All articles tagged with #imessage
Lifehacker notes that the macOS ChatGPT desktop app now includes an Apple Messages plug-in that runs on-device, enabling AI-assisted messaging: query your iMessages, draft replies, and even send messages with your approval, plus analyze your chat history for quick summaries; while useful, it raises privacy concerns about letting AI access sensitive conversations.
OpenAI has released a Mac plugin that lets ChatGPT Work and Codex users read and draft replies in Apple Messages, enabling the AI to search conversations and respond from the desktop. Setup is opt-in and requires granting ChatGPT permissions for on-device Messages history, full disk access, contacts, and automation. While it enables AI-assisted messaging, the feature raises privacy and security concerns and comes amid tensions between Apple and OpenAI, including a 2024 Beeper-like issue and a July lawsuit over trade secrets.
Google Messages is testing an iMessage-inspired pinned-chats UI in a beta, introducing a top circular row of pinned chat icons that become square previews when new messages arrive, reducing the pin limit from 20 to six and allowing manual reordering to keep important conversations easily accessible.
Sunbird has released an Android app on Google Play to bridge iMessage to Android, reviving a prior effort with Nothing; it requires an Apple ID login, offers a 14‑day free trial with $2.99/month or $24.99/year afterward, and promises end‑to‑end encryption and no message storage, but users should note limitations (no phone-number messaging, reported setup issues) and the need to trust a third‑party connection to Apple servers, prompting security scrutiny given Sunbird’s history.
Sunbird Messaging has relaunched on Google Play, letting Android users access iMessage-style blue bubbles, reactions, and high-quality videos for $2.99/month. The company says it fixed security flaws that led to its 2023 shutdown, with messages encrypted on-device and in transit, and iMessage end-to-end protection maintained on the final leg to iPhones. An independent security audit found no critical vulnerabilities in the rebuilt app. Sunbird also supports Google Messages and SMS, with plans to integrate WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger later this year and add an AI assistant to summarize chats and draft replies.
Samsung’s updated Smart Switch now works with iOS 26’s Transfer to Android, letting you wirelessly move iPhone data to a Galaxy (including text messages and apps) via a QR‑code setup and even migrate the SIM to an eSIM; the home screen layout is preserved, but occasional transfer hiccups remain and iMessage can still cause some messaging quirks as RCS improvements continue.
iOS 27’s Messages gets one-tap suggestions powered by Apple Intelligence, a new Drawing iMessage app, upgrades to RCS (inline replies and reactions with potential edits/unsend), plus new settings for audio controls, consolidated notifications for tapbacks, smarter personalized Smart Replies, gore filtering for child accounts, and notable performance gains like faster sending/loading, quicker syncing across devices, and easier media management.
Apple's iOS 26.6 beta adds a 'Malicious Message Detected' alert that warns if an iMessage could harm your iPhone or privacy; users can share the message with Apple for investigation, with options to Not Now, Share With Apple, and Don't Report, though Not Now may cause the alert to reappear later. The feature is confirmed in beta code but not yet seen in the wild, and it aims to combat phishing and exploits in Messages alongside other security measures; a public release is expected around the end of July.
Lifehacker previews iOS 27’s Messages overhaul, including a new Drawing iMessage app, a customizable voice-message button, and playback speed options; Siri AI can draft, rewrite, or locate messages; one-tap AI suggestions for actions, automatic retries for failed sends, per-message send indicators, and enhanced search by number or nickname; updated notification handling for reactions and support for inline RCS replies to improve cross‑platform chats, with the update arriving this fall and a beta available now.
Apple has approved a third-party AI service, Poke, to operate inside iPhone Messages, marking the first external AI agent in iMessage. Users can chat with Poke and have it take actions on requests, though some users report issues as demand appears high.
Engadget reports that Apple’s satellite messaging on iPhone lets users send and receive text messages via satellite when cellular or Wi‑Fi aren’t available. Available on iPhone 14 and later with iOS 18+, the feature requires enabling iMessage, setting up emergency contacts and Family Sharing, and being outdoors with a clear sky. Messages are text-only, sent at slower speeds, and not designed for media or group chats; delivery varies with satellite conditions. Availability is currently in the US and parts of Canada and may involve future pricing.
Tech writer Kaycee Hill reveals two iPhone Messages tricks: handwritten messages and animated Digital Touch sketches. In Messages, rotate your iPhone to landscape to reveal a handwriting canvas you can draw on with your finger; once you tap Done, your handwriting appears in real time in the chat, and saved phrases can be reused. For animated sketches, open the plus icon in Messages, choose Digital Touch, and send bursts, hearts, or sketches that animate as you draw. Note these features work only with iMessage (iPhone-to-iPhone), and by default handwritten and Digital Touch messages expire after two minutes unless you set Expire to Never in Settings. Android users won’t see the same effects.
Apple released security-only patches for several long-retired iOS/iPadOS versions (iOS 12.5.8, 15.8.6, 16.7.13) to refresh certificates so iMessage, FaceTime, and Apple ID sign-in continue working after expiration, extending minimal usefulness of old devices without adding features or fixes; modern hardware remains necessary for full functionality and some apps/browsing may still lag.
A renewed push for end-to-end encryption of RCS messages between iPhone and Android is underway, with Universal Profile 3.0 laying groundwork and Apple and Google signaling commitments to enable E2EE in future updates. Recent hints in iOS 26.3 beta suggest encryption work is progressing, but there is no live rollout yet.
The article highlights lesser-known but useful iMessage features such as scheduling messages, check-in for safety, audio message transcription, inline replies and reactions, and pinned conversations, enhancing user experience and safety. It encourages users to explore these features to maximize their messaging capabilities.