Whether it’s a series of blinking ellipsis or an explicit notification that “someone’s typing,” the messaging feature known as a typing indicator is both a useful tool and a source of anxiety for many people. But knowing more about how it works can at least limit the guessing games that cause us stress.
Google’s messaging options are a mess, and it just rolled out a new tool to muddy the waters even further: Android Messages, but on the web. It gives you access to your Android SMS chats through a web browser, and lets you send and receive messages. So does it make life any easier for those in Google chat purgatory?…
One of the most interesting tidbits of news to come out of Microsoft’s Build developer conference earlier this week was the company’s upcoming Your Phone app, which attempts to bridge the gap between mobile and desktop messaging by letting you send and receive texts (along with some more advanced screen sharing and…
A federal jury in Texas has ordered Apple to pay out $502.6 million to VirtnetX Holding Corp., the kind of company often referred to as a patent troll, in the eighth year of contentious legal battles between the two companies, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.
Okay, look. I’m not the first person to say this, and I certainly won’t be the last. But iOS 11 is bad. The new operating system has turned my phone into a bug-infested carcass of its former self, and the frustration of trying to use it sometimes makes me want to die, too.
Last year, Apple launched mini apps for iMessage in a bid to liven up its default messaging app and fend off competition from third-party alternatives—but are any of these add-ons actually any good? We went deep to look for iMessage apps that offer something genuinely useful or fun (or both).
The developer of a clever sticker pack for iOS has been told by Apple that he has to change how the stickers look and act or else the stickers will be pulled from the App Store.
One of the biggest upgrades in iOS 10 goes to Messages. The native app now comes with stacks of extra features including stickers, instant reactions, and even its own app store. Most of the new functions work best inside conversations. Here’s how to make the most of the app on your iPhone or iPad.
Apple decided to go all-in on Messages in iOS 10, fully embracing its inner Facebook Messenger and replacing simplicity with stickers and disappearing text effects.
Apple is reportedly working on its own Snapchat clone. It would join companies like Twitter and Facebook who are furiously trying to copy the features that have made the image and video sharing app popular with younger users. Young people are important, sure, but where Apple is uniquely positioned to succeed is in…
Cryptography researchers at John Hopkins University have found another flaw in the encryption used by Apple’s iMessage. The good news? The flaw has already been patched; you just need to update iOS.
There’s never been a better time to start encrypting your texts and phone calls. Hackers are breaking into more personal devices than ever before, and massive government surveillance dragnets are indiscriminately sweeping up people’s digital communications. Encryption can protect you.
Weren’t you just saying that iMessage would be so much better if it was less about words and more... well, more like Snapchat? No? Well, too bad.
As is tradition, some last-minute rumors are sneaking their way into the news before Apple’s big reveal on Monday morning in San Francisco. We already have a good idea what of what we think is coming, but this latest bit that says iMessage is coming to Android is very intriguing.
A team of researchers from Johns Hopkins University has discovered a flaw in iMessage on older version of iOS which makes it possible for a third party to intercept and decrypt images and video.
The fight between law enforcement and tech companies about encryption and privacy is getting nastier than ever.
In a lawsuit filed last May, disgruntled iPhone user Adrienne Moore said that switching from iPhone (and iMessage) to Android made it impossible for anyone with an iPhone to text her. iMessage had essentially hijacked her phone number. A little more than a year later, the court disagrees.
Rumor has it, Apple wants to give you the option to use read receipts on a contact-by-contact basis in iMessage. This is a dreadfully bad idea that will undoubtedly destroy relationships, estrange friends, and piss off teens. Why? Because read receipts are awful, and making them more sophisticated is bullshit.
A picture is worth a thousand words, so the old saying goes, so you’ll often want to snap a photo of what you’re seeing or looking like rather than try and describe it using old-fashioned text. If you’re on iMessage on iOS, there’s a shortcut you can use to get your images sent faster.
Apple’s iMessage is an all-in-one messaging solution that stays with you across mobile devices and laptops—assuming they’re all made by Apple of course. Even if you rely on the service every day, you may not know about some of the features and tricks you can take advantage of, so we’re here to help put that right.
