iOS 18 is likely just weeks away at the time of writing, but if you're using the beta already you'll know there are plenty of new features you can test drive right now.

And, while RCS messaging is definitely one of the headline features of Messages this year, we'd be remiss if we didn't shine a spotlight on the fun new text effects making their debut in iOS 18.

Ideal for making a statement in a crowded group chat, or just to add a little of your own personal flair to text messages, things are a little different this year since you can now apply effects to single words or phrases - not just the entirety of a message.

Here's how to have fun with text effects on iOS 18.

How to use text effects in Messages on iOS 18

Text effects are available as part of Messages, but they'll only work between iPhones and other Apple devices - sorry, green bubble users.

Still, they're easy to use and fun to experiment with. You can only use one at a time, however, although the formatting options (Bold, Italic, Underline and Strikethrough) are able to be used all at once. You can use multiple text effects on separate words in the same message, though.

1. Open your Messages app, and prepare to start typing a new message or replying to an existing chat
2. Tap the text box where you enter your text, then tap the 'A' icon on the right-hand side of the predictive text options.
3. Select your formatting option between Bold, Italic, Underline, or Strikethrough, or use one of the eight included text effect options.

You can also highlight the words, tap on them to open the 'Cut/Paste' menu, and press the arrow from there to reach Text Effects. The A symbol is likely quicker, though.

All text effects available in iOS 18

There are eight text effects in iOS 18 -  here's the list:

• Big - as the name suggests, this will cause your chosen word or phrase to appear larger, adding emphasis.
• Small - use this to make a more subtle point.
• Shake - make your word selection shift from side to side.
• Nod - agree with a point? This will let your words shift up and down in agreement.
• Explode - this one sends your letters flying.
• Ripple - this text effect adds a touch of sarcasm, I'd say.
• Bloom - Bloom highlights your word, letter by letter, so it catches the eye.
• Jitter - Give your word a nervous shake.

As stated above, you can add multiple text effects to the same message, so long as you're using different words for each.

So, you can highlight, the first half of your message and use Big, and the second half to use Small, if you were so inclined.

Personally, I like the idea of using Explode on a 'Hello', before following up with a Bloom later in the message - just for fun.

Will you be using any of the text effect features in iOS 18 when it arrives? Let us know in the comments.

What about message effects?

Despite the arrival of text effects, you can still use message effects. Just hold down the send button and you'll still have access to Slam, Loud, Gentle, and Invisible Ink - the latter of which is often a godsend for spoilers.

When you delete texts sent in iMessage, you might think they’re gone forever — but one (now ex) husband found out this isn’t always the case in possibly the worst way. 

As reported by The Times, the husband in question had arranged to meet prostitutes via iMessage on his iPhone, and had deleted the incriminating texts from his device, believing this would cover up his infidelity. However, his wife opened up iMessage on the iMac the family shared and found all the texts — revealing years' worth of messages to prostitutes. She filed for divorce shortly after this realization. 

Now, the husband is looking to get £5 million in damages from Apple, for the cost of legal fees, money lost in the divorce, and emotional harm from it. He tells The Times “If you are told a message is deleted you are entitled to believe it's deleted.” He has reportedly been put on beta blockers to reduce panic attacks from the divorce brought on by his infidelity. 

“I genuinely thought I was going to have a heart attack. Divorce is an extraordinarily stressful process and you have children and family dynamics. In my opinion, it’s all because Apple told me my messages were deleted when they weren’t.” London-based law firm Rosenblatt is looking to make a class action lawsuit by pulling in other iPhone users who have suffered from the same blunder. 

What went wrong?

Aside from the texts themselves, which are the first major mistakes the man made, Apple’s own support document for deleting messages notes “If you use Messages in iCloud, deleting a message or conversation on your Mac deletes it from all your devices where Messages in iCloud is on”. It seems, from this context, that the man did not have his iCloud linked to the device. This was likely an intentional move to hide his infidelity but it ended up being the very thing that gave his shenanigans away to his ex-wife. 

Deleting messages only removes them from the device you are on when you have not linked your iCloud to devices. It also will not remove messages from the device you are in communication with. 

Rosenblatt’s Simon Walton claims “In many cases, the iPhone informs the user that messages have been deleted but, as we have seen, that isn’t true and is misleading because they are still found on other linked devices — something Apple doesn’t tell its users.” Though Apple technically does inform users of this, you need to look into the right place to get that information. It is unclear how likely the man is to get any sort of payout from this but his law firm clearly thinks the suit holds some weight. Apple has not yet responded publicly to this case. 

More from iMore

• Messages app for iPhone and iPad: The ultimate guide
• How to set up and activate iMessage for iPhone and iPad
• How to send iMessages on iPhone or iPad

Amongst the many announcements from Apple’s WWDC keynote on June 10, a major upgrade to Messages was revealed for iOS 18, and it’s not RCS.

Available to those who own an iPhone 14 or later when iOS 18 is made available later this year, you’ll be able to send texts from the Messages app via the Satellite feature. On the iOS 18 page of Apple’s site, it explains, “With the satellite capabilities on iPhone 14 or later, you can stay connected with friends and family over iMessage or SMS even without cellular or Wi-Fi service. When texting people on iMessage, you’ll also be able to use key features like sending and receiving messages, emoji, and Tapbacks. And all your iMessages sent over satellite are end-to-end encrypted.”

Being able to send texts from anywhere without a cellular connection will be huge, but that’s not all that’s new in Messages. In iOS 18, you can schedule a message to be sent later, even if your iPhone is switched off. Plus, you can also change the formatting of certain words, making it possible to send messages like this!

You can be forgiven for having missed this feature, as there were a lot of announcements made on June 10 at WWDC. The standout, however, was Apple Intelligence, the company’s innovative take on AI. This includes a brand-new version of its smart assistant Siri, generative prompts for creating unique emojis, and lots more. This service will be made available to iPhone 15 Pro and Apple silicon Mac users in the U.S. later this year.

Apple says that iOS 18 will be made available later this year for iPhone XS devices and above.

• iPhone deals: Verizon | AT&T | Mint Mobile

What else is new in iOS 18?

If there’s a theme for iOS 18, it’s customization. You can place your icons anywhere on the Home Screen and tint them any color you want. There’s also a toggle to switch them into a darker theme. Additionally, you can lock any app behind Touch ID or Face ID, requiring authentication before you can access it.

This customization theme carries on to the Lock Screen as well. You’ll finally be able to change the Flashlight and Camera shortcuts, found at the bottom of the screen since iOS 7, into something else.

Apple’s Photos app has undergone a huge redesign, introducing new options to sort and filter your photos, as well as enabling the app to create albums that include recent trips. The Settings app has also been revamped, with some options combined or moved into other sections, making it easier to navigate.

This is just the start of what iOS 18 offers. If you’d like to try out the upcoming update for your iPhone right now, follow our guide on how to download iOS 18.

More from iMore

• With iOS 18, you no longer have an Apple ID — say hello to Apple Account
• Apple Intelligence: Everything you need to know
• Two of the best Resident Evil games of all time are coming to iPhone, iPad, and Mac

The worlds of Android and iOS just got a little chummier: At WWDC 2024, Apple announced — at last — support for the RCS messaging standard. And a few tweaks to Apple's Messages app to ensure that the experience of iPhone-to-iPhone messaging remains premium.

