iMessage

New ‘Typecast’ tweak brings “now typing” and read receipt indicators to the fore

Typecast is a new jailbreak tweak that makes the "now typing" indicator and read receipt indicators associated with message conversations more prominent. Typecast is especially good when juggling multiple conversations at the same time, because it places the now typing indicators right on the conversation inside of the message list view.

If you've ever used TypeStatus, a similar tweak from which Typecast draws inspiration from, then you pretty much know what to expect here from a technical standpoint. But it's the way that Typecast presents itself, and the fact that it works with additional apps, that makes it warrant a look— even if you already use TypeStatus.

iOS 9 tidbits: Force Touch support, updated keyboard designs, iMessage enhancements & more

iOS 9, the next major iteration of Apple's mobile operating system powering the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, reportedly has built-in support for Force Touch technology which debuted on the Apple Watch, suggesting the possibility of pressure-sensitive screens on the next iPhone and iPad.

According to a new report by 9to5Mac, the operating system also features support for Apple Pay in Canada, has improved software keyboard with new designs and enhances iMessage by enabling read receipts for group chat threads and on a per-contact basis.

Hands-on with Couria, an upcoming quick reply and quick compose tweak for iOS 8

Couria is a quick reply and quick compose tweak for iOS that originally debuted back in the iOS 7 days. Today, the Messaging landscape for jailbroken devices is significantly different, with a key major player, biteSMS, now defunct.

With this in mind, a few tweaks that are currently in the works are hoping to reinvigorate the Messaging app tweak genre. One of them, Couria, plays heavily on the infrastructure already put in place by Apple, piggybacking on the native quick reply feature in iOS 8.

How to use Facebook stickers in iMessage conversations

One of the things that I learned while visiting Korea last year is that Koreans love using an app called KakaoTalk. Kakao is a messaging app that pretty much everyone in Korea uses. It's an app that's instantly recognizable due to the bright, colorful, animated stickers that litter the conversations of passersby.

I've always thought that it would be cool if iMessage users could use animated stickers within the Messages app, and now it's a reality thanks to a new jailbreak tweak called StickerMe. StickerMe takes the stickers available within the Facebook Messenger app, and brings them to an iMessage conversation near you.

Apple enables two-step verification for FaceTime and iMessages

Apple has enabled two-step verification for its FaceTime and iMessage services, The Guardian reported on Thursday. The move will force users who have the authentication system enabled to input an app-specific password when logging into either of the two services.

For those unfamiliar with the term, two-step verification is an opt-in system that adds an additional layer of security to Apple ID accounts. It requires users to input authentication codes when logging into iCloud on new devices, the web, and now iMessage and FaceTime.

BlackBerry calls upon US government to force Apple to port iMessage to its smartphones

Disregarding for a moment the fact that Apple has never actually made any promises regarding bringing iMessage to other platforms (unlike FaceTime, but that's a topic for another story), the embattled smartphone maker BlackBerry wants Apple's messaging platform on its smartphones so badly that it's calling on the United States government to intervene and do something about it.

It's not a joke: BlackBerry CEO John Chen penned a post over at the company blog proposing just that.

In a nutshell, rather than let the market dictate what any company should do, he's demanding that the Cupertino firm make iMessage cross-platform.

Judge green-lights lawsuit against Apple over text message delivery issue

Federal judge Lucy Koh has green-lighted a lawsuit against Apple over its long-standing iMessage issue that causes some former iPhone users to not receive their text messages, reports Reuters. The lawsuit was filed in May by San Jose, California resident Adrienne Moore.

Moore says Apple didn't properly warn her that she'd quit receiving text messages after switching from an iPhone to a Galaxy S5. There's no word yet on what kind of damages Moore is asking for, but she is seeking class action status, which would allow others to join the suit.

The EFF ranks iMessage and FaceTime as most secure mass-market messaging options

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (or EFF) has posted a new Secure Messaging Scorecard, which ranks popular messaging offerings based on their security measures. The Scorecard uses a variety of metrics, such as methods of encryption and user privacy, and Apple's messaging options faired rather well.

While dedicated secure messaging apps like ChatSecure and CryptoCat scored the highest, the EFF found Apple's iMessage and FaceTime systems to be "the best of the mass-market options." The two services were found more secure than several high profile apps, including BlackBerry Messenger and Skype.

How to manage group iMessages in OS X Yosemite

Like iOS 8, OS X Yosemite brings tons of new features to the table when it comes to iMessage. You can now do interesting things like rename iMessage Conversations, add additional participants to a group message conversation, and leave a group iMessage conversation outright.

Have a look at our video walkthrough after the break, which showcases these three new group iMessage features in OS X Yosemite.