--- description: On an appearance with Jimmy Kimmel, President Barack Obama told the talk show host that he uses a Blackberry for email, but not for texting. title: Barack Obama Says He Doesn't Send Texts image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Tech](/tag/time-section-tech/) ## Tech Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Barack Obama Says He Doesn't Send Texts by [Sam Frizell](/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 13, 2015 2:51 PM CUT by [Sam Frizell](/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 13, 2015 2:51 PM CUT If your most recent text to Barry O. could not be delivered, don’t take it personally. The President doesn’t text. On an appearance with Jimmy Kimmel Thursday night, President Obama told the talk show host that he uses a Blackberry for email, but not for SMS. And iMessages? Forget about it. “I don’t text,” said President Obama. “I email.” “I still have a Blackberry,” he added to laughter when one person in the audience gave a ‘whoop.’ “The one old guy there, look at that. He’s my age. Somebody in my generation.” Recorders in smartphones can be hacked and turned on to record conversations, even when the phone is off. So Obama doesn’t get an iPhone. “I can’t use phones with recorders in them. The new-fangled stuff, for security reasons I don’t get,” said the President. Watch the full clip above. ### Photos: What Obama's Hugs Meant  You can see it by Obama’s bowed head and Hagel’s sorrowful face – this is an “I’m sorry” hug, plain and simple. Mandel Ngan—AFP/Getty Images  This hug between Obama and former Press Secretary Jay Carney may have been commemorating Carney’s departure, but all people will remember is its awkwardness. Susan Walsh—AP  Here’s where Obama’s hug game is the strongest: with Michelle. The peaceful smile on his face, the warm, full-body embrace – this is clearly an “I love you” hug. Consider it the antidote to the Carney debacle. Jim Watson—AFP/Getty Images  Obama’s hug with nurse Nina Pham after her battle with Ebola was a way to signal to the public that the disease is not as scary as some had thought. This is the hug as public health awareness. Olivier Douliery-—Getty Images  Critics charged that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie "hugged" the president, but the Republican claimed it was just a handshake. Jewel Samad—AFP/Getty Images  The photo of Obama hugging a victim of Hurricane Sandy went viral- his solemn face and her tear-stained one, his arms protectively around her shoulders – this is a presidential hug in its purest form. Pablo Martinez Monsivais—AP  Though Obama’s peck on Burmese democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi’s cheek was a pro-democracy smooch, her visible recoil from the kiss indicates that he may have been better off with a handshake. Jason Reed—Reuters  Obama was literally swept off his feet by pizzeria owner Scott Van Duzer. The now-famous bear hug was a “celebrities are just like us” moment, when Obama showed he could still joke around in a regular ol’ pizza joint. Sept. 9, 2012. Pablo Martinez Monsivais—AP ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3744053/barack-obama-texting/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3744053/barack-obama-texting/"},"headline":"Barack Obama Says He Doesn't Send Texts","datePublished":"2015-03-13T14:51:41.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:45:02.859Z","description":"Email is fair game, though","url":"https://time.com/3744053/barack-obama-texting/","keywords":["Tech","Barack Obama","Smartphones","Email","Jimmy Kimmel","Blackberry"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sam Frizell","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-tech/","name":"Tech"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3744053/barack-obama-texting/","name":"Barack Obama Says He Doesn't Send Texts"}}]}] ```