Android devices have supported RCS messaging for years, and Apple has stubbornly resisted bridging the two standards, which will make it simpler and more seamless to communicate across the two platforms. At the WWDC 2024 event, Apple announced a slew of new texting features certain to be exclusive to Apple's iPhones, including text that bounces and pops, formatting such as underlines and bolds, and more. 

And oh, one more thing: In a slide summarizing the new features, the company snuck in three words: RCS Messaging Support. 

Support for the standard wasn't mentioned in the presentation, but one assumes it will come as part of iOS 18, which will be available in beta form shortly. 

Also included in Apple's updated Messages app: new Tapbacks. Apple has redesigned the existing options, and the app will now let you react with any emoji from iOS. You can also now schedule messages in the Messages app in iOS 18, and there are new text formatting options including italics and bold, as well as new Text Effects that will surface suggested emojis and can be added to any text with your keyboard. Finally, Apple is bringing Messages via Satellite to iPhone using the same technology that powers its Emergency SOS feature, and the messages are end-to-end encrypted. The new Mail app includes on-device categorization and there's a new digest view that can show you lots of different emails from one business. 

But back to the headlines: RCS messaging support! Support for the feature has long been rumored and expected, especially after Google leaked the news in March. At the time, the company updated an RCS messaging webpage to mention that "Apple has announced it will be adopting RCS in the fall of 2024," adding that "Once that happens, it will mean a better messaging experience for everyone." 

Apple had announced no such thing, of course, and frankly announced very little today at WWDC. Perhaps tellingly, that message is no longer available on the Android RCS webpage.

Odds are, it will be shortly. 

When iOS 17 launched in September, one change left users scratching their heads: Messages’ extra button to access functions like sending photos, which was incredibly frustrating to get used to. In iOS 16 you could just tap the Photos icon at the bottom of the screen and select a photo to send to a friend, but in iOS 17 you need to tap the + then the Photos icon, making the process that little bit more complicated.

But what if I were to tell you that you can send photos via iMessage or SMS in the Messages app with just one tap again? And it’s been under our noses the whole time. Here’s how to bypass iOS 17’s most annoying design change.

How to send photos via Messages on iOS 17 with just one tap again

After using iOS 17’s new method for nearly a year, I’ve become accustomed to going through the Messages app menu. That said, it looks like there’s been a way to bypass it all along. Simply hold down on the + icon to quickly access your most recent photos rather than press +, then Photos, then select a photo to send. It’s that easy, and just by changing the way you interact with the + icon, you’ll save yourself a ton of time.

I wish I’d known this iPhone trick sooner

I share quick iPhone tips daily on iMore and while most of them I know of beforehand, this one is completely new to me. Having used iOS 17 since WWDC in 2023, I’ve been so frustrated with the added friction when sending photos to friends and family via Messages. This iPhone trick completely alleviates that and lets me use my iPhone again in the same way I’d known for years.

This tip works on all of the best iPhones running iOS 17, so if you’ve still not come to love the Messages app menu, you can now skip past it completely. Hopefully, Apple will keep this secret function in iOS 18 when it launches later this year.

The news that Apple is going to add support for RCS to the Messages app on the iPhone was a surprise when it was confirmed in November of last year, but the company didn't say exactly when that would happen. Instead, Apple's press release simply said that we should expect RCs to come to the iPhone in 2024. Many immediately made the assumption that we should expect that to happen alongside the release of the iOS 18 software update this fall, and now it appears that we might have been right on the money with that.

Google has long made no bones about the fact that it believed Apple should add RCS support to the iPhone, thanks in no small part to what that would mean for users of Android phones. The lack of iMessage support on Android means that people have to resort to using third-party apps like WhatsApp to send rich messages to iPhone owners without falling back to MMS like it's the turn of the century. But RCS fixes that issue, allowing people to send and receive rich messages using the built-in messaging apps that come pre-installed on iPhones and Android phones.  And it seems that Google is so excited that it's semi-leaked the launch date for Apple's RCS support.

Google recently updated an RCS messaging webpage to mention that "Apple has announced it will be adopting RCS in the fall of 2024," adding that "Once that happens, it will mean a better messaging experience for everyone." But Apple had announced no such thing. Perhaps tellingly, that message is no longer available on the Android RCS webpage.

Coming this fall

The text was first reported by 9to5Google, but while the fall 2024 launch window does suggest that iOS 18 is the update that will bring RCS to the iPhone, there's still a little wiggle room for Apple if it needs it.

Apple has a history of announcing features that will be part of big iOS updates only for them to actually ship as part of a point release a little later. Apple is expected to ship iOS 18 to the public this September, but we may see an 18.1 release come in October and if so, that may be the update that brings the RCS functionality/

We might learn more soon enough, though. Apple is expected to announce and preview the iOS 18 update as part of the WWDC 2024 event on June 10. Apple is then expected to make the update available to developers on the same day before a months-long beta process. If RCS support isn't there on June 10, it's a safe bet that it could be part of an iOS 18.1 update instead.

The addition of the RCS feature is only part of the iOS 18 update expectation, however. Apple is roundly expected to add some new AI features to the mix and is now thought to be in talks with both Google and OpenAI about the possibility of using their respective generative AI technologies. It's still unclear what Apple has in mind, but improvements to the ailing Siri digital assistant seem like a no-brainer at this point. Similar Apple AI features are also expected to be part of the macOS 15 update, too.

The WWDC event is also expected to see the debut of new software updates for the Apple Watch, iPad, Apple TV, and Apple Vision Pro.

More from iMore

• iMessage vs. RCS: Which is better?
• The iPhone getting RCS seems huge, but it won't fix the green ...
• Apple's RCS 180 had nothing to do with the DMA — "Apple's hand was forced but by China, not the EU"

You'd need to have been hiding under a rock to have missed the big news in the world of iPhones over the last week or so, but we'll run through a super-quick recap for those who might have missed it — someone tried to bring iMessage to Android and Apple blocked it. Then a senator decided to wade in and say the wrong thing

Oh, OK, we'll give you the slightly longer version.

A week or so ago Beeper started to offer a $2 per month subscription service that brought iMessage to Android devices. Dubbed Beeper Mini, the app didn't do quite as much hackery as previous iMessage-on-Android implementations, so there were no shady Mac mini servers running in data centers forwarding messages around. Instead, Beeper had found a way to reverse engineer the iMessage protocol and then hook into it as if it were a real iPhone. Or a Mac, iPad, or Apple Watch, for that matter. That meant that messages were supposedly safe and sound, something that similar alternatives from Nothing and Sunbird couldn't boast.

Except, things probably aren't quite as secure as we've been told and Apple definitely isn't going to take any risks. So it's already blocked Beeper Mini entirely, although Beeper claims that it's already working on a fix. And when it does, we can expect Apple to block that, too. That's despite Senator Elizabeth Warren getting involved, throwing a post up on the X social media platform that completely misses the point and seems to have come straight from a co-founder of Beeper himself. If you're going to be wrong, at least be uniquely wrong.

Bringing down the ban hammer

When Beeper Mini stopped working it was assumed that Apple had pulled the plug, something that it later confirmed. "At Apple, we build our products and services with industry-leading privacy and security technologies designed to give users control of their data and keep personal information safe," the company said in a statement provided to CNET, among others. "We took steps to protect our users by blocking techniques that exploit fake credentials in order to gain access to iMessage."

