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GeneralWhat is text messaging (SMS)?Text messaging, or Short Message Service (SMS), is a service offered by most wireless service providers and available on the vast majority of today's mobile phones. You can use it to send and receive short messages (up to 160 characters) to communicate with friends or get information from services like 4INFO. The act of sending a text message can be referred to as texting.Because text messaging fees depend on your particular wireless plan, please contact your wireless service provider for more information on text messaging charges, service plans, and rules and regulations. What is a short code?A shortcode (officially called a Common Short Code) is a short number (generally 4-6 digits long) to which a text message (SMS) can be sent from a mobile phone. Shortcodes are useful because they save you from having to memorize an entire 10-digit number. For example, to send a text message to 4INFO you just send a text message to 44636 (it spells 4INFO on your keypad).What is the Mobile Web (WAP)?Mobile Web sites (also known as WAP sites) are similar to regular websites but formatted for better viewing on your mobile device. Many phones offer the capability of browsing these mobile sites, although it usually requires having a data plan offered by your wireless service provider. Accessing the mobile browser will vary from phone to phone, so please contact your wireless service provider or cell phone manufacturer for more information on getting to the Mobile Web on your phone. To access 4INFO's Mobile Web site, point your phone's browser to http://m.4info.net.Because data fees depend on your particular wireless plan, please contact your wireless service provider for more information on Mobile Web charges, service plans, and rules and regulations. How do I use 4INFO?You can use 4INFO in several ways: you can send us a text message, you can browse to our Mobile Web site, and you can manage your account online at this website. For more detail on each of these options, read on.Text message searchSend a text message from your mobile phone to 44636 (spells 4INFO on your keypad) with the subject of your search. If you're wondering what kind of things you can text to 4INFO (and what kind of answers you'll get), look here. Within a few seconds we'll send you back a text message (or two) with the results. Take a look at our online demo if you prefer a visual explanation of how to use 4INFO's text message search.Mobile Web searchHead to http://m.4info.net on your mobile phone's browser. If you don't know what this means, you may want to read about the Mobile Web. Once you're there, you can search for information by using the search box on the front page. You can use the same search terms as you would with our text message search (find examples here).Text alerts4INFO can automatically send information to your mobile device via text messages that you can receive on a schedule or when interesting events occur. For example, you can get weather reports every day at a certain time or get your favorite sports team's latest score as soon as the game's over.You can set up your alerts right here on 4INFO.net by going to our alerts creation page. If you have more questions about alerts, see our Alerts FAQ. How much does 4INFO cost?4INFO does not charge to use its services. We don't charge anything, however, bear in mind that standard or other charges may apply depending on your carrier. In other words, if you use our text message search the only cost to you is whatever your wireless provider charges you to send and receive text messages. Likewise, if you use our Mobile Web site, the only cost to you is whatever your provider charges you for data/web usage.Do I need to register for 4INFO?No. There is no registration required to use our text message search, text alerts, or Mobile Web search. The main benefit of registering your phone is the ability to manage your 4INFO text alerts online: you can quickly turn them on or off or create new ones that are instantly active.Do I need to confirm my phone to use 4INFO?To ensure that we are not sending messages to anyone who didn't request them, you must confirm that you are the owner of the phone number you provide when you sign up for text alerts on our website. You will receive a confirmation code in a text message that we send during the signup process which you then enter on our site.What if I haven't received my confirmation code?If you are trying to register on 4INFO.net or are trying to create an alert as a new user (by providing your phone number instead of logging in) and haven't received your confirmation code, there are several reasons why this might be. If you carrier is not supported (see "Will 4INFO work with my service provider?" for a list of supported carriers), we can't guarantee that you'll be able to receive messages from 4INFO. If you are on a supported carrier, there may be delays in delivery caused by your wireless provider (see "How long does it take to get a result from 4INFO?"), so your message may arrive in a few minutes. If all else fails, contact us and we'll do our best to ensure you receive your confirmation code.Will 4INFO ever send me unwanted text messages?No. 4INFO will never send you any text messages that are not in response to a message you send us or as part of an alert that you have willfully signed up for. We take your privacy seriously and have created a strict policy for that reason.Will my phone number or account information be sold or used for other purposes?No. Any personal information you provide is kept strictly confidential and will never be released to third parties. Details are available in our privacy policy.Will 4INFO work with my service provider?4INFO supports all major U.S. carriers and most small ones, too. The following is a list of carriers 4INFO currently supports:
