iMessage has been one thing of a revelation for Apple. Not solely is it a smooth and dependable messaging platform, nevertheless it’s additionally confirmed to be one of many options that can hold individuals within the Apple ecosystem as they don’t need to lose their blue bubble. However even with RCS on the way in which subsequent yr, there’s at all times room for enchancment. With this in thoughts, the next WhatsApp options can be an important addition to Messages in iOS 18.
Cover and lock chats
One of many latest options WhatsApp has launched is with the ability to disguise your locked chats away out of your regular dialogue checklist and have them solely seem once you enter your password. Not solely does this imply you may cease individuals from seeing sure conversations in the event that they pay money for your cellphone, however they received’t even know they’re there.
In the intervening time, the closest you will get to hiding a dialog on iMessage is to delete it. There’s no choice to password-protect conversations on iMessage, not to mention make it disappear. The one choice is to make use of a careless ScreenTime hack to stop entry to iMessage, however that locks the entire app. As Apple likes to go on about its privateness and safety prowess, including this function to iMessage would appear an apparent subsequent step.
Broadcast messages
One other useful function on WhatsApp is broadcast lists. These work by creating a listing of individuals, which may then be despatched the identical message with no need to repeat it a number of instances. Ah, however that’s similar to Group iMessage, you may say. Nicely, it’s not.
With Group iMessage, the clue’s within the identify as something you ship is positioned within the group chat for all of the recipients. Broadcasts are totally different, because the message you ship seems in every individual’s chat with you, not in a gaggle. So, it’s similar to sending a number of personal messages to numerous individuals, relatively than carrying on a gaggle dialog. It’s type of just like the HomePod’s Intercom options however for texts.
There are many little WhatsApp options that might be nice for iMessage.
Dominik Tomaszewski
Present lively standing
This can be a easy however actually useful little function that has been on WhatsApp for years. Whenever you open the app and lookup a contact, you’re informed the final time the individual was lively on the service. It’s primary however is nice for letting you realize if somebody is round or hasn’t opened WhatsApp for some time and isn’t simply ignoring you.
Whereas iMessage lets you realize when somebody has learn your newest textual content or if they’ve notifications muted, it doesn’t inform you their lively standing. In iOS 17, Apple launched Examine In, which routinely lets somebody know once you’ve reached a selected vacation spot, so including an choice standing must be a logical subsequent step.
Set messages to vanish
Snapchat might have been the one to pioneer disappearing messages, however WhatsApp has adopted the function into its app as properly. The thought is straightforward: Specify how lengthy you need the messages to stay out there (24 hours, 7 days, or 90 days), then something you ship can be routinely deleted from the recipient’s chat when the time elapses.
Which means that you keep some management over the messages, even after you’ve despatched them, which once more is one other neat function that might be welcome in iMessage. (There may be an auto-delete choice in Messages, however turning it on doesn’t take away messages you’ve despatched, it solely strikes them right into a Just lately Deleted folder in your cellphone.)
Export messages to e mail
If you wish to protect your conversations for eternity or use them in one other app, you’ll want to repeat and paste every particular person message or take a prolonged screenshot. Some third-party apps can export messages, however WhatsApp has constructed exporting performance proper into its app, which might be a welcome addition to iMessage. There have been quite a lot of instances after we wanted to save lots of a dialog, and a easy Export choice would save us lots of bother.