That final sentence is the crux of the matter, and it's clearly how Beeper Mini was working. The service pretended to be a real Apple device by providing the iMessage service with fake credentials, allowing it to then send and receive iMessages as if it were a real iPhone. But all of that is obviously against Apple's rules and, as Apple suggests, opens the door to a variety of security issues.

Beeper, for its part, claims that the way it was hooking directly into iMessage ensures that the messaging pipeline remains end-to-end encrypted. And that might well be the case. But because those messages are then being decrypted in a third-party app outside of Apple's ecosystem, the chain of custody is immediately broken. It's like saying that your home is secure because it has 5 locks and 3 padlocks. None of that matters the minute you invite someone through the door — and by allowing iMessages onto Android devices, that's essentially what Beeper Mini is doing.

So Apple blocked it. Seems fair enough, right?

'Protecting profits by squashing competitors'

Just when I thought we were done with this story until Beeper had another go at faking credentials, Senator Warren popped up with a carbon copy of a previous argument made by Beeper co-founder Eric Migicovsky. He'd previously argued that “if Apple truly cares about the privacy and security of their own iPhone users, why would they stop a service that enables their own users to now send encrypted messages to Android users, rather than using unsecure SMS?”

Migicovsky said that on Friday. Then, on Monday, we get this:

Seems .... familiar.

Ignoring the borrowed talking point for a moment, let's move on to the claim that Apple is "protecting profits by squashing competitors." Because that, frankly, is laughable.

Now let me preface this by saying that I think it would be great if Apple brought iMessage to Android. It'd make many of our lives easier. But should Apple be forced to do it? Of course not.

Apple isn't squashing a competitor by preventing Beeper from breaking into iMessage and forcing it to work on a different platform. It's stopping Beeper from accessing a service that it doesn't own, nor has permission to access, in order to then resell it for profit. That's a very different thing, and I'd like to think that a senator would be able to figure that much out for themselves. And maybe they can when they aren't just regurgitating a soundbite from the guy whose company just got found out.

This whole thing also ignores the myriad other secure messaging services that are available on iOS. WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal are just three of them. Even Facebook Messenger supports end-to-end encryption these days.

If people who own an Android phone want to send and receive messages with their iPhone-owning friends in a secure manner, they can use those options instead. That has to be a better option than paying another company to make iMessage less secure, surely.

And if you really, really want that blue bubble, I'm sure Apple will sell you an iPhone. It has some cool features. And iMessage is just one of them. But a feature of the iPhone is all that iMessage is. And there's no reason Apple should be forced to share it.

Senator Warren will want Apple to let people install iOS on their Samsung phones next.

Just buy an iPhone

Apple CEO Tim Cook caused a stir last year when he suggested that people who want to see a blue bubble when texting Android owners should just "buy your mom an iPhone." And he's right.

Apple is making Messages work better with Android phones by adding RCS in 2024, allowing for rich media and more while finally putting a nail in SMS's coffin. But even RCS, the feature Google and Android owners have been begging Apple to implement for years, isn't encrypted.

So yeah, RCS will make it easier to send cute cat photos to your Android-toting family. But those bubbles will still be green. And that's exactly the way it should be.

More from iMore

• Messages app for iPhone and iPad: The ultimate guide
• How to set up and activate iMessage for iPhone and iPad
• iMessage vs. RCS: Which is better?

When you think of all of the features that keep iPhone owners owning iPhones, there are a few aspects of the Apple ecosystem that spring to mind. There's the App Store and the (at least perceived) security that it offers. Apple Pay is another thing we iPhone users love, too. And those cameras are great, sure. But Google's Pixel phones have great cameras and are the closest thing to an iPhone you're likely to find in the Android world. What's something that iPhones have that no other phones do?

I'm of course talking about iMessage, the instant messaging service that is only available to owners of the iPhone, plus other Apple hardware like the iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac. No matter what you do you can't get iMessage on Android, despite how much Nothing might try to claim you can.

And that's the rub. With iMessage such a big deal for iPhone owners, it makes switching less likely. But worse, it means that whenever an iPhone owner tries to send a message to the owner of an Android phone via the Messages app that message goes via SMS, a relic of the 1990s. The first SMS was sent in 1992, long before some of the people reading this were born. The fact that an iPhone 15 has to use SMS in 2023 is a sorry state of affairs. But not for long, with Apple confirming that it will bring RCS to the iPhone in 2024. Think of RCS as an upgraded SMS/MMS situation and you'll have the picture. It brings with it many of the same qualities as iMessage, but importantly, it's cross-platform. That fixes the problem of photos and videos sent between iOS and Android being compressed to the lowest possible quality, but it doesn't fix another big problem — it doesn't fix the green bubbles. And that might just be the biggest problem here.

RCS is a start, but probably not enough

For its part, Google has been campaigning for Apple to support RCS on iPhones for years now. Google is well aware of the pull that iMessage has among users, and it also knows that sending messages between iPhones and Android phones is a problem. So it is perhaps no surprise that it's pretty pleased that RCS is on its way to iPhones everywhere.

“Everyone deserves to communicate with each other in ways that are modern and secure, no matter what phone they have," Google told iMore. "That’s why we have worked closely with the mobile industry to accelerate the adoption of RCS, and we’re happy to see Apple take their first step today by coming on board to embrace RCS. We welcome Apple’s participation in our ongoing work with GSMA to evolve RCS and make messaging more equitable and secure, and look forward to working with them to implement this on iOS in a way that works well for everyone.”

But the warm and fuzzy feeling might be tempered somewhat by the news that Apple intends to make sure that people are well aware of which type of message they're sending. That is, iMessages will still live in blue bubbles and RCS messages will borrow the green bubbles previously reserved for SMS. We still don't know how things will be handled functionally, and we probably won't until an as-yet undefined point in 2024. WWDC in June seems the most likely date for that and if so, we won't actually enjoy RCS itself until iOS 18 lands in September of the same year. But even when it's here, it might not fix the real problem — those bubbles.

Green bubbles = bad

Now it's important to remember that I live in the UK and, thankfully, most of my friends and family have iPhones. But for those who do insist on using something else we just use third-party apps like WhatsApp instead. It's fine, if not ideal.

But I gather that things are very different in the United States, where getting people to use any messaging app other than the built-in Messages is a bit of a problem. In fact, I'm told that iPhone owners — particularly kids and young adults — seem to look down on those green bubbles for reasons I can't quite fathom. And not just look down on them, either. I'm told that kids are bullying their green bubble friends over such things, which is madness.

And the sad fact of the matter is that no amount of RCS support is going to fix that. Sure, kids might be able to send their memes in HD and that's cool, but they won't care whether they're sending them over SMS or RCS. All they'll see is that green bubble and it'll be like nothing has changed.

It's important to remember that as good as the news of impending RCS support is great, this isn't what some people seem to believe. Apple is not bringing iMessage to Android. It's bringing Android's answer to iMessage to the iPhone, and that's a key differentiation to make. Yes, iPhones and Android phones can send and receive messages in a way more befitting the year 2023.  But the only real fix for any of the bubble problems is to make iMessage interoperable with other platforms. And that might not be as crazy of an idea as you might think.

The EC to the rescue?

