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How to Use the Redesigned Messages App Drawer in iOS 11

MacRumors

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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30,887



In iOS 10, Apple introduced the Messages App Store, allowing users to jump into miniature versions of their favorite apps so they could do things like choose a movie time, send their location, pay a friend, give a recommendation from Apple Music, and attach stickers. With the launch of iOS 11, the app drawer and selection experience of Messages apps have been streamlined, and this guide will walk you through the fastest way to access your favorite apps, organize them, and add more from the Messages App Store.

Navigating the New App Drawer in Messages

how-to-messenger-app-drawer-1.jpg
  1. Open Messages.
  2. Choose a contact to text.
  3. At the bottom of the screen sits the new app drawer, and you can tap one to bring it up or scroll to dive deeper into your collection.
From here, apps within Messages function essentially the same as they did in iOS 10: the bottom half of the screen represents the app, which you can interact with and send content into the upper half section of the screen in the form of an iMessage. A small chevron sitting just below the text entry field can be tapped to expand the Messages app to full screen, and tapped again to reduce it.

If you ever accidentally leave the app by tapping the text field, simply tap the App Store icon to the left of the text field. Conversely, if you're inside of a Messages app and want to make it and the app drawer disappear, tap the same App Store icon to the left of the text field (it'll be blue when the app drawer is open) to make the app disappear (returning the icon to gray).

Editing the New App Drawer in Messages

how-to-messenger-app-drawer-2.jpg
  1. Navigate to the app drawer in Messages.
  2. Scroll the drawer all the way to the right and tap the ellipses, or "More," icon.
  3. Tap "Edit."
  4. On the right side, choose any installed app you want or don't want in your Messages app drawer by tapping the green toggles.
  5. On the left side, tap the green "+" icon next to any app you want as a favorite.
  6. Tap "Done."
Now that your app drawer is fully customized, your favorites will appear on the far left side of the drawer, and any other apps you have toggled on will appear after your favorites. Any time you want to search for more, you can tap the blue App Store icon sitting to the left of your favorites to visit the Messages App Store. There are numerous standalone Messages apps, but many popular apps have also been updated over the past year to include Messages support.

For this reason, it's easy for your app drawer to become crowded, making the deeper editing and favoriting options in iOS 11 a welcome addition. If you'd rather not see the app drawer, tap on the gray App Store icon at the left of the Messages text box to hide it from view.

Article Link: How to Use the Redesigned Messages App Drawer in iOS 11
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/how-to/messages-app-drawer-ios-11/
aforty

aforty

macrumors 65816
Nov 27, 2007
1,481
773
Brooklyn, NY
This thing is still really buggy. I edited the apps available and when I was done I couldn't press "Done." I had to force quit the app. I've noticed some other weirdness that makes iOS 11 still feel very much beta to me.
 
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ck2875

ck2875

macrumors 65816
Mar 25, 2009
1,029
2,923
Brighton
MacRumors said:


With the launch of iOS 11, the app drawer and selection experience of Messages apps have been streamlined, and this guide will walk you through the fastest way to access your favorite apps, organize them, and add more from the Messages App Store.
Click to expand...

You left off the most important part: Tap the gray App Store icon to hide the app drawer.
 
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R

RyanTheGeneral

macrumors regular
Sep 10, 2009
228
6
does anyone have a weird bug in which of you type in 3 dashes the rest of your text gets deleted? Is that a “bug” or “feature”. Seems like an odd feature if the latter.

—
 
slprescott

slprescott

macrumors member
Mar 22, 2012
52
182
My app drawer shows Google Maps but not Apple Maps. Do you guys see the same?

Why doesn’t Apple’s own Maps app appear? And when I open the utility to select additional apps, Maps doesn’t appear there either (despite it being installed and me using it frequently).
 
Ds6778

Ds6778

macrumors 65816
Sep 9, 2016
1,025
3,350
Macrumors should do a tutorial on how to utilize the copious amount white space that Apple left us in all stock apps.
 
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M

mainomega

macrumors 6502
Jun 5, 2007
310
97
ck2875 said:
You left off the most important part: Tap the gray App Store icon to hide the app drawer.
Click to expand...

I can’t believe I didn’t figure that out and I’ve been using the beta.

THANK YOU !!! honestly, I search the setting and I figures you couldn’t turn it off cuz they wanted to you to buy those stupid stickers. Thank you again. MR needs a post with just this info for us who aren’t in middle school.
 
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B

Boatboy24

macrumors 65816
Nov 4, 2011
1,092
1,224
1 Infinite Loop
Now please show me how to 'fix' the keyboard when in landscape mode. Its much smaller now and I have a bunch of gray space on either side. Same w/ the mail app. Bring back the larger 'keys' please, Tim!
 
W

WilliamG

macrumors G3
Mar 29, 2008
9,926
3,800
Seattle
aforty said:
This thing is still really buggy. I edited the apps available and when I was done I couldn't press "Done." I had to force quit the app. I've noticed some other weirdness that makes iOS 11 still feel very much beta to me.
Click to expand...

Yep. And if you try and delete the Apps icon, it crashes the Mesaages app completely.
 
J

Jbusick7944

macrumors 6502
Oct 8, 2008
274
672
How about an article to discuss that turning off WiFi in control center in iOS 11 doesn’t turn it off and it reconnects automatically even after you’ve turned it off?
 
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