macOS Catalina beta hints Apple is building Catalyst versions of Messages and Shortcuts
Code discovered in the latest macOS 10.15 Catalina beta suggests Apple is employing its Project Catalyst framework to develop new versions of Messages and Shortcuts, the latter of which is currently limited to iOS devices.

Apple at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June formally unveiled Project Catalyst, a developer toolset designed to ease the transition of iOS apps to Mac. In particular, Catalyst helps bridge the gap and in some cases translate UIKit-based iOS code to Mac's AppKit.
Work on the first four first-party apps to officially undergo conversion -- News, Stocks, Voice Memos and Home -- is largely complete, but new evidence in the first macOS Catalina betas suggest Apple has a surprise or two up its sleeve.
Code discovered by developer Steven Troughton-Smith points to Catalyst versions of Messages and Shortcuts.
"There is a whole lot of evidence in Catalina that they're working on a full, Catalyst version of Messages, much like Shortcuts for Mac. So, just like Shortcuts, I decided to cut to the chase and do it myself by calling the system frameworks. Voil," Troughton-Smith said in a tweet Wednesday.
He goes on to note that a substantial portion of the UIKit Messages app works on macOS, including iMessage effects.
Perhaps more importantly, the Catalyst version of Messages carries a user interface layout more akin to the same app's current iteration on Mac. This could be a hint that Apple is planning a full port of the messaging platform.
"And, just for reference: this isn't a 'marzipanified' version of the Messages app from the iOS Simulator," Troughton-Smith said in a tweet, referencing the rumored codename of what was ultimately unveiled as Catalyst. "This is the 'native' Catalyst UI coming from the macOS 10.15 system frameworks. Just like Shortcuts, it's all there, and mostly works if you know how to talk to it[.]"
Further, Troughton-Smith in a blog post this month said Catalyst in macOS Catalina contains frameworks necessary to support Siri Shortcuts, an iOS app and service that lets users create integrated app shortcuts powered by Siri intelligence. The support is so extensive that almost all of Shortcuts can be invoked in macOS, including a significant part of its UI.
Whether an updated version of Messages and a debut to Shortcuts will debut with macOS Catalina this fall remains unknown, but the unearthed code strongly suggests Apple is working toward that goal.

Apple at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June formally unveiled Project Catalyst, a developer toolset designed to ease the transition of iOS apps to Mac. In particular, Catalyst helps bridge the gap and in some cases translate UIKit-based iOS code to Mac's AppKit.
Work on the first four first-party apps to officially undergo conversion -- News, Stocks, Voice Memos and Home -- is largely complete, but new evidence in the first macOS Catalina betas suggest Apple has a surprise or two up its sleeve.
Code discovered by developer Steven Troughton-Smith points to Catalyst versions of Messages and Shortcuts.
"There is a whole lot of evidence in Catalina that they're working on a full, Catalyst version of Messages, much like Shortcuts for Mac. So, just like Shortcuts, I decided to cut to the chase and do it myself by calling the system frameworks. Voil," Troughton-Smith said in a tweet Wednesday.
He goes on to note that a substantial portion of the UIKit Messages app works on macOS, including iMessage effects.
Perhaps more importantly, the Catalyst version of Messages carries a user interface layout more akin to the same app's current iteration on Mac. This could be a hint that Apple is planning a full port of the messaging platform.
"And, just for reference: this isn't a 'marzipanified' version of the Messages app from the iOS Simulator," Troughton-Smith said in a tweet, referencing the rumored codename of what was ultimately unveiled as Catalyst. "This is the 'native' Catalyst UI coming from the macOS 10.15 system frameworks. Just like Shortcuts, it's all there, and mostly works if you know how to talk to it[.]"
Further, Troughton-Smith in a blog post this month said Catalyst in macOS Catalina contains frameworks necessary to support Siri Shortcuts, an iOS app and service that lets users create integrated app shortcuts powered by Siri intelligence. The support is so extensive that almost all of Shortcuts can be invoked in macOS, including a significant part of its UI.
Whether an updated version of Messages and a debut to Shortcuts will debut with macOS Catalina this fall remains unknown, but the unearthed code strongly suggests Apple is working toward that goal.
Comments
Here is my wishcast: the Photoshop for iPad that Adobe's working on is a Catalyst app, so photoshop for iPad will also be Photoshop for Mac.
Corallary: they already have 80% of desktop Lightroom built into the publicly shipping iPad app, perhaps that will get the same treatment?
That being said, it’ll be interesting to see how many existing iPad apps are ported over to MacOS via Catalyst: could be a real boom in available Mac software on the App Store, as the current selection is rather anemic.
If Apple decided a two decades ago that what they were doing was always going to be right then they would’ve folded already.
People like me pay for iCloud space, and syncing messages on the cloud does not work. Tim simply laughs and take our money and does not care to fix the problem. This is incompetence in the level of Ballmer run MSFT. Apple is the new Microsoft. From working OS/Hardware to everlasting updates = impossible for a stable os.
So Tims genius plan to get messages working on macOS is to port the iOS version.
How hard is it? Especially when cloud is involved? Any Mac user with multiple computers/iOS devices have issues with messages. Some messages are not delivered to all computers (usually SMS kind since iOS decides what devices can get SMS). The same user gets many threads / different threads on different computers. Messages are delivered not in sync. Different profile pictures on different computers (and macOS gets this from the Address book. THAT IS SYNCED IN ICLOUD).
I'm sorry. I have to say it. Apple-Tim is incompetent. For him it's more important to spew political propaganda than getting his stuff to work. Then they blame 30% decline in iPhones sales on "China nationalism". No.. the stuff cost 3times more than under Jobs. The stuff does not work as it did under Jobs and the values that Tim-Apple have is not shared by most people in the world. (The 190 non-western countries are totally different and they actually have the right to different values.
How the FSCK cant Apple get messages to work? Especially when they have "handover?" How do you manage to get different messages on computers that are constantly syncing via handover? Heck: Even I can solve this in 20 seconds with a Rsync script that sync the messages from a master computer. Its just text files stored locally and Tim can't solve it. 10000+ users that have this problem and Tim just care about his stuff. "I do not have any problem with 1 device connected with 10Gbps to a local server icloud". Tim needs to go to save Apple. Buy Tesla. Put Musk in charge. Tim is worse than Scully.
I've been using messages in the cloud since day 1, and it has worked PERFECTLY for me, every single minute of every single day, as well as everyone else I know. Messages sync in a split second, to all devices, always. Your narrative that it's fundamentally broken is complete horse-shit. And even if they don't. that doesn't warrant your rant. Then again, to be expected, as your foaming at the mouth rant exhibits zero rationality or objectivity. Cook has taken Apple to heights unimagined by SJ, in pretty much every possible metric, and based on the last WWDC, and Apple's future has never looked brighter. And Tim Cook isn't personally coding Messages, you moron.
Musk in charge? Worse than Scully? You're fucking insane, no other way to put it. Maybe try figuring out whats so wrong in your own life that you feel the need to direct all your hatred and anger towards Cook. That would be healthy.
Some funny stuff being posted here. Nothing against Tesla cars, but Tesla the company is pretty messed up right now, almost 100% because of Musk.
A dramatic reading of Craig’s interview with Gruber. He merely said they were design decisions on the Talk Show.
Oh my god, what drugs are you on. Too much crazy.
Messages is working fine on my machines, with iCloud.