Fresh from forcing Apple to adopt USB-C with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro, the European Commission (EC) has its sights on iMessage. Google has, understandably, already put its weight behind the idea that Apple should be forced to make iMessage interoperable with Android.

I firmly believe that Apple's impending adoption of RCS is solely to try and get ahead of any changes that the EC might force upon iMessage, but is it enough? I'm not convinced that it is, but it isn't down to me. The real question is whether The EC will be convinced and, so far at least, it hasn't been keen to let Apple dictate things. RCS support doesn't change the fact that iMessage is platform-specific, and that might just be enough to get the Europeans' attention regardless of what resolution green bubble memes are sent in in the future.

Nothing, a company founded by Carl Pei, the man who co-founded OnePlus before it, today announced that it "made iMessage for Android," releasing a video with a faux interview with a journalist to back it up. Except, it didn't. But don't worry, we'll get to why that is soon enough.

First, let's look into the announcement itself because it sounds pretty great if you're an iPhone owner looking to ditch Apple and go all-in on Android. Or more specifically, Nothing because that's where the app is. It isn't available to everyone who owns an Android phone — you'll need a Nothing Phone (2). But again, we'll get to that.

First, let's look at how the Nothing implementation brings iMessage to the Nothing Phone (2) or, more specifically, most of iMessage. Because some of its best features aren't supported yet, if ever. But we'll get to that.

First, let's dive into how all of this happens in a secure way which means your data is always safe no matter what. In fact, we can't do that either.

Oh boy.

The announcement

OK, snark aside — but only for a minute — let's really take a look at what's going on here. Because on the face of it, it's impressive. Carl Pei and team announced Nothing Chats, a new messaging platform/app that will let you sign in with your Apple ID and then effectively send and receive iMessages as if you were using an iPhone.

Things like group chats work, to some extent, and you can send and receive full-quality media. You'll even get the typing indicator that some love so much, too. Although Mr Pei doesn't — he explains that in the strange announcement video below. But group chats with Android users don't work, and reactions don't, either. Maybe in the future, though.

Nothing calls its Nothing Chats app "a game-changing solution," adding that "if messaging services are dividing phone users, then we want to break those barriers down." Burn, Apple.

That's obviously aimed at the way some people seem to obsess over so-called blue and green bubbles. Blue bubbles are those who have iPhones and use iMessage. Green bubbles are those who have Android phones and have to resort to SMS like cave people. Apple could fix that by implementing RCS, but that's another discussion for another time. 

With Apple understandably not keen to open iMessage up to Android users — although the EU might not give it a choice on the matter — it's left to Nothing to fix things. So long as you buy its latest phone, that is.

But, how?

So, if Apple doesn't want iMessage on Android, how has Nothing managed it? Well, it hasn't. Because it's farmed that out to a company called Sunbird which already has a waitlist for its service that you can conveniently bypass by buying, you guessed it, a Nothing Phone (2).

"Nothing Chats is an app developed in partnership with Sunbird, which allows you to message other users via blue bubble," Nothing's website reads. "We are currently in a Beta phase, which means more features and improvements are coming down the line. Stay in the loop by signing up for updates." The whole thing goes live on Friday in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the EU.

So how does Sunbird work?

Well, its FAQ section says that "the Sunbird app is fully encrypted while SMS text messages are not." It goes on to add that "your messages from the Sunbird app will appear as blue bubbles to iPhone and Mac users." Cool.

Sunbird's Privacy and Security Standards page has a bit more information, at least. We're told that it doesn't collect any message data, nor does it siphon out your content, contacts, or "etc". "We only collect Sunbird App account information from you to authenticate your account. This means that the company does not store any user data on its servers, nor does it collect any metadata about messages," it adds.

But I couldn't find any indication of how it connects to Apple's iMessage service, nor how it does that using your Apple ID credentials. Worryingly, Marques Brownlee says that the whole thing is"... literally signing in on some Mac Mini in a server farm somewhere, and that Mac mini will then do all of the routing for you to make this happen.” That sounds ... bad?

Nothing's head of PR has told The Verge that those Mac minis are housed in the US and Europe and that they store iCloud credentials as a token “in an encrypted database.” Account information is deleted after two weeks of inactivity, too.

But call me old-fashioned — I've been called worse — I just don't like the idea of any of this. I guess a lot of the issue here is how much you trust Nothing and/or Sunbird. I've nothing against either, particularly. But I've barely heard of the latter and frankly, I don't know that I trust any of these companies to do the right thing or be as clued up on data center security as they should be. What happens if someone gains access to one of those Mac mini servers? How readily can they gain access to my iCloud account as a whole?

Maybe these are all questions we'll get answers to in the future. Maybe we won't. But for now, I wouldn't go anywhere near this with a ten-foot pole.

It might not matter anyway

One of the more interesting things about this announcement is that Pei seems to be aware that Apple might not let this fly. Whether or not this whole thing breaks Apple's terms of service or not, I don't know. But I find it odd that the announcement came today (Tuesday) but Nothing Chats won't go live until Friday.

Is Nothing waiting for Apple to throw a legal spanner in the works so it can point a finger and shout "bad guy Apple"? Nothing wouldn't be the first to do it after all.

As a European, it always strikes me as strange that we're even having this conversation. The App Store is filled to the gills with apps that offer cross-platform messaging features. If the bubble problem really is a problem, just use WhatsApp.

It's free, and you don't have to buy a Nothing Phone (2) to use it.

Google and a handful of European carriers have written to the European Commission (EC) to urge it to designate iMessage as a 'Gatekeeper,' a move that would force it to open the messaging service up to competing platforms.

The EC is already investigating whether iMessage should be added to a growing list of platforms and services that are designated as so-called 'Gatekeepers,' But Apple argues that it doesn't meet the 45 million monthly-user threshold required for that to be a consideration.

But that so far hasn't stopped the EC from taking a good, long look at iMessage to figure out whether Apple should be required to make it interoperable with other similar platforms like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger — both two platforms that are already on the EC's list of gatekeepers.

Interoperability is the word of the day

This is all in the name of the Digital Markets Act, or DMA, with the Financial Times reporting that Google joined executives from a number of European carriers including Vodafone and Deutsche Telekom in arguing that iMessage should be added to its list.

The DMCA is designed to ensure that no one company or platform can hold a specific user base hostage. In this example, it would be argued that iMessage locks users into iPhones, iPads, and Macs while making the experience worse for those who don't use those devices but need to communicate with people who do.

Right now, any cross-platform communications are done via SMS, the same service that has been around for decades. Google's Android supports the RCS standard, an upgrade on SMS that adds iMessage-like features including reactions and read receipts, but Apple has so far refused to support it. Google has long called on Apple to add RCS support to open a line of communication for Android users.

While there are third-party cross-platform services like the aforementioned WhatsApp and Messenger, they all require their own apps. If Apple was forced to open iMessage up we could expect its messages to appear in the WhatsApp and Messenger apps and vice versa, for example.

If Apple is forced to open iMessage up to other platforms and services, the change may only apply to users in the European Union. However, as Apple has shown with the switch to USB-C, it's possible it may simply go all-in and spin the change as a feature rather than something it's been forced to do in order to keep iMessage available across (almost) an entire continent. 

Apple is reportedly trying to convince the European Union (EU) that not enough people use iMessage to put it in the crosshairs of the bloc's new gatekeeper rules.

