Messages

ConvoProtect: lock or hide individual conversations in Messages, Whatsapp and Kik

Alihassan Mahdi ∙ August 1, 2014

All of us have that one nosy friend who sneaks into the Messages app the moment they get your device and reads all your conversations. If you hate this, you might want to check out a new jailbreak tweak known as 'ConvoProtect' that adds an extra layer of security to your conversations.

ConvoProtect allows you to lock as well as hide select conversations from the stock Messages app, including Whatsapp and Kik as well. Along with individual conversations, the tweak also provides an option to secure group messages as well as hide the message preview for a particular conversation in the conversations list.

Read More

The best of iOS 8: from new features to developer tools

Timothy Reavis ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

With the imminent introduction of the iPhone 6 will come the release of iOS 8, Apple's latest iteration in its mobile operating system. After spending the past several weeks with pre-release versions of the software, I can say that there are definitive grounds for anticipating its public availability. Whether you're planning on buying a new iPhone this fall or upgrading your current device to iOS 8, there are clear reasons to be excited about the features it has to offer.

Although it will be shipping with quite a few significant features – Apple claims this is their "biggest iOS release ever" – we've gone hands-on with the beta releases and picked our top ten favorite enhancements that will be available for qualifying devices this September. Here, in no sequential order, are the best of what makes iOS 8 great...

Read More

Hermes: a lightweight cross-platform quick reply solution

Jeff Benjamin ∙ July 15, 2014

Are you itching for a lightweight quick reply solution, and feel that existing tweaks don't work for you? What about being able to quickly reply to WhatsApp, Kik, and iMessage messages from the same quick reply interface. If you answered yes to one or both questions, then you may want to check out Hermes, a brand new $0.99 quick reply solution for jailbreakers.

Read More

Auki updated with new features and new developer API

Jeff Benjamin ∙ July 8, 2014

Our favorite quick reply-enabling jailbreak tweak has been updated with quite a few new features, a brand new developer API, bug fixes, and much more. Auki version 1.3 is a fairly large update, the first of such since the Pangu jailbreak for iOS 7.1.x was released.

Designer Surenix and developer Benno provided us with a preview copy of Auki 1.3, and we've been testing it out for the last few hours. Have a look inside to see what's new.

Read More

How to get iOS 8 style quick reply on iOS 7

Jeff Benjamin ∙ July 5, 2014

If someone told you that six months ago that quick reply for Messages would be a feature in iOS 8, most people would probably say that it would be the headline feature for the updated OS. But Apple cranked it up a few notches, unveiling new features like Continuity and extensions, and suddenly quick reply no longer seemed like that big of a deal.

But let's face it, quick reply is still very much a big deal. In fact, it's such a wanted feature that there have been tons of jailbreak tweaks in the past that have brought some form of quick reply to the table for jailbroken users.

The latest such tweak aims to mimic the quick reply style found in iOS 8 to a close degree. Have a look at our video walkthrough past the break to see Interactive Message Notifications in action.

Read More

Apple appears to have ended support for AIM accounts in OS X Messages

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2018

For years, Apple's Messages app for OS X (previously known as iChat) has offered support for the aging AIM messaging protocol with mac.com and me.com IDs.

Then on Monday, as it said it would, Cupertino has ended AIM support for mac.com or me.com accounts in Messages on Macs running OS X Lion 10.7.1 or earlier.

However, it now appears that the company has actually phased out support for AIM accounts for everyone, regardless of Mac OS X version, and without giving users a heads-up...

Read More

Yosemite includes the ability to initiate screen sharing via the Messages app

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

There's a plethora of new features to be found in Yosemite, and one of the latest has been found in the Messages app. Along with the ability to initiate FaceTime audio and video calls directly from a Messages app conversation, comes the ability to initiate screen sharing.

Users will be able to either request a screen sharing session from another user, or initiate their own screen sharing session directly from the Messages app. Check inside for more details.

Read More

The best new features from the Messages app in iOS 8 [Video]

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Without a doubt, I believe that quick reply for Messages was by far the most wanted feature of iOS 8 for the majority of long-time users. It's a feature that has been egregiously overlooked by Apple with seemingly little explanation.

This morning's keynote address finally brought an end to the wait, as native quick reply was revealed in all its glory on stage at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. To be honest, the keynote seemed to teeter on the side of fan service, but I'm certainly not complaining, especially when a part of that fan service is the long-awaited quick reply.

After installing the beta of iOS 8, one of the first things I've begun to play around with is the stock Message app, and of course, perhaps the most anticipated feature in iOS 8: quick reply. Have a look at our video walkthrough of some of the most prominent iOS 8 Messages app features.

Read More

iOS 8 improves messaging on iMessage

Joe Rossignol ∙ June 2, 2014

Apple has made some welcomed improvements in iOS 8 to the Messages app for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. There are several new features that affect group conversations, sharing your location in a message, an attachment overview, sending multiple photos and videos at once and more. Take a look ahead for a detailed explanation of these and other new iMessage features ahead… 

Read More

Apple being sued over long-standing iMessage issue

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 4, 2023

A former iPhone user has filed a lawsuit against Apple over a long-standing iMessage issue. The complaint was filed yesterday in San Jose, California by Adrienne Moore, who says the company's messaging system is interfering with text messaging on her new Android phone.

This issue has affected a number of former iPhone owners, who have switched to Android or another device. The problem is that when a person switches handsets, other iPhones still associate that phone number with iMessage, thus hampering their ability to text message...

Read More

CamText: add a live camera to the Messages app background

Jeff Benjamin ∙ April 3, 2014

CamText is a new jailbreak tweak that lets users text using the stock Messages app with a live camera background. The most obvious use for a tweak like this is to provide its users with a safe way to text while walking down a busy street.

Since the camera provides a live view of a user's surroundings using the Messages app background, it's possible to keep one eye on an impending obstacle, and another eye on the ongoing conversation. While I believe it's pretty sad that it's come to this—we can't even look up while crossing the street like a normal person—it's hard to deny the idea's usefulness in the face of the circumstances. 

Read More