iOS 26: New Messages and Phone App Features Leaked Ahead of WWDC

[MacTwick]

Would be so cool to be able to set statuses for iMessage. So when someone goes to iMessage you, they can see you'll "be back in an hour" or "on vacation until X"

There's focus modes, but that's not as easy to setup on the fly

 

[TechRemarker]

Just want to be able to archive messages in iMessage and ability to bump messages like Facebook Messenger. Bump comes in incredibly handy, and archive so that I dont mistakenly click the wrong chat and send message to the wrong person. Having the ability to have custom background like Facebook messenger at least will help with that.

 

[Hank001]

It's tcook@apple.com if anyone wants to get in ahead of the keynote.

If you want change, I think you
have better luck with mailing to
steve@apple.com

 

[bluecoast]

Looking forward to someone picking a background image that makes reading the text difficult

Apple will make the choice of backgrounds fixed.

Each of them will be in exactly the same shade as green to make reading green bubbles impossible.

 

[DataChris]

Uggh can we please just get a dialed (outgoing) calls list!?! We don't need any new half baked phone features until we have a simple dialed calls list ...then the iPhone would finally be up to par with my 1990s Nokia! 📲

 

[brilliantthings]

The Phone app upgrade sounds good but I have up on Messages.app a while ago.

 

[garranhado]

Apple is so unsure of itself lately that every new feature is made optional.

Too bad that Tim is still in charge. When is he retiring or being ousted, does anyone know?

In Steve Jobs' time, Apple only gave the best user experience. And this was the Apple that everyone knew. Just Works!

 

[A.wang28]

unbundle individual app updates from the iOS updates already! These types of updates could easily come via the App Store and most users wouldn’t even care.

 

[Justin Cymbal]

For the Phone app, Gurman said that iOS 26 will introduce a new view that combines favorite contacts, recent calls, and voicemails into a single, scrollable window. He said this new design will be optional, with users able to revert to the legacy interface.

Making this new feature optional is very uncharacteristic of Apple (but definitely much appreciated)

The word ‘legacy’ has almost always been reserved for Windows, Android and other large user-base OSs so the fact that Apple has since changed and is now recognizing that users like (and want) options to enable personal choice and customization is definitely a much welcome sign

The thing that average users hate and complain about the most (with regards to software) is having design changes forced upon their devices and front-line Apple Store Geniuses can attest this notion this more than anyone at 🍎HQ

Getting as much feedback from the support reps whom handle (regular/average) users issues on a daily basis is more valuable than anything when it comes to the fact that modern software has essentially reached a ‘plateau’ and most changes are very much cosmetic in nature rather than revolutionary

 

[New Mexico Bob]

Wow, exciting. Years in development! How many Apple engineers did this take?

 

[svish]

Customizing the messages app might be nice. As for the phone app, if all the changes are true, also hoping that there will be an option to go back to the previous design.

 

[demwun]

Looking forward to someone picking a background image that makes reading the text difficult

How so? The text lives on a solid bubble anyway.

 

[TimFL1]

So many features they could add to Messages / iMessage that brings it up to speed with competing apps, yet they choose to go with the most gimmicky gimmick crap you could imagine…

- Being able to leave group chats with 3 or less participants
- Group typing & read indicators
- Better inline reply UX
- Better search or at least search within single conversations
- Fix crappy Messages in iCloud sync so it doesn‘t take a decade to get up to speed, even when I press sync now (when I press sync now I want it to sync now, not in the next 50 minutes)
- Allow us to have different Caller IDs for individual contacts or contact lists (e.g. work contacts get a business one)
- More than 32 group chat participants since RCS has an universal default of 100 agreed on

 

[TruthAboveAllElse]

Why would it when currently texts are shown with either blue bubbles or green bubbles? The image would be behind both of those types so the picture choice wouldn't matter

It still makes a difference actually

 

[814MB]

For the life of me, I cannot understand why people feel the need to save/archive messages and emails to the point where they have gb of data. Me, I never save any messages or emails unless it requires a follow up, has extreme sentimental value (such as a message thread from a deceased loved one) or for legal purposes. I thrive on inbox zero and as few digital archives as possible. Either way, wallpapers are coming.

 

[ZebraDude]

Darn it! Every year I hope that Apple will add "hold for me" technology (like the pixel's) It is wonderful when you have to call some government agency that has hold times in days...

 

[citysnaps]

Apple is so unsure of itself lately that every new feature is made optional.

The new iPhone will have two fully functional modem chips. The Apple C2, but it's optional and you can switch it off and let the Qualcomm chip be in charge if the C2 fails to do the job.

Too bad that Tim is still in charge. When is he retiring or being ousted, does anyone know?

Very unlikely as long as Apple has 1+ Billion active and repeat customers who love and purchase Apple products. Year after year after year.

And... Cook's doing an outstanding job managing Apple's direction and it's 164,000 employees.