The EU is set to announce a list of companies and services that will be placed on a list of gatekeepers on September 6, and Apple is keen to ensure that iMessage doesn't find its way onto it.

Microsoft is reportedly also working to ensure that its Bing search engine won't be added to the same list, arguing that its market share is comparatively low when placed beside the main competition in the shape of Google.

Digital Markets Act

The Financial Times reports that Apple believes that iMessage doesn't meet the Digital Markets Act's threshold of 45 million monthly active users at which it would be added to the gatekeeper list. Apple hasn't publicly said how many people do actually use the messaging service, however, but that might be about to change.

Companies and services added to the list will have to meet new interoperability rules which could potentially see things like iMessage opened up in ways Apple would prefer didn't happen. A future where iMessage, WhatsApp, and other instant messaging apps are all available in one app and across multiple networks is something that Apple is likely to fight against.

However, Apple is already working to deal with other aspects of the DMA. It's thought to be planning changes that would allow third-party app stores on the iPhone and iPad, for example.

Those added to the gatekeeper list will have until March 2024 to comply with the DMA's requirements. Apple and Microsoft are far from the only ones impacted, of course, with the likes of Amazon, Meta, Alphabet, and others also very much in the sights of the  EU's growing competition laws.

All of this is a distraction Apple could do without as it gets ready to announce the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro lineups on September 12.

Apple says that it will remove features like FaceTime and iMessage from devices sold in the United Kingdom if it is forced to abide by proposed security laws.

Those changes to an existing law, dubbed the "snooper's charter" by some, would require that companies like Apple more quickly react to the U.K. government's demand that security features be disabled to allow it to access people's data.

Apple employs end-to-end encryption across a number of services and this potential law change could see the government demand that it be given a back door into those services.

Privacy matters

Apple says that it will not make changes to security features for a single country that would then weaken security for all users. The BBC reports that Apple also warns that the new U.K. proposals "constitute a serious and direct threat to data security and information privacy" that would impact people globally, not just in the U.K.

Under the proposed law changes companies like Apple must act immediately if the Home Office demands security features are disabled — and do it without telling members of the public. Apple says that wouldn't be possible anyway because a software update would be required in order to remove its encryption technology. The U.K. Home Office can already make such demands, but they must first get past an independent entity and Apple can appeal any decision. That would no longer be the case if this amendment goes through.

Apple isn't the only company to have threatened to remove services from the U.K. if forced to compromise security. Instant messaging platform Signal has also said that it will "walk" from the U.K. should its encrypted messages be impacted.

Apple of course finds itself in a tricky position here. It's made a big thing about the iPhone offering strong privacy features including encryption. Effectively unlocking iMessage in particular would go against that "privacy is a human right" stance that Apple has become so famous for.

The best iPhone is, in Apple's eyes, a secure and private one. It's increasingly clear that the U.K. government would disagree. Its argument is that it needs access to users' data and communications so as to help prevent child abuse material from spreading online.

The U.K. government is now running an eight-week consultation on the proposed amendment to its Investigatory Powers Act.

iOS 17 brings a whole range of new features to the iPhone. But we don't think there are any that are quite as important as Check In. The new Check In feature allows you to quickly and easily let your loved ones know when you arrive safely at your destination, bringing them peace of mind.

Check In allows you to share important information with a friend or family member when you travel. The best bit is it also checks in with you if you stop making progress toward your destination. A little like other location-tracking apps, you can also choose a buddy who can see your location, battery level, and even the cell service on your iPhone as you go.

We think Check In will prove to be an incredibly handy feature, prioritizing security and safety. Here’s how to use Check In on the Messages app in iOS 17 whether you have an older iPhone or the latest iPhone 15 or iPhone 15 Pro.

• 20 iOS 17 tips and tricks: the ultimate iPhone cheat sheet

How to use Check In on iOS 17

Check In Requirements

• Both users must be using iOS 17
• Location Services must be enabled
• The Person who initiates Check In must have an active cellular data plan

If all these criteria are met then you can share your Check In with your friend or family member in just a few steps:

1. Open Messages
2. Head to the chat with your friend and tap the + icon next to the chat field
3. Select Check In

When using Check In for the first time, iOS 17 will give you a great rundown of what it is and how to use it. You’ll also need to decide whether to give Limited or Full data sharing access.

4. Tap Edit to adjust the Check In details of your message. From here, you can choose between a whole range of options.

• In the When I arrive tab, you can choose your destination location as well as select the estimated travel time depending on your mode of transport
• In the After a timer tab, you can set a time to get an alert and confirm you’re ok. If you don’t respond to the prompt within 15 minutes of the notification, your friend receives an alert. 

5. Tap Done followed by Send

Once you’ve sent your Check In, you can cancel and add extra time if you’re running late. Check In works exactly as you’d hope it would and brings huge peace of mind and safety features to your iPhone.

Take away the worry with Check In

Check In is a very useful feature that will become part of our daily lives thanks to its easy-to-use interface and the way it integrates with Messages.

We know that lots of people have been looking forward to iOS 17 so they can use this safety feature and worry less about their kids, friends, or family members. Thanks to end-to-end encryption, you needn’t worry about location tracking or anyone stealing your location information either.

With the iPhone 15 just around the corner, the chances are you've never been involved in more iMessage group chats than you have right now. With more and more of your friends piling on board, there's no doubt you're probably in too many group chats. 

Group chat fatigue is real, especially when you consider that there are so many messaging apps most people are now involved in. iOS 17 brings some cool changes and new features to messaging, but thankfully leaving a group chat hasn't changed, so it won't be any different in September when the new iPhones roll around. Here's how to leave a group chat in the Messages app on your iPhone. 

We’ll also show you how to mute notifications if you don’t want to be rude but want some peace and quiet for a little while. 

How to leave a group chat on iPhone

1. Open the conversation you want to leave in the Messages app
2. Tap the members icon at the top of the chat
3. Tap Leave this Conversation
4. Tap Leave this Conversation again to confirm

It’s as simple as that, be gone pesky notifications! But, of course, if you would rather mute the conversation so you can return to it later, there’s an easy way to mute messages too.

How to mute notifications from group chats on iPhone

1. Open the conversation you want to leave in the Messages app
2. Tap the member icons at the top of the chat
3. Toggle on Hide Alerts
4. Alternatively, swipe left on a chat in the Messages app and tap the purple mute box.

Silence is golden

After you mute your first group chat, you’ll wonder why you haven’t done it sooner. A few months ago, I had a cathartic experience where I left obsolete group chats and muted others to tidy up my Messages app. Now, iMessage doesn’t feel like it’s bogging down my device, and I also saved some storage by leaving the content-heavy chats.

The best iPhones are those you’re in control of, not those that clog up your social life. So start the spring clean by leaving group chats in iMessage that are no longer active or you no longer want to be a part of, and start appreciating your conversations with the people you care about more.

iMessage even has ways to play games with your friends on iOS 16, and I’ve found that by removing many unwanted chats, I can now focus on what matters most - beating my friends at 8 ball pool.

Playing games with the Messages app using your iPhone or iPad with iOS 16 is fun to do with friends and family when sending a text just isn’t enough.

