tell him, “Yeah, I’m at my PC right now. Let me send it” and it has “Sent from my iPhone” at the bottom… -Joe ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-users-turn-off-sent-from-my-iphone/522843/10 "2009-12-28T22:18:14Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > Of course, given that it’s nothing more than a signature, you could just as easily place “Sent from my iPhone” into the signature box of your computer’s email client, and the boss would see exactly the same thing when he receives your email. Yabbut, wouldn’t the headers rat you out? (assuming your PHB knows where to look for them, and that may be asking a lot) ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-users-turn-off-sent-from-my-iphone/522843/11 "2009-12-28T22:18:49Z")
> [@Scarlett67](#): > > Yabbut, wouldn’t the headers rat you out? (assuming your PHB knows where to look for them, and that may be asking a lot) A PHB will, by definition, have no idea what the hell that is. -Joe ---
**Author:** ![Iggins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Iggins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggins)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-users-turn-off-sent-from-my-iphone/522843/12 "2009-12-28T22:25:05Z")
I changed mine to read, “Sent from my Tricorder”. I’ve never thought that a sig line would make me look like an asshole. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-users-turn-off-sent-from-my-iphone/522843/13 "2009-12-28T23:21:40Z")
> [@Scarlett67](#): > > Yabbut, wouldn’t the headers rat you out? (assuming your PHB knows where to look for them, and that may be asking a lot) Sure. My larger point, i guess, was simply that if your boss is so distrusting that you need to make clear your exact location every time you send an email, then you probably have bigger work issues than a default iPhone signature can solve. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-users-turn-off-sent-from-my-iphone/522843/14 "2009-12-28T23:31:00Z")
> [@Iggins](#): > > I changed mine to read, “Sent from my Tricorder”. I’ve never thought that a sig line would make me look like an asshole. If I get an iPhone or other device that uses this type of signature line, I plan to use “This message probably composed while on the crapper.” ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-users-turn-off-sent-from-my-iphone/522843/15 "2009-12-28T23:51:10Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > Sure. My larger point, i guess, was simply that if your boss is so distrusting that you need to make clear your exact location every time you send an email, then you probably have bigger work issues than a default iPhone signature can solve. It’s not that, it’s more a matter of subtle manipulation. Which can’t hurt. Unless you’re caught. Then it can hurt. -Joe ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-users-turn-off-sent-from-my-iphone/522843/16 "2009-12-29T00:27:06Z")
Yeah, just change your signature. Takes a couple of seconds. ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-users-turn-off-sent-from-my-iphone/522843/17 "2009-12-29T00:29:29Z")
> [@Absolute](#): > > A less subtle version that serves the same purpose would be “Don’t whine because this response didn’t address all the points you raised, I’m typing it on a 2-inch keyboard in the subway with someone’s armpit in my face - you should be happy I’m taking the trouble to respond to you outside of my office at all”. I’m not convinced that telling people that they are “lucky” to get the courtesy of a reply would be the optimum networking strategy. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-users-turn-off-sent-from-my-iphone/522843/18 "2009-12-29T02:02:10Z")
> [@Candyman74](#): > > I’m not convinced that telling people that they are “lucky” to get the courtesy of a reply would be the optimum networking strategy. Not only that, but the hype around the iPhone has always suggested to me that their touchscreen keyboard is so awesome that users should have no trouble composing coherent messages. ---
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-users-turn-off-sent-from-my-iphone/522843/19 "2009-12-29T02:12:19Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > Not only that, but the hype around the iPhone has always suggested to me that their touchscreen keyboard is so awesome that users should have no trouble composing coherent messages. Ya right. I like it when I get an answer from my son stating it came from his “moble phone”. It tells me he is not at home, probably at work so I do not bug him. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-users-turn-off-sent-from-my-iphone/522843/20 "2009-12-29T02:22:06Z")
I once worked with a guy who began his voicemail greeting, “I can’t answer my Apple iPhone right now…” I did not like him. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-users-turn-off-sent-from-my-iphone/522843.md?page=2)