Apple Testing New iMessage Features Such as Mentions and Retracting Messages, Could Extend to Mac App

[Dave-Z]

I like Signal also, but it’s useless if no one else uses it. I think I have 2 friends that do.

For sure... user base is quite small on that platform. But I tell people: if you want to chat with me, you use Signal. Otherwise, you don't chat with me (send an email or something). 🤷‍♂️

 

[Ramchi]

For sure... user base is quite small on that platform. But I tell people: if you want to chat with me, you use Signal. Otherwise, you don't chat with me (send an email or something). 🤷‍♂️

Even I put that as my signature in the WhatsApp (available only in Telegram and Signal) but people give a damn and keep responding only in WhatsApp!!In fact, I hand payed a automated response for all my WhatsApp messages with a response saying that I will be only available in the other two messaging apps! Looks like WhatsApp features are getting better better and 😎

 

[rdillon2008]

I still prefer the telegram or iMessage. Telegram allows you to join links for groups that you like with a simple search. It is more advance than whatsapp. Whatsapp is popular because it is easy to use just like bbm

 

[SeattleMoose]

Can we please get a way to select how long the alarm goes?
As it is you are forced to walk over and turn it off physically or it will run for 15 minutes.
Would be nice to set the limit to say...30 seconds.

 

[HVDynamo]

I actually just miss the days of AIM where it was just a handful of emoticons and you would just send messages back and forth. I feel all of these features that keep getting added are just cluttering things up and getting in my way. I just want to be able to send people messages and get messages from them, have a history of messages, and be able to send pictures/links/gifs. That's really all I want from any messaging app.

 

[johannnn]

Unfortunately, too little too late. That ship has sailed.
So many people have switched to platform-independent messengers like WhatsApp. These messengers happen to be also superior to iMessage when it comes to features and reliability.

Except that it doesn't even have a Watch app.... :-(

 

[motm95]

i believe that the latter request is impossible to implement concomitantly with end-to-end encryption. what ive heard is that if you can view something on the web, that the server that’s displaying the content must have the decryption key as well, meaning that there is a middle man that holds a plain text representation of the chat transcript and that therefore the conversation cant be end-to-end encrypted

Are you sure that is correct? Doesn't Whatsapp and some of these other messaging platforms have end-to-end encryption yet also provide a web interface? What about secure and encrypted web-based email platforms for business -- Citrix and the like. I would think the decryption key would be tied to the user's authentication.

 

[Mr. Heckles]

For sure... user base is quite small on that platform. But I tell people: if you want to chat with me, you use Signal. Otherwise, you don't chat with me (send an email or something). 🤷‍♂️

If someone told me I needed to download an app to chat with them and I don’t have it already, they won’t hear from me 🤣

 

[Moonlight]

Unfortunately, too little too late. That ship has sailed.
So many people have switched to platform-independent messengers like WhatsApp. These messengers happen to be also superior to iMessage when it comes to features and reliability.

Except they haven't switched. 98% of my contacts use iMessage.

 

[motm95]

Except they haven't switched. 98% of my contacts use iMessage.

Same here and for me, the other 2% uses FB messenger or plain SMS. I get that most people outside the US use something other than iMessage, and I get that those other messaging platforms might be "better", but the fact of the matter is here in the US, at least in my family, friends, and business contacts, nobody in my contacts group -- and I mean nobody (I've asked) -- has ever heard of Whatsapp, Signal, Telegram, or whatever. These people use iMessage, Facebook messenger, and SMS and that is it.

 

[v3rlon]

Trust me you’re definitely the more rare situation. I don’t know anyone who exclusively uses iMessage. Single platform missing every useful group chat feature. No thanks

There are many words in the English language with odd rules for plurals, such as "mice" for more than one "mouse." But, "anecdote" is not one of them. The plural of anecdote is anecdotes, not "data."

I don't know anyone I can't send a message to with iMessage (including SMS and, yes, pagers). Most (as in 75%) of my contacts use iMessage (blue friends). Conversely, I only know about three people using What'sApp, and I've never met any of them in person.

But, I live in Austin, and a lot of people around here like iPhones. I know I really like being able to use my watch, phone, tablet, or computer to send messages.

 

[Dave-Z]

If someone told me I needed to download an app to chat with them and I don’t have it already, they won’t hear from me 🤣

I appreciate people's candor (both yours and the people with whom I communicate) and I accept their decisions... and won't lose a minute of sleep.

 

[ipedro]

Maybe its a result of letting people work from home...

Very good point. With no supervision, it's fairly easy to transfer a version of iOS onto a personal storage device and from there it's out in the world.

 

[Speedy2]

Except they haven't switched. 98% of my contacts use iMessage.

I hate to break it to you, but you live in a small US American bubble.

Admittely the numbers are a bit old, but you get a pretty good idea of what's going on.

Don't get me wrong, I'd like iMessage to do well. I'd prefer to use it over spyware like Whatsapp. But if it's treated like it is, it's doomed.

 

[ipedro]

I really respect iMessage and some comments, but let's educate some followers. In Europe and Middle East, most of the people uses WhatsApp, not FB Messenger, not iMessage. Most of Apple owners even don't know iMessage and its features well. After Telegram, I honestly can't say that it is same with Whatsapp or iMessage. Telegram has so many features that should be exampled by Facebook and Apple. They had stickers when iMessage/WhatsApp has not, and now when they finally decided to put, Telegram decided to make 60 fps smooth animated stickers, which they don't have or even don't plan to do it. The only thing Telegram doesn't provide is Video Calling and I don't use it anywhere besides FaceTime, so I don't mind it.