The Messages app is a pivotal part of your smartphone, probably even the most used app on many people’s devices. Since its debut with iOS 5 in 2011, it has expanded to include a range of features such as meme generators, message effects, GIFs, and even games.

Most of us remember when we’d play games with one another over an instant messaging app such as MSN Messenger back in the day. Now, it’s as simple as reaching for your iPhone and deciding on a game.

With this in mind, we will show you how to challenge your friends to various games when the day feels slow, and conversations are getting stale.

Playing a game in iMessage

1. Find a game you want to play

In Messages, tap the App Store icon and search for a game. You want to find a game that says “in Messages,” as these are the easiest to use and playable from within the Messages app.

We’ve chosen GamePigeon here, as it features a whole host of different games, from darts to basketball. For this tutorial, we’re going to play classic 8-ball pool.

2. Select the game in the chat

Now that you’ve downloaded the game you want to play, select it from the Messages toolbar from within the chat.

3. Start a new game

Click to start a new game by following the on-screen instructions.

4. Wait for your opponent to start the game

Now you wait for your opponent to respond, and let the games begin!

Gaming in Messages

Using the Messages app for games is a great way to interact with your friends throughout the day on your iPhone. Whether it’s challenging them to a game of chess or playing Wordle alternatives, there’s always fun to be had.

GamePigeon is a great first app to try, as it has so many options to choose from. If you’re like me, you’ll have back-and-forth challenges with your friends to prove who’s the best iMessage darts player.

It’s as simple as that, there are so many fun ways to use Messages in iOS 16, and gaming is definitely one you should try.

Apple is reportedly expanding one of its child safety features to six more countries very soon.

As reported by iCulture, Apple's Communication safety in Messages feature will be expanding to users in the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Japan, South Korea, and Brazil. So far, the feature has only been launched in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States.

According to the report, the feature will be rolling out to users in all six new countries "in the coming weeks." The outlet says that it was informed of the rollout by Apple itself at a media briefing held earlier today.

Here's what Communication Safety does

Originally released in iOS 15.2, which was released back in January 2022, Communication Safety in Messages will warn children if they send or receive a photo that contains nudity when using the Messages app.

As explained by Apple, "when receiving this type of content, the photo will be blurred and the child will be warned, presented with helpful resources, and reassured it is okay if they do not want to view this photo. Similar protections are available if a child attempts to send photos that contain nudity. In both cases, children are given the option to message someone they trust for help if they choose."

Apple says that "Messages analyzes image attachments and determines if a photo contains nudity, while maintaining the end-to-end encryption of the messages. The feature is designed so that no indication of the detection of nudity ever leaves the device." As with anything the company does lately with privacy, it ensures that "Apple does not get access to the messages, and no notifications are sent to the parent or anyone else."

Apple provides more information about its child safety features on its Child Safety webpage. The feature works in Apple's Messages app across the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch.

If you've been using iMessage for the last few years, you've likely gotten used to the ability to react to a message. If someone sends you a message, you might choose a message reaction over sending a message back.

However, with iMessage, you are currently limited to the number of reactions you can choose. Apple has also created custom reactions for messages. The reaction options you currently have access to is a heart, thumbs up, thumbs down, HAHA, exclamation point, and question.

Google seems keen on jumping ahead of Apple in terms of what kinds of reactions you can make to a message and, instead of creating more custom reactions, wants to use a communications tool that we have all gotten very used to: emojis.

Google Messages wants you to react with emojis

As reported by 9to5Google, Google is adding the ability to react to a message with any emoji that you want. Reacting to a message will still suggest a small number of emojis, just like iMessage's custom reactions, but you'll now also have the option to dive into and choose from the full range of emojis.

Reacting to messages with an emoji isn't necessarily new in some form as people use it all of the time. However, until now, you've had to send a separate message with the emoji rather than being able to attach it to the message you wanted to react to.

This is a great idea that Apple should really think to adopt. The company's recently started to get reactions to play nicer between iOS and Android but, with Google's last update, reactions now show up as separate messages on iPhones. Google really turned the table on Apple with that move as the opposite used to be true.

Google has continued its peer pressure campaign on Apple to adopt RCS and, with the rollout of full emoji reaction, that pressure is mounting.

Update on October 25, 2022 at 3:00 PM EST: On the Apple Support System Status website, the company says that it has resolved the issue with iMessage. Apple also says that a number of other services are experiencing issues right now like iCloud and Photos. There was also an issue with FaceTime and HomeKit that has already been resolved.

It isn't just you — a number of people are currently suffering from issues when trying to send iMessages. The issue hasn't been officially acknowledged by Apple just yet, and there is no mention of it on Apple's service status page, either.

Social media is currently bubbling along with a number of reports of issues, but iMessage definitely isn't down for everyone — if you are happily sending messages now, hopefully that won't change any time soon.

If you want to keep an eye on whether Apple has acknowledged an issue or not, you can check out the company's service status page for yourself — that's where you'll also see if Apple is suffering from problems with its other services, too.

Hopefully a brief outage

Hopefully this will be a short outage, with Apple likely already working on getting things back up and running for all. There are already sporadic reports that service is beginning to settle down for some of the impacted people, which is promising.

The iMessage service has long been one of the best iPhone features for those who have access to Apple devices, although apps like WhatsApp are still vital for people who need to talk with people on other platforms like Android.

This story is developing — check back for updates.

Mark Zuckerberg says that WhatsApp is more secure than iMessage in a new post to Instagram that shows off an ad that is now being run to highlight the fact.

Zuckerberg's Instagram rant made mention of the various security features that WhatsApp has to offer, taking the time to point out which ones iMessage doesn't.

Privacy matters

The ad itself is a good one — it shows a chat window with a green bubble, blue bubble, and private bubble. The green bubble is an SMS, while the blue bubble is an iMessage referencing the popular way that people talk about Android and iPhone users.

The third message depicts WhatsApp, complete with the two checkmarks that confirm a message was delivered and read. But the real fun comes via Zuckerberg's comment.

"WhatsApp is far more private and secure than iMessage, with end-to-end encryption that works across both iPhones and Android, including group chats," Zuckerberg starts out. The then goes on to mention that WhatsApp can also offer disappearing messages when needed, adding that the company also "introduced end-to-end encrypted backups too." The comment is rounded out with a dig at Apple by saying that all of those features are things "iMessage still doesn't have."

Some of these shortfalls aren't new, and Zuckerberg is perhaps right to call them out — particularly the encrypted backups situation. But it's still galling to see Zuckerberg, founder of Meta and Facebook, claiming the high ground on privacy. That doesn't make his points any less valid, however.

While iMessage is still the best iPhone and Mac messaging service for many, WhatsApp is still a go-to for people who need to talk to those using Android devices. However, the company would obviously prefer people use it for everything, hence this latest ad campaign and Zuckerberg's newfound interest in privacy.

With iMessage's ability to keep all of your messages in sync across your iOS and Mac devices, it may well be the chosen communication tool for Apple users. However, not everyone uses Apple devices so texting with some folks still requires SMS.

We all have a few green bubble contacts, but those conversations don't have to be excluded from the auto-syncing magic across your Apple gear. Not only can you read your SMS messages on your iPad or Mac, but you can even compose and send them. We'll show you how.

How to get SMS messages on iPad and Mac

Using SMS via your iPad or Mac relies on a feature called Text Message Forwarding, though you'll need to make sure all of the devices you want to link up are signed in to iMessage using the same Apple ID first.

