Texting in your iPhone is fast, handy and the popular technique of speaking for tens of millions of individuals. It is also pretty fundamental, and typically can lack options that you simply typically see in third-party messaging apps like WhatsApp or Telegram.
In iOS 18, coming this fall however out there proper now as a public beta, Apple is including quite a lot of desired and in addition sudden options to the Messages app, like textual content formatting, textual content animations, the flexibility to schedule messages and even a option to bounce messages off a satellite tv for pc whenever you’re away from a mobile or Wi-Fi connection.
Even when you do not have the general public beta for iOS 18, you is likely to be taken with what to anticipate from texting in your iPhone later this 12 months. Listed here are seven new options within the Messages app you must learn about.
Learn Extra: It’s Here: How to Download the iOS 18 Public Beta on Your iPhone
Additionally, you’ll want to try our full WWDC 2024 coverage from final month and be taught why iOS 18 is likely to be more exciting than the upcoming iPhone 16.
Due to RCS messaging, you possibly can higher talk with Android customers
The addition of RCS (Wealthy Communication Providers) protocol to Messages ought to reduce friction when texting with mates who personal Android telephones. It permits learn receipts and offers you greater high quality picture transfers and end-to-end encryption (however retains Android message bubbles inexperienced).
In case your service helps RCS, it is probably you need not do something to make use of it. Go to Settings > Apps > Messages > RCS Messaging and ensure the RCS Messaging is turned on.
RCS Messaging must be enabled by default.
It’s also possible to ship textual content messages by way of satellite tv for pc
The Emergency SOS via Satellite characteristic that was launched with the iPhone 14 has been a literal life-saver. When you haven’t any mobile sign, you possibly can connect with a satellite tv for pc and trade brief textual content messages with emergency responders.
With that infrastructure in place, Apple is opening Messages as much as nonemergency texts, too. If you happen to’re out of vary of mobile or Wi-Fi networks and personal an iPhone 14 or later, Messages will immediate you to hook up with a satellite tv for pc. Whereas linked, the Dynamic Island expands that will help you keep pointed on the satellites overhead.
You’ll be able to then textual content folks such as you usually would, and options like emoji and Tapbacks ought to nonetheless work. If you wish to try a demo of the characteristic, go to Settings > Apps > Messages > Messages by way of Satellite tv for pc > Satellite tv for pc Connection Demo. Or simply exit into the center of nowhere and check out it out your self.
Now you can format textual content in Messages
I do not wish to come throughout as “that typography man,” but it surely has lengthy bothered me that one of many solely methods to emphasise textual content in Messages has been to place it in all caps. We as a society have not developed typography over a whole lot of years and invented probably the most refined computing units simply to shout at one another over textual content.
So yeah, I suppose I’m that man. However I really feel higher now that I can categorical myself utilizing daring, italic, underlined and strikethrough textual content in conversations between my mates who’re additionally working iOS 18, iPadOS 18 and MacOS Sequoia.
You’ll be able to apply formatting to a complete phrase, particular person phrases and letters, or combos of these, like so:
- Sort your message.
- To use formatting to the whole message, faucet the Formatting button within the suggestion bar; all your textual content is highlighted. Or, so as to add emphasis to solely a phrase, double-tap to pick the textual content after which press the Formatting button. It’s also possible to select Textual content Results from the choices that seem above the choice.
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Faucet one of many choices on the high of the formatting panel that replaces the keyboard: daring, italic, underline or strikethrough.
Apply textual content formatting to chose textual content or a complete message.
If you happen to format a message that’s despatched to somebody working an older system, they’re going to see solely plain textual content, which may very well be complicated for those who’ve used strikethrough to point eliminated phrases.
You’ll be able to animate your textual content messages
Here is the place I toss apart any pretense of being a typographical purist. A message or chosen phrases or letters will be animated in one in every of eight kinds. Have to ship some large information with extra emphasis than daring textual content? With iOS 18, there are a number of new animation choices you possibly can add to your textual content. The Large animation expands the scale of your letters. Or maybe simply mentioning that it is freezing outdoors does not convey the teeth-chattering chilly — apply the Jitter animation to make the letters shake.
Including animation is simply as simple as formatting textual content:
- Sort your message.
- Faucet the Formatting button within the suggestion bar to pick the whole textual content. Or, choose particular person phrases or letters after which press that button.
- Faucet one of many animation kinds to use it: Large, Small, Shake, Nod, Explode, Ripple, Bloom or Jitter.
Apply animated results to messages.
You’ll be able to combine animations inside a message by making picks and making use of completely different kinds to them. Nonetheless, you possibly can’t apply multiple animation to a variety; a phrase can not shake after which explode, for instance. As with textual content formatting, a message reveals up as plain textual content for anybody not working iOS 18, iPadOS 18 or MacOS Sequoia.
Even with these new options, I need extra: textual content formatting and textual content animation. At present you should use one or the opposite. But when Apple’s engineers could make one thing as advanced as eye-tracking for the Imaginative and prescient Professional, they will make this occur in a subsequent replace.
You’ll be able to flip off auto-playing animations, if that is not your factor
As an instance your good friend simply put in iOS 18 and desires to check out all of the animation results in a collection of messages, making a display filled with pulsing, resizing, jittering and exploding texts. And also you suppose, with all that animation tempting a migraine, what has Apple unleashed?
Do not stress, as a result of you possibly can set the animations to not routinely repeat. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Movement and switch off Auto-Play Message Results. Your good friend can nonetheless ship animated textual content that can play as soon as whenever you obtain it, however you will not be subjected to the animation repeating.
Tips on how to add any emoji or sticker as a tapback in Messages
Generally phrases are pointless. You may reply to somebody’s message utilizing a Tapback icon to precise love, settlement, disagreement, laughter, alarm or curiosity. They’re fast to use and get your reply throughout simply.
They’ve additionally been restricted to simply six icons, and in monochrome no much less.
With iOS 18, Messages provides coloration (and a few cartoony shading) to these icons, but in addition the flexibility to answer with any emoji or sticker. Here is do it:
- Contact and maintain a message till you see the Tapback bubble seem.
- Faucet the emoji button just under the opposite icons. Or, you possibly can swipe left on the bubble to view latest emojis, stickers and a grey emoji button that results in the emoji library.
- Within the emoji picker, select a sticker (left aspect) or any of the a whole lot of emoji.
Add any emoji as a Tapback reply.
You’ll be able to schedule textual content messages utilizing Ship Later
I do know which mates are probably up at midnight to answer to a textual content, and which I might in all probability get up. As a result of I need the second class to proceed to be my mates, the flexibility to schedule texts within the Messages app is nice for once I wish to share a thought however do not want a right away reply.
To ship a message at a specified time, do that:
- Sort your message.
- Faucet the Extra (+) button.
- Faucet Ship Later; it’s possible you’ll have to swipe as much as discover it within the listing of apps and options.
- Within the time picker that seems, set a day and time to ship the message.
- Faucet the Ship Message button (the up arrow) to schedule it.
Up too early or too late? Schedule a message for later so you do not get up the recipient.
Scheduled messages present up with a faint dashed border.
If it’s essential change the timing later, faucet Edit above the message after which select Edit Time from the menu. Additionally, if you end up scheduling messages usually, I like to recommend moving the Send Later option higher in the More list so it is simpler to entry.
For extra, see how Apple redesigned the Photos app in iOS 18 and the way the brand new Passwords app will sync across devices and platforms.
