iOS quick tips: How to show timestamps and start a phone call in Messages
Apple's iOS is a powerful mobile operating system, but many of its most productive features are hidden or simply not well known. With this iOS Quick Tip, AppleInsider shows off two of the least-appreciated features of the Messages app.
What it is: In iOS 7, each message in a conversation -- whether it's an SMS, MMS, or an iMessage -- now comes with a timestamp showing the time the message was sent or received.
How to activate it: Swipe from right to left on the messages window. Any sent messages will slide over to reveal the timestamp for each entry, and they will bounce back and hide the timestamp when you let go.
What it is: Users can start a new voice call or FaceTime session with another person without leaving the Messages app.
How to activate it: Tapping the "Contact" text in the upper-right hand corner of a message window will reveal extra options below. The phone icon starts a new call, the camera icon begins a FaceTime session, and the information icon lets users edit that person's contact entry. Tapping "Done" will hide the controls.
Show Timestamps
What it is: In iOS 7, each message in a conversation -- whether it's an SMS, MMS, or an iMessage -- now comes with a timestamp showing the time the message was sent or received.
How to activate it: Swipe from right to left on the messages window. Any sent messages will slide over to reveal the timestamp for each entry, and they will bounce back and hide the timestamp when you let go.
Start a phone call
What it is: Users can start a new voice call or FaceTime session with another person without leaving the Messages app.
How to activate it: Tapping the "Contact" text in the upper-right hand corner of a message window will reveal extra options below. The phone icon starts a new call, the camera icon begins a FaceTime session, and the information icon lets users edit that person's contact entry. Tapping "Done" will hide the controls.
Comments
Originally posted September 19, 2013....
Just type and set a time for it to be sent out.
As far as an option messages should have in iOS 8- a way to remove yourself from a group text. I hate waking up to 65 texts sometimes...
Another example is viewing ratings in the music app. The list page view has a button for viewing ratings. In the main view there is no clue but if you touch the song title the rating appears.
I would like to know where all of these tips can be found. Documentation for MacOSX and iOS are not very detailed. Help in iOS is not even available.
Several times I have looked in the help section and got zero answers to the question I had. After looking online I found the answer.
Most of the questions are quite straightforward. I wish Apple would spend more time making their help more useful.
Maybe I haven't found it yet but iOS should have a delayed SMS option.
Just type and set a time for it to be sent out.
Can't think of a single meaningful use for this.
Uhh... Aren't you a year late?
As far as an option messages should have in iOS 8- a way to remove yourself from a group text. I hate waking up to 65 texts sometimes...
Why don't you just request those people to stop including you in their group texts then?
AI Editors. It would be great if tips like this were posted more often here on regular basis.
I didn't know about the timestamps, very helpful.
thanks
For me, it's not that you don't want to be part of ANY group text, just to be able to remove yourself after you have responded. I will get texts sometimes that start of with "Hey, anyone know when.....blah, blah,..." I may want to respond, but I don't want to hear everyone else's response. Also, if a mass text goes out as an invitation to something and you respond with a No or even a Yes, I don't need to hear all the other responses, some of which go on into the night and next day.
For me, it's not that you don't want to be part of ANY group text, just to be able to remove yourself after you have responded. I will get texts sometimes that start of with "Hey, anyone know when.....blah, blah,..." I may want to respond, but I don't want to hear everyone else's response. Also, if a mass text goes out as an invitation to something and you respond with a No or even a Yes, I don't need to hear all the other responses, some of which go on into the night and next day.
Being able to remove oneself from a group text would make a helluva lot of parents very happy! Kids' iDevices going nuts all evening with meaningless chatter can drive you insane.
Originally Posted by Drunkzombie
Maybe I haven't found it yet but iOS should have a delayed SMS option.
Just type and set a time for it to be sent out.
Can't think of a single meaningful use for this.
The writer probably wants to fool his boss or girlfriend into thinking he is doing something when he is really doing something else/
I hear ya. Some people just like to respond to a group text like it's an open forum or Twitter when they are really only talking to one person. That ability to remove yourself (as well as the creator to add a person later) would be nice. Having to tell people to stop the group chat and start a new one without you isn't ease-of-use.
PS: Anyone check how much space they are using with iMessage? I had almost 5GiB of space used on iMessage on my 12.8GiB iPhone. Unfortunately there is no way for it to dump attachments or messages older than certain age so i had to manually delete all conversations and then start over with new ones. This also affected my iPhone backup. Not an ideal setup.
Good to know this tip. Unless you happen to stumble on this there is no visual clue that something is hidden.
Another example is viewing ratings in the music app. The list page view has a button for viewing ratings. In the main view there is no clue but if you touch the song title the rating appears.
I would like to know where all of these tips can be found. Documentation for MacOSX and iOS are not very detailed. Help in iOS is not even available.
Several times I have looked in the help section and got zero answers to the question I had. After looking online I found the answer.
Most of the questions are quite straightforward. I wish Apple would spend more time making their help more useful.
iBooks has free manuals running to several hundred pages for iOS. All you had to do is look. The built-in help for OS X is extensive, the linked help even more so.