And Telegram does this with Open Source where others may not even publish their codes. I love Telegram but most of the people uses WhatsApp in these regions.

Of course China is using WeChat, I know, I didn't see anyone here that uses WeChat, so I have no idea.

And balkans like Chechia and Serbia tend to use Viber more than WhatsApp in my travels.

You're describing the very reason why iMessage should be introducing features that people love in those apps. It'll start consolidating the use of iMessage. But of course that won't happen until iMessage becomes cross platform.

In Toronto, iOS has gained dominance and almost everyone I message are blue bubbles. I have a few people who use WhatsApp for groups and my family has one because we're a mix of iOS and Android.

I know that Apple likes the exclusivity of iMessage on iOS but Apple would benefit by having people using iMessage on Android phones (and trust me, many want to badly). Itwould engrain them into iOS' UI and some features like Memoji and ApplePay would be exclusive to iPhones, tempting Android users over.

 

[graclarkey]

To be honest, FB Messenger is the best messaging app (reply to individual messages, tapbacks/reacts, live location sharing), followed by iMessage (tapbacks, full continuity, large attachments, icloud sync and backup), then a distant third Whats App, which feels like a bad AIM/ICQ clone from the nineties - only used because your friends in Asia/Europe had to pay for SMSs back in the aughts.

A big reason WhatsApp became so viable in the UK is because it was a cheap way to have a group chat. MMS messages are charged individually here - eg £0.70/MMS - rather than taken from a user’s data allowance, so it’s not conceivable to participate in a regular MMS group chat in a mixed iOS/Android group.

 

[Mr. Heckles]

I hate to break it to you, but you live in a small US American bubble.

View attachment 898526

Admittely the numbers are a bit old, but you get a pretty good idea of what's going on.

Don't get me wrong, I'd like iMessage to do well. I'd prefer to use it over spyware like Whatsapp. But if it's treated like it is, it's doomed.

I also live in that bubble and I don’t even have Facebook messenger on my phone. All I use is iMessage (about 90%) Telegram (8%) Signal (2 people, but one also has Telegram), and the rest is text.

 

[sideshowuniqueuser]

And also, since WhatsApp is Mark Zuckerberg’s pet, security, privacy, and trustworthiness. Oh wait....

You're delusional if you think you're 100% sure any of these platforms have any of "security, privacy, and trustworthiness".

If you want privacy, you need to download an open source (can't be closed source, or no one can check for back doors, or flaws) encryption such as PGP, swap public keys with whoever you want to swap messages with, and then encrypt all your messages with your private/public key pair before sending.

Any messaging app that isn't open source that claims to encrypt, well, you're trusting that they're not lying, and haven't messed it up.

Any messaging app that claims to be "secure, private, and trustworthy", well, good luck.

 

[mike2q]

I'm always surprised no one mentions Signal messenger. It's developed by a nonprofit group who's sole mission is to protect privacy. it's secure decentralized and open source so it's trustworthiness can easily be verified. It has all the WhatsApp features but without the Facebook monetization. It has a desktop app for Mac, Linux and Windows. Completely cross platform and if you use an Android product it can be your primary messaging app. Well worth a look for the privacy minded.

 

[Moonlight]

I hate to break it to you, but you live in a small US American bubble.

Admittely the numbers are a bit old, but you get a pretty good idea of what's going on.

Don't get me wrong, I'd like iMessage to do well. I'd prefer to use it over spyware like Whatsapp. But if it's treated like it is, it's doomed.

I hate to break it to you, but I don't care.

 

[Mr. Heckles]

I'm always surprised no one mentions Signal messenger. It's developed by a nonprofit group who's sole mission is to protect privacy. it's secure decentralized and open source so it's trustworthiness can easily be verified. It has all the WhatsApp features but without the Facebook monetization. It has a desktop app for Mac, Linux and Windows. Completely cross platform and if you use an Android product it can be your primary messaging app. Well worth a look for the privacy minded.

I have ans a few others have. Sadly it’s not as popular, but a great messaging app.

 

[ErikGrim]

It’s easy to spot a non-American. It’s someone who thinks soccer is a sport (and calls it football).

That’s an impressive self-own.

 

[az431]

Does iMessage compress images and videos sent? I have a feeling it does.

no

 

[Ramchi]

I hate to break it to you, but you live in a small US American bubble.

View attachment 898526

Admittely the numbers are a bit old, but you get a pretty good idea of what's going on.

Don't get me wrong, I'd like iMessage to do well. I'd prefer to use it over spyware like Whatsapp. But if it's treated like it is, it's doomed.

iMessages just a fraction off WhatsApp numbers! Really amusing to read comments here thinking that iMessage is the world’s most used messaging app ! Don’t want to disappoint them 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣

 

[Momof2.1107]

Trust me you’re definitely the more rare situation. I don’t know anyone who exclusively uses iMessage. Single platform missing every useful group chat feature. No thanks

All I use is iMessage exclusively. All of my contacts don’t have iPhones, but that don’t stop me from participating in group chats. I prefer iMessage over any other messaging apps.