Setting up iMessage on iPad is similar to how you'd do it on your iPhone and you can check out our guide to setting up iMessage on Mac for more advice there.

Once that's set up, you can turn on Text Message Forwarding on your iPhone as follows:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Tap Messages.

3. Tap Text Message Forwarding.
4. Toggle the ON/OFF switches on the iPad or Mac devices you want to get text messages on.

Now, as long as your iPhone is turned on and connected to Wi-Fi or a cellular network, any new SMS or MMS text messages (green text bubbles) you receive on your best iPhone are forwarded to your selected devices. You can also reply to these text and multimedia messages using your iPad or Mac too.

It may take a little while for everything to sync up when you first turn on the feature, but if it isn't working or you can't find the Text Message Forwarding setting, try turning off iMessage on all of your devices and turning it back on again.

Beyond that, make sure your devices all meet the minimum Continuity requirements. For SMS messaging, that's any Mac running OS X Yosemite or newer and it's any iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch running iOS 8 or newer.

How to Enable Messages in iCloud

Apple can keep all of your message history in iCloud so it's always updated and available on all of your Apple devices, even brand new ones. Here's how to turn that on.

1. Make sure you're logged in to the correct Apple ID on your iPhone, iPad, and Macs that you want to be synced up.
2. On your iPhone, go to Settings.
3. Tap on your Apple ID account, which is shown at the top.

4. Tap iCloud.
5. Toggle the ON/OFF switch for Messages.

6. Open Messages on your Mac.
7. Click Messages in the menu bar.

8. Click Preferences.
9. Click the iMessage tab.

10. Click the checkbox next to Enable Messages in iCloud so all of your messages, SMS and iCloud, will sync to and from your Mac.

Never miss a message

With your iMessage, SMS, and MMS messages now showing on your iPad and Mac, you'll never have to worry about missing an important message. Plus, you don't have to pull out your iPhone every time you want to text someone — even your green bubble friends — which is super convenient!

Updated May 2022: Updated for iOS 15 and macOS Monterey.

Messages and FaceTime are great for communicating with friends and family, though they can also be misused by text message and telemarketing scams. Thankfully, both Messages and FaceTime for Mac allow you to tune these annoyances out by blocking troublesome contacts.

There are a couple of different ways to achieve the same result. Follow the instructions below to learn exactly how to block messages and calls on your Mac. Changed your mind? You can always unblock a contact later.

How to block a contact in Messages for Mac

If you want to block a contact via the Messages app for Mac, follow the below steps.

1. Open Messages on your Mac.
2. Select the conversation that contains the person you wish to block.

3. Click on Conversations in the Menu bar.
4. Click on Block Person....

5. Click on Block to confirm. This person will no longer be able to send messages to you.

How to block a contact in Messages Preferences for Mac

You can also block a Messages contact using System Preferences. Here's how.

1. Open Messages on your Mac.
2. Click on Messages in the Menu bar.

3. Click Preferences.
4. Click on the iMessage tab.

5. Click the Blocked tab.
6. Click the + button.

7. Select which contact you would like to block. Their name, number, and associated email addresses will be added to your block list.

How to block a contact in FaceTime for Mac

Similarly for FaceTime, you can block a particular contact directly within the app.

1. Launch FaceTime.
2. Control-click on the contact you wish to block from your recent call history.

3. Click Block This Caller. This person will no longer be able to call you.

How to block a contact in FaceTime Preferences for Mac

Alternatively, head into System Preferences to block a FaceTime contact from there.

1. Launch FaceTime.
2. Click FaceTime in the Menu bar.

3. Click Preferences.
4. Click on the Blocked tab.

5. Click the + button.
6. Select which contact you would like to block. Their name, number, and associated email addresses will be added to your block list.

No more nonsense calls

For Apple users, Messages and FaceTime are some of the best Mac tools for staying in touch with the people you care about, but they can also be additional places where you can be annoyed by people you don't want to hear from, which is why it's great that you can take action by blocking contacts.

Updated April 2022: Updated for macOS Monterey.

Over the last couple of years, Apple has redesigned the Messages app for macOS to look and work more like its iOS counterpart. That means it now offers features like Memoji stickers, screen effects, apps, and more for you to liven up your conversations. Here's how to use them all in Messages for Mac.

Using Memoji stickers

To use Memoji stickers in Messages for Mac, follow the below steps:

1. Click on the Messages app on your Mac.
2. Choose an existing conversation or start a new one.
3. Select the App Store icon to the left of the iMessage box at the bottom.
4. Choose Memoji stickers from the list of choices.

5. Select the Memoji sticker you wish to send.
6. Type your message.
7. Hit the Return key to send your message.

If you want to create new Memoji stickers to use on Messages for Mac, follow the below steps.

1. Click on the Messages app on your Mac.
2. Choose an existing conversation or start a new one.
3. Select the App Store icon to the left of the iMessage box at the bottom.
4. Choose Memoji stickers from the list of choices.

5. Click on the ••• at the top left of the box.
6. Select New Memoji.
7. Create your new Memoji, by adding skin, hairstyle, brows, eyes, head, nose, mouth, ears, facial hair, eyewear, and headwear.
8. Click Done when you're ready to save the new Memoji.

Once saved, macOS automatically creates a new Memoji sticker pack for that look that's ready to use.

Using Photos

It's easy to send photos and videos from your Photos library via Messages. Here's how.

1. Click on the Messages app on your Mac.
2. Choose an existing conversation or start a new one.
3. Select the App Store icon to the left of the iMessage box at the bottom.
4. Choose Photos.

5. Scroll your library or use the search tool to find the image to use.
6. Select the image to send.
7. Type your message.
8. Hit the Return key to send your message.

Using animated GIFs

You can also add animated GIFs from the web to an iMessage:

1. Click on the Messages app on your Mac.
2. Choose an existing conversation or start a new one.
3. Select the App Store icon to the left of the iMessage box at the bottom.
4. Choose #images.

5. Use the search tool to find an animated GIF to use
6. Select the animated GIF to send.
7. Type your message.
8. Hit the Return key to send your message.

Adding effects

Finally, you can also add effects to your messages, including invisible ink, balloons, confetti, and much more just like on iOS.

1. Click on the Messages app on your Mac.
2. Choose an existing conversation or start a new one.
3. Type your message.
4. Select the App Store icon to the left of the iMessage box at the bottom.
5. Choose Message Effects.

6. Click the effect you want to use.
7. Select the up arrow next to your message at the right to send the message.

Spice up the group chat

Whether you've just installed macOS Monterey on your existing computer or you're about to upgrade to one of the best new Macs, the above instructions will apply.

Once you're up to speed with the latest Messages for Mac features, you'll be able to sprinkle GIFs and Memoji stickers into your chats like a pro.

Updated March 2022: Updated for macOS Monterey.

What you need to know

• Carrier Rogers has enabled support for iMessage Business Chat.
• People can now talk to their carrier using the Messages app on their iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Carrier Rogers now supports Apple's iMessage Business Chat for the first time, although it doesn't appear to have actually told anyone about the move.

First spied by the folk at iPhone in Canada, the move means that people can now get in touch with their carrier using the Messages app on their iPhones, iPads, and Macs. It's an easier way to get in touch when needed, and means you don't have to deal with web-based chat systems or, heaven forbid, a telephone call.

