It’s a few weeks since the latest iteration of the iPhone landed on shelves (before promptly flying off them). Apple customers are still getting to grips with iOS 8’s raft of new features. The biggest talking point is the overhaul of Apple’s text message service. It’s much nicer to use – once you’ve adapted to the modifications. With that in mind, here’s our guide to getting the most out of the new Messages features:
Quick Reply
Before iOS 8, text message recipients had to enter the Messages app to reply. The new quick reply feature lets users swipe down on an SMS notification.
Share Location
This one’s a beauty. If you want to let one of your contacts know where you are, simply tap ‘details’ in a message thread and hit ‘send my current location’. This will send a link to Apple Maps showing your current location. You can even set a time limit on sharing your current location. To switch it off, just head back into ‘details’ and select ‘turn off share my location’.
Share Multiple Photos
The Messages app now lets you send multiple photos simultaneously. Tap the camera icon and you can see up to 20 recent pictures. Just tap the ones you want to send.
This Video Will Self Destruct
If you like to send multimedia content without saving it, iOS 8 has that capability. To send a time-limited video file, just hold down the camera icon in Messages and record. To send audio, hold the microphone icon. The content will remain on each device for two minutes. This feature represents Apple’s nod to the popularity of Snapchat, but bear in mind that recipients can keep your content if they tap ‘keep’, so it’s a different beast and not to be used if you want deletion guaranteed.
Leave Group Messages
This is one of the features a lot of Apple users have been waiting for. Simply scroll to the bottom of the ‘details’ screen and tap ‘leave this conversation.’
Name Threads
To help you keep track of different conversations, it’s now possible to name group threads. In the message thread, just tap ‘details’ and swipe down to reveal a ‘subject’ section. Enter the name of the thread and away you go.
Comments