Everything new with Messages in iOS 13

Posted:
in iOS edited July 2019
Messages is one of the most used apps on iOS, making it no surprise that Apple invested quite a bit of time in making it all the more powerful with iOS 13. Here is everything that has changed with the Messages app.

The iPhone Messages app in iOS 13
The iPhone Messages app in iOS 13


Check out our hands on video to see all the changes for yourself.

Profiles






Profiles are new with iOS 13 and the Messages app. It allows you to set your first and last name, as well as an image for yourself that is automatically shared when someone adds your contact information. This can apply to everyone or just those who you have saved as contacts. That way all your contacts always have a great image and proper name attributed to them.

Create your own profile with iOS 13
Create your own profile with iOS 13


You can choose a picture from your camera roll or you can create your own Memoji character instead. The background color of your character can also be changed when going that route.

Animoji and Memoji

Octopus, Cow, and Mouse are the three new Animoji characters
Octopus, Cow, and Mouse are the three new Animoji characters


Animoji is receiving three new characters with the latest update -- cow, octopus, and mouse. Starting with iOS 13, there will be over 20 Memoji to choose from.

Your Memoji can now be wearing AirPods
Your Memoji can now be wearing AirPods


Memoji characters now have several new categories and accessories that they be outfitted with. Such designs as eye shadow, lipstick, piercings, teeth, earrings, and hats. AirPods can also be added to the characters.

iOS 13 Messages creates stickers based on your Memoji character
iOS 13 Messages creates stickers based on your Memoji character


Once done, Messages in iOS 13 will automatically create a series of stickers based on that character that can easily be dragged into conversation. This also works with all the Animoji characters and the sticker sheet lives under a new icon in the app toolbar of the Messages app.

Updated search

Search has long been a pain point with Message. It has a reputation for being slow and next to useless. That changes with iOS 13. Search is now incredibly full featured. When the search bar is opened many suggestions appear such as photos, links, locations, or documents.

Search works great in iOS 13 Messages
Search works great in iOS 13 Messages


When searching, you can search through your whole back catalog of texts or you can choose individual conversations.'

Similarly, the info pane within the Message app also got a slight revamp and will show suggested information -- documents, photos, videos, locations, etc -- when opened that can be quickly accessed.

Helpful features

Toggle for announcing messages with Siri
Toggle for announcing messages with Siri


Apple has improved some convenience features as well, starting with "Announce messages with Siri." This does just as it sounds. Whenever a message comes in and AirPods are being used, Siri will inform the user a message has come in and by who. It can work for everyone or just contacts and will even be sent without confirmation.

There is also a new QuickPath keyboard that allows you to type by swiping a finger around the keyboard, making contact with each letter of the word. This style has always been popular and it is great to see Apple adding their own version of it.

When sharing photos, machine learning helps present sharing suggestions right from within iMessage. Just a swipe up shows all the suggested albums or images to share.

Small tweaks

There are many other changes to Messages as well.

Dual-SIM support is now working with Messages, as well as FaceTime. The new note button has a blue, circular background. When using TapBack, there is a new sound and Taptic feedback. The delete button is smaller when editing text history. The "edit" button from the main Messages screen is now gone and instead an ellipsis to the right houses the edit functionality as well as the profile creation.

Other small features include the newer design for the toggle bar for known and unknown senders, seeing when a message is sent via Siri, and the in-message App Store shows how many app updates there are. Dark Mode, a new feature in iOS 13 system-wide, also looks great in Messages.

More to come

We will continue to test out iOS 13 as we get closer to release this fall alongside iPadOS, macOS 10.15 Catalina, watchOS 6, and tvOS 13.

Check out our other features regarding Apple's new updates:

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 10
    D_CMillsD_CMills Posts: 26unconfirmed, member
    I look forward to giving the new search a try. The current version is horrible.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 10
    AppleExposedAppleExposed Posts: 1,805unconfirmed, member
    D_CMills said:
    I look forward to giving the new search a try. The current version is horrible.
    I think it's great. What is missing to you?
  • Reply 3 of 10
    cpsrocpsro Posts: 3,236member
    D_CMills said:
    I look forward to giving the new search a try. The current version is horrible.
    I think it's great. What is missing to you?
    Like the OP wrote, searching in Messages pre-iOS 13 is "next to useless." You can see the number of matches in a thread, but Messages does not direct you to the matches. Basically search just confirms there are matches and it's up to you to locate them. Countless times I've tried to find something in Messages and faced the same useless results. Why? The global search provided by iOS is actually useful, I guess I just can't believe search in Messages would be so lame. I get around the limitation by backing up messages with PhoneView and searching within it. (Inconvenient and tedious).
    edited June 2019 forgot usernamewatto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 10
    taddtadd Posts: 136member
     Since they have the contacts broken up into groups, I think Apple should make it so that Messages can be automatically sorted into the same groups.  That way I can find all my coworkers messages and all my college friends messages and all of my weird hobby friend messages trivially without having to sort through my entire history of all the people I’ve ever messaged to.   The same should be available in the mail app.  
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 10
    cndgoosecndgoose Posts: 19member
    My number one request is the ability to flag or mark a message as unread. 

    I often set a reminder, text myself etc to
    remind myself to reply to an iMessage 

    I understand this makes messaging one step closer to email but it’s a feature that I think would be incredibly useful
    forgot usernamewatto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 10
    Oh please Appleinsider get a professional speaker! Andrew just can’t talk properly…
  • Reply 7 of 10
    velociveloci Posts: 10member
    Just found this cool feature. If you just send the text ‘happy birthday’ iOS 13 sends automatically balloons with the massage. 
    If you use the word happy birthday in a sentence nothing happens. 
    Tried ‘party’ no confetti 😞
  • Reply 8 of 10
    taddtadd Posts: 136member
    veloci said:
    Just found this cool feature. If you just send the text ‘happy birthday’ iOS 13 sends automatically balloons with the massage. 
    If you use the word happy birthday in a sentence nothing happens. 
    Tried ‘party’ no confetti 😞
    Try Congratulations
    or
    Happy New Year

  • Reply 9 of 10
    cndgoose said:
    My number one request is the ability to flag or mark a message as unread. 

    I often set a reminder, text myself etc to
    remind myself to reply to an iMessage 

    I understand this makes messaging one step closer to email but it’s a feature that I think would be incredibly useful
    I totally agree and have sent this to Apple many times. 
  • Reply 10 of 10
    The messages app needs to work more for business. 

    I would like to be to be able to set up group text and change the title of the groups. IE the ability to name a specific team of works and send out messages to that team under on labeled group. 

    I’d like to be able to Flagg messages similar to emails and even set dates or reminders to them. 

    Id like to be able to see a text ie. pick me up this, that and the other thing. And then be able to press it and send it to reminders. Currently I have to copy the text and the enter it as a reminder. 

    Mid like the ability to archive messages and them show up in an separate folder in the app. IE if I need to go back at something said for importantance. Or possibly copy a whole conversation and send it to memo. 

    Id also really like the ability to send a delay to a message. IE you got a great idea that came up or you forgot to send a message to a coworker at 10pm and find it rude to send that late. So you could type the message out and select the ability to send it at a specific set time. Android has been doing this for years. 
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