Business Chat also supports Apple Pay, should you need to make a payment, although there are only a limited number of companies that are signed up to make use of Business Chat right now. It appears we can at least add Rogers to the growing list, however.

Speaking of Rogers, do you know which Canadian carrier is the best? You will when you click that link!

What you need to know

• Verizon is enabling RCS on all Android phones by shipping them with Android Messages.
• RCS is the replacement for SMS, but Apple is set to be the odd one out.

Verizon has today announced a move that will see all of its future Android phones ship with Android Messages, enabling RCS as default for everyone. RCS is the replacement for the outgoing SMS platform and enables features like encryption, better message support, and more. But Apple isn't in on the act.

Verizon's announcement means that the big three major US carriers now all support RCS as standard on Android phones, with T-Mobile and AT&T having already signed on.

This all of course leaves Apple as the only one still using SMS when iPhone users send messages to people with Android devices. Those sending messages to iPhone users will take advantage of iMessage and all the features that brings with it.

Whether Apple will support RCS via the Messages app in the future remains to be seen, but Google has already put the pressure on by reminding everyone that sending messages from iPhones to Android phones won't be as good of an experience as sending them between Android devices.

In an ideal world we'd all just use the same service and protocols, but with Apple clearly not keen to bring iMessage to Android, RCS is the best way forward in many regards.

Apple's Catalyst program allows developers to build Mac apps using the same source code as the iPad. To date, Apple hasn't used the program to replace any of its existing apps. However, that could change soon with the next versions of iPadOS and macOS.

According to 9to5Mac, Messages could become the first native Mac app to get replaced and use iPad source code. If correct, this would represent a massive step forward in the possible/eventual merging of iOS/iPadOS and macOS.

Going back to at least 2011, the mobile version of Messages has picked up a lot of new features that are so far missing from Messages on Mac. These include, but aren't limited to, extensions, iMessage gaming, stickers, and effects. With Catalyst, these omissions would no doubt be removed, making the messaging process the same on both platforms.

Back in 2018, macOS Mojave became the first Mac version to offer third-party developers the ability to bring mobile apps to the desktop through Catalyst. At the time, the company's Apple News, Memos, Voice Memos, and Home apps made the digital leap. A year later, macOS Catalina retired iTunes and introduced separate versions of Apple TV, Podcasts, and Music to the desktop. However, Music remains a Mac version.

Moving forward, I hope Apple also has plans to update FaceTime and Mail for Mac using Catalyst, among others. Both apps feel dated compared to the mobile versions, especially the latter. Still, it's important to note that in some cases, it's the mobile versions that lack many of the features found on Mac versions. That's the case with Mail, which could make it much harder to bring the two versions closer in line with one another.

We should know Apple's plans very soon.

On Monday, June 22, the company's virtual-only Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) kicks off. During the keynote address, Apple is almost certainly going to reveal new versions of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS.

What about you?

Which apps, native or otherwise, would you like to see a move from mobile to Mac using Catalyst? Let us know in the comments below.

What you need to know

• Apple might be working on a Catalyst version of Messages for Mac.
• That's according to a leak from iOS 14.
• It could signal that Messages for Mac might finally catch up with the iOS version.

An iOS 14 leak suggests that Apple might be developing a Catalyst version of Messages on macOS, which could help to bring it up to speed with its iOS equivalent.

As 9to5Mac reports:

Apple has yet to replace any native macOS apps with a Catalyst version. As the report notes, a Catalyst version of Messages for macOS would mean Apple could push out regular updates for the service like it does for iOS. By contrast, the Messages app for macOS has been left to rust in recent years. As Steve Troughton-Smith notes, there were some iMessage features like effects hidden in betas of macOS Catalina, and a Catalyst version of the app could signal the introduction of those effects, along with features like stickers.

A Catalyst reboot for Messages on macOS would be a big and welcome change.

Sure, group chats are great. They're a fun way to keep in touch with a group of friends, family members, or coworkers all in one place, and they make it easier for everyone to see that hilarious meme you found earlier. However, as delightful as they are, there are times when they can get a bit unwieldy and annoying — especially if you're receiving them on your Mac instead of your iPhone or iPad. Here's how to manage your group messages on your Mac to keep the stress level at a minimum and the enjoyment at a maximum.

• How to start a group message on iPhone or iPad
• How to rename a group message
• How to mute a group message
• How to leave a group message

How to start a group message

1. Launch Messages from your Dock or Launchpad.
2. Tap on the compose new message button (the little pencil and paper icon in the upper left-hand corner of the window).
3. Type in the name of the first contact you want to include in the group (I chose my mom, because I wanted to start a family group message).

4. Type in the name of the second contact you'd like to include (I chose my brother, Tyler).
5. After selecting the contacts you'd like to group message, click in the text field at the bottom of the window and type the message you'd like to share with your group.
6. Hit the return key to send.

Ta-da! You've just created your first group message!

How to name a group message

Okay, so you've created your first message. Now, you'd like to make it easier to recognize or find in your list of message threads. Like with group messages on iPhone and iPad, you can name group messages based on who is in the group or what is being discussed. For instance, if you start a group message with your friends to plan your other friend Wolfgang's surprise party, you may call the message "Wolfgang's Party." What's more, if the chat starts to divert away from its original topic, you can easily change the name again.

1. Select the group message thread you'd like to name (or rename).
2. Click on Details in the upper right-hand corner of the window.
3. Click on Add a group name.

4. Type in the group name you'd like to use.
5. Hit the return key to save.

Done! You should see a little message in the thread that says "You named the conversation [chosen name]."

How to mute a group message

Normally, you love participating in the group message. However, on particularly conversationally heavy days, you may just want your computer to stop dinging for five seconds so you can hear yourself think. Thankfully, you can mute group conversations on Mac just as easily as you can on your phone.

1. Select the group message thread you'd like the mute.
2. Click on Details in the upper right-hand corner.
3. Check the box next to where it says Do Not Disturb.

Now you can enjoy the silence until you're ready to dive back in again. You'll still receive group messages, but you just won't be notified of them.

How to leave a group message

So worse has come to worst and you've decided that you'd like to completely bail out of a group message for whatever reason. Maybe the conversation has died down, or maybe you'd just like to stop participating in the chat. Whatever your reasoning, you can remove yourself from a group message pretty effortlessly.

1. Select the group message thread you'd like to leave.
2. Click on Details in the upper-right hand corner.
3. Click on Leave this conversation.

Voilà! You're out. If you ever decide you'd like to rekindle the group message, you can simply start a new one.

Questions?

Still struggling to manage group messages? Let me know of any difficulties you're having in the comments and I'll do my best to help you out!

If you use your Mac for iMessage, you probably already know you can delete iMessage threads but what about deleting single iMessages on the Mac?

We've already covered deleting individual messages in iOS 7 so here's how to delete them in the Messages for Mac app:

1. Launch the Messages app on your Mac.

2. Find the message thread you'd like to delete a single message from.
3. Click on the message you'd like to delete one time so it's highlighted a darker blue than the rest of your messages.

4. Now right-click on the message.
5. From the menu that appears, click on Delete.

6. That particular message will be removed from the thread.

That's all there is to it. It isn't a very obvious option, but it is there.