I have a prepaid plan. Can I use 4INFO?4INFO works with most prepaid plans, but there are some exceptions. T-Mobile prepaid does not support shortcodes so unfortunately you will not be able to use 4INFO with T-Mobile prepaid.How do I get help on 4INFO from my cell phone?If you're using our text message search, send a message with the word help to 44636 (or any other 4INFO shortcode*). If you're looking for a list of search categories, you can send us a text message with the word menu. If you like, keep this list on your phone for future reference.If you're using our Mobile Web site, you can type the word help into the search box. You can also click the "What sort of answers?" link below the search box for a guide on how to search our most popular categories. * Other 4INFO shortcodes include 446361, 446362, 446363, and 80676. Does my mobile device need to have any special features to use 4INFO?No. All you need is the ability to send and receive text messages (the majority of phones do) to use 4INFO. Just remember that your service provider may charge a fee for text message consumption.Why can't I delete a phone from my account?In order to make the most of your 4INFO experience, your account must be associated with at least one phone number. This lets us know where to send your alerts. If you already have a registered phone and would like to change the number, you can add the new number to your account as a new phone and then delete the original phone.Can I use 4INFO outside of the United States?Our text message search is currently only available in the U.S. However, our Mobile Web site is accessible from any device with a connection to the Mobile Web.Is 4INFO search the same as web search?No. With traditional web search, you get links that take you to pages that (hopefully) provide answers to your search. With 4INFO, you get answers, not links. So if you're looking for the weather in Tucson, you'll get a 5-day forecast for the weather in Tucson. Find more examples of the kinds of information we can provide you here.Is 4INFO a private or publicly traded company?4INFO is a privately held company. 4INFO's primary investors are US Venture Partners, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, and Gannett Company, Inc.What happened to the 4INFO Mobile Application?As of October 1, 2007, 4INFO stopped product updates and technical support for the 4INFO Mobile Application. At this time it is no longer available for download from 4INFO or any of our partner distributors. 4INFO retired support for this product due to the ready availability of equal quality content at our mobile website, or via our SMS search and alerts products.Text Message SearchHow do I send a text message to 4INFO?Sending a text message varies greatly from phone to phone. Whether you are familiar with sending text messages already or not, we have an online demo that will guide you through the process of getting information using 4INFO text message search.Why am I no longer receiving text messages from 4INFO?If you have been getting messages from 4INFO but they've suddenly stopped, this is likely an issue with your wireless provider. Please contact your carrier and inform them that you are no longer able to receive messages from 4INFO. If you have recently ported your phone from one carrier to another, or if you have activated a new device with your existing carrier, it is possible that 4INFO alert subscriptions were disrupted. In this case, please sign in and reactivate your alerts.How long does it take to get a result from 4INFO?Most of the time you should receive a text message back from us within seconds of sending your search request. 4INFO responds to your query instantly but sometimes there is latency in the wireless providers' networks, which might cause your results to be delayed.Are 4INFO searches case-sensitive?No. "Dallas" is the same as "dallas" which is the same as "DALLAS". Although we're all in favor of proper capitalization, we understand that changing cases is difficult on many mobile devices. Feel free to save yourself some time.We often use all-caps to illustrate the kinds of keywords you can use to search on 4INFO. For example, we might say "text HELP to get help." You don't need to use all-caps for the keyword to work. How should I format text messages I send to 4INFO?Here are the most important things keep in mind:
