Are you completely befuddled by the new Messages app? Do the extra icons keep sliding over and getting in your way and it annoys you because they’re useless to you? Whenever someone sends you a GIF or a doodle or posts a sticker they found, do you want to just delete the entire app from your iPhone? Don’t take the nuclear option just yet, here's how to become a Messages master!
Dude, Where Are My Photos?
When you click the carrot at the left of the message field, all of the new Messages icons slide into view. Photos is greatly improved. No longer do you have to pop out to separate apps, everything is contained right there. You can take a picture from within Messages, or scroll through your Photo Library. Of course, if the picture you want is buried deep in your library or you want to tweak how that picture is being taken, you still have the option of going to the individual apps, just keep swiping left and you’ll be presented with icons for your Camera and Photo Library apps.
Not Just For Watch Anymore
The next icon over is Digital Touch, where you can create all kinds of temporary scribbles. You can even send a heartbeat like you can on the Watch. I’ve never quite seen the appeal of digital touch messages, but then that’s likely because everything I’ve ever drawn in Digital Touch looks like a stick figure that’s been tortured for the location of the Rebel Alliance's secret base. Also, if you have a little brother, the first thing he’ll send you with this will be crudely drawn genitalia. Sorry, it's inevitable. But if you're a Digital Touch fan, this is a great opportunity to use the feature without having to scribble on your wrist.
My Stickers, Let Me Show You Them
The App Store icon is where things get really interesting. Clicking it displays the apps you have installed on your iPhone that have Message components. (Don’t see your installed apps? Find out how to enable them here). You’ll see your most used apps and stickers in the Recent screen and can scroll to others or jump to an app by clicking the App tray icon at the bottom left. It's here you'll find the Images search tool, where all those GIFs are hiding (unless you're using the Word Flow keyboard, in which case you'll already have ready access to them).
Clicking the Store icon takes you to the new App Store for Messages. The familiar interface provides you access to games, utilities, and stickers to liven up your conversations. I've quickly come to appreciate turn-based games where I do a fair amount of chatting, like Words With Friends, being in Messages. This streamlines the process (It’s helpful that the implementation of Words With Friends is perfect).
But the real stars of the show so far are stickers. From Mario to Star Wars to the Backstreet Boys (to…The Today Show?), it seems there’s a sticker pack waiting for every fandom. The downside is that, with very few exceptions, they're not free. As with any new tech, sticker packs in the App Store for Messages are enjoying a gold rush. Developers aren't asking for a lot of cash, but it’s enough to make me pause and ask myself if I’ll get $2 of satisfaction out of being able to send stylized Disney Princess stickers to my brother every time he starts complaining about his marathon training (spoiler alert, I totally will). They’re a lot of fun and, used selectively, they can bring some extra pop to your conversations. Unlike…
Message Effects, The New Flashing Text
Back in the heyday of the Internet, someone figured out how to make text blink on and off. It was interesting for about ten seconds, then it quickly became a way to identify unsophisticated web pages at a glance. It was showy, didn’t serve a real purpose, and was ultimately more annoying than the effort involved in creating it. That's Message Effects.
Holding down the Send icon in Messages gives you access to Invisible Ink, Slam, and other text effects. I’m still trying to determine what value it brings to iOS. Honestly, that entire part of the keynote, I was shaking my head and cringing every time someone got excited over their twitching, jerking text messages. Getting hands-on with it has not alleviated the feeling that the entire feature is more tech demo than something anyone will actually use with any regularity. It screams of an aging developer base trying to capture the attention of younger users and dramatically missing the mark.
Other than that big misstep, I'm enjoying the more robust feature set of Messages and look forward to seeing what third-party developers come up with as the App Store grows.
