iMessage was launched in 2011 and since then, it has gotten updated with new features numerous times. The last time was with iOS 16, but that certainly doesn’t mean that Apple isn’t prepared to surprise you with even more cool things during WWDC’23 too!
Here’s a quick sound call of all the new iMessage features:
Search filters
Catch up arrow
Swipe to Reply
Location sharing stays in-chat
Audio Message transcriptions
A brand new Check-in feature
New Apps menu
New tools to create stickers
Stickers support for third-party apps
That’s certainly quite the list! These eight new features can power-up your creativity and help you stay safe in a seamless way, which — now, after we’ve heard about it — is a total no-brainer.
Search Filters is pretty much what it sounds like, but with a cool modern twist. You can basically build your own filter, by adding more keywords, which will help you narrow-down precisely what you are looking for in a chat.
The Catch up arrow is something that we’ve seen in the past, but that doesn’t mean that this feature isn’t appreciated. Basically, when you get back to a lively conversation, a nifty Arrow button will be available on the right and tapping it will take you to the last new message, which you haven’t read. Neat!
Inline Location is the official name for the in-chat location feature.
Oh, and this one is rather obvious too: location sharing stays in-chat and end-to-end encrypted, just as it should be. And just as it — allegedly — is in Messenger, for example.
Speaking of features that we’ve seen — swipe to reply is also pretty self explanatory. Think of how replying to specific messages works on WhatsApp or Messenger — that’s what we’re talking about here: you swipe on a message to reply specifically to it.
Audio message transcriptions aren’t anything new either, but it is one of the most user-appreciated features. I mean, who doesn’t hate to receive an audio text when they can’t listen to it? This removes that problem entirely. Naturally, we’ll have to wait until iOS 17 release in order to see how accurate the transcription is.
This is how the good news will look when received in-chat.
So, Check-in is probably the most impressive feature on this iMessage update. So here is how it works:
You set a Check-in to go off in one of your iMessage chat
The feature automatically detects when you’ve gotten home
When it does that, it informs all recipients that you’ve gotten home safely
This makes so much sense, right? And even if we’d rather this never happened to anyone, here’s what happens when you don’t make it home: the feature automatically detects that the user is not making progress, so it sends out an alert to the recipients, with your last location and your phone’s battery status.
Oh, and this info is end-to-end encrypted too. We hope that this one helps iPhone users feel safer!
You see that More section on the bottom? That's how you get to the full list.
iMessage supports apps too. In the past, they used to take up space on the UI, which made it feel cluttered. Now, all of them will be tucked-away in their very own menu, positioned to the left and presented as a Plus icon.
Once tapped, the Icon will expand to reveal a list. Up the top of the list will be your most-used iMessage apps, while later on, you’ll be able to view all of your other apps.
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Now, we’ve reached the Stickers portion! This feature is impressive, as it allows you to really customize your chats. So what’s new? Well, all emojis are finally stickers too. Not only that, but you can now create custom stickers from any of your photos.
Presumably, most of these have been cut out of real photos. Neat!
The cool thing about this update is that the feature automatically detects which object you’d like to create a sticker out of. And this also extends to live photos, which in turn create animated, live stickers.
Oh, and if you are into TCGs or nostalgic for retro stickers, then knowing that your favorite ones can now have a foil texture applied on top will probably make you extra-happy. And yes, it does react to you tilting your iPhone. And totally: it is radical!
Notice the gleam around the edges? Nostalgic, right?
Lastly, Apple announced that stickers will be made available for third-party apps too, so it’ll be interesting to see how that works out. It’d be cool to have these on Instagram, right? But before that happens, we’d love to test how accurate the automatic cutout is, as it seems to be fueled by AI.
And this is about everything new that is coming to iMessage with iOS 17! All of these sound fun to try, so we can’t wait to hear about when the update will be available to users.
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Stan, also known as Stako, is a smartphone enthusiast who loves exploring the limits of Android customization. His journey with mobile tech began with the Nokia 5110 and evolved with devices like the BlackBerry 9350 Curve and Samsung Galaxy A4. Despite his love for Android, he holds equal respect for Apple, considering the iPhone 4s as a significant milestone in mobile tech. Stan started his writing career early, contributing to MetalWorld, and harbors a passion for creative writing. Beyond smartphones, he's interested in photography, design, composition, and gaming, often preferring solo projects to hone his objective thinking. He's also an avid student of open-source technology and consoles, with a special fondness for the Pebble Watch, Arduboy, and Playdate.
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