Does 4INFO offer any shortcuts?Absolutely. We're all about saving you time when you type on your mobile device. Most of our major keywords have shortcuts as do the names of places, sports teams, leagues, and more. For instance, "w" works just as well as "weather" and "sf" can be used instead of "san francisco", so you could write "w sf" and spend the time you saved typing those 9 extra characters deciding whether or not to pack your umbrella.Here's a list of shortcuts people have found particularly useful:
What do (1/2) and (2/2) mean?Sometimes the results to your search contain more information than fits on a single text message. In these cases we'll send you two messages and we label each of them so you'll know what order to read them in: (1/2) indicates the first message and (2/2) indicates the second message.Why did I receive my result messages out of order?When we respond to your search with more than one text message, we send them in the correct order and we label each of them: (1/2) and (2/2), for example. However, your wireless provider may shuffle the messages and cause them to arrive out of order. We appreciate your understanding and hope that our message labels will provide some semblance of order in this chaotic world.What does "Reply M for more" mean?We prioritize and condense our results to fit in one or two text messages, but sometimes there's more to say. We give you the option to get more information when you want it. If you see this message at the bottom of results, just send a message to 44636 (4INFO) with the letter m (depending on your phone, you can also reply to the text message directly) and we'll send you the next batch of results.What does "Reply 1 to set alert" mean?Much of our content is available to you in the form of alerts, which are text messages we send you on a schedule or when something interesting happens. For example, if you queried for weather information, we offer the possibility for you to receive a daily weather forecast automatically. If you see this message at the bottom of results you can sign up for alerts straight from your phone by sending a message to 44636 (4INFO) with the number 1 (depending on your phone, you can also reply to the text message directly).How can I get 4INFO to stop sending me messages?4INFO has two ways of sending you messages. In the first, you send a text message to 44636 with a query and we respond with results in one or two text messages back to your phone. In this way, if you don't send us messages, we won't send you messages. The second way is through text alerts which you subscribe to and receive periodically via text message. If you want to cancel your alert subscriptions, see "How do I stop receiving alerts?".Text AlertsWhat are text alerts?Text alerts are a convenient way to automatically receive information on your mobile device via text messages that you can receive on a schedule or when interesting events occur. For example, you can get a weather report sent to your phone every day at a certain time or get your favorite sports team's latest score as soon as the game's over.You can manage your alerts right here on 4INFO.net: create new ones by going to our alerts creation page or modify your existing ones by logging in. How do I create an alert?You can create alerts right here on 4INFO.net by visiting our alert creation page. It lists the various categories for which you can set alerts (sports, stock quotes, weather, and horoscopes, just to name a few). Once you've chosen a category, you'll be prompted to provide information on how and when you wish to receive the alerts. Last, provide and confirm your phone number, and you're set! You can then continue creating alerts without re-confirming your phone.How many alerts can I create?You can create as many alerts as you like. Why not create one now?How do I manage existing alerts on the web?In order to administer alerts you've already created, you will need to register at 4INFO.net. When you log in, you'll be taken to your alert summary page.If you want to turn an alert off, click the green checkmark next to the alert category. It will become a red X and the alert will be turned off. You won't receive this alert again until you turn it back on, which you can do the same way, by clicking on the red X. How do I manage existing alerts on my phone?After receiving an alert message on your phone, you can stop it by sending a text message to 44636 (4INFO) with the word stop. We will send you a text message confirming that you've unsubscribed from the alert. If you wish to stop all your 4INFO alerts at once, you can send a text message to 44636 (4INFO) with the words stop all.How do I stop receiving alerts?To stop your alerts, you can do one of the following things:
I tried stopping my alerts, but I'm still receiving messages. What gives?First try these things:
FeedbackHow do I report an issue with 4INFO's service?We're constantly looking for ways to improve our products and services. If you have feedback on your experience with 4INFO, please send us a note using our contact us form above.How can I contact 4INFO about partnership opportunities?Please fill out our contact us form, and we'll contact you about partnership opportunities.How can I contact 4INFO about advertising?Please fill out our contact us form, and we'll contact you about advertising opportunities.Question